A bank holiday is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies, and a colloquial term for a public holiday in Ireland. In the United Kingdom, the term is used to refer to all public holidays, be they set out in statute, declared by royal proclamation, or held by convention under common law. In Ireland, there are some bank holidays which are not public holidays.
The term "bank holiday" refers to the fact that banking institutions typically close for business on such holidays, as they once did on certain saint's days.
Bank holidays were introduced by John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury in the Bank Holidays Act 1871, which was superseded by the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971.
List of current holidays
The UK government publishes always up-to-date lists of upcoming and past bank holiday dates for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Lists upcoming and recent bank holidays, updated as required. +Current bank and public holidays Date Name England and Wales (8) Scotland (10) Northern Ireland (10) Republic of Ireland (10) Isle of Man (10) Jersey and Guernsey (9) 1 January New Year's Day 2 January 2 January First Monday in February, or 1 February if the date falls on a Friday Imbolc / Saint Brigid's Day 17 March Saint Patrick's Day The Friday before Easter Sunday Good Friday The Monday after Easter Sunday Easter Monday First Monday in May Early May bank holiday 9 May Liberation Day Last Monday in May Spring Bank Holiday / Late May Bank Holiday First Monday in June June Bank Holiday First Friday in June Senior Race Day 5 July Tynwald Day 12 July The Twelfth (Battle of the Boyne) First Monday in August Summer Bank Holiday (August Bank Holiday) Last Monday in August August Bank Holiday Last Monday in October October Bank Holiday 30 November St Andrew's Day 25 December Christmas Day 26 December Boxing Day / Saint Stephen's Day
Notes
See also List of holidays by country Federal holiday, US equivalent Bank Holidays Act 1871 Proposed St David's Day bank holiday
References
External links UK bank holidays Scotland Bank Holidays - Scottish Government
Public holidays (Ireland) Bank holidays (Ireland) (National) bank holidays (Ireland)