England, Northern Ireland and Wales
| Date | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | from 1974, by Royal proclamation annually |
| 17 March | St. Patrick's Day | Northern Ireland only |
| variable | Good Friday | Traditional Common law holiday |
| Easter Monday | Statutory bank holiday, defined by name. | |
| 1st Monday in May | May Day Bank Holiday | from 1978, by Royal proclamation annually |
| Last Monday in May | Spring Bank Holiday | Statutory bank holiday from 1971, following a trial period from 1965 to 1970. Replaced Whit Monday, which was formerly a public holiday whose date varied according to the date of Easter. The legislation does not specify a name for the holiday, merely when it occurs. |
| 12 July | Battle of the Boyne (Orangeman's Day) | Northern Ireland only |
| Last Monday in August | Late Summer Bank Holiday | Statutory bank holiday from 1971, following a trial period from 1965 to 1970. Replaced the first Monday in August (formerly commonly known as "August Bank Holiday". The legislation does not specify a name for the holiday, merely when it occurs. |
| 25 December | Christmas Day | Traditional Common law holiday |
| 26 or 27 December (see Notes) | Boxing Day | Statutory bank holiday. Legislation does not name the holiday, but states that it falls on "26th December, if it be not a Sunday. 27th December in a year in which 25th or 26th December is a Sunday." |
| Total | 8 (England & Wales) 10 (Northern Ireland) |
Notes:
- In 2011, there was a special holiday on Friday, 29 April, to celebrate the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, thereby making the previous week a four-day week because of Good Friday, that week a three-day week because of Easter Monday and the following week a four-day week because of May Day. Furthermore, the royal bank holiday falls in the weeks that follow the usual two-week school Easter holiday.
- In 2012, there was a special holiday on Tuesday, 5 June, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. Therefore, to make it a four-day weekend, the Spring Bank Holiday that would usually have occurred at the end of May was pushed back to Monday, 4 June 2012.
Read more about this topic: Public Holidays In The United Kingdom
Famous quotes containing the words northern, ireland and/or wales:
“You’ll wait a long, long time for anything much
To happen in heaven beyond the floats of cloud
And the Northern Lights that run like tingling nerves.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
“The tragedy of Northern Ireland is that it is now a society in which the dead console the living.”
—Jack Holland (b. 1947)
“I just come and talk to the plants, really—very important to talk to them, they respond I find.”
—Charles, Prince Of Wales (b. 1948)