How are UK Bank Holidays and Notable Dates Worked Out?

If you’ve ever wondered why Easter keeps moving around or when you’re supposed to turn the clocks back, look no further. Below are all of the UK bank holiday dates for England (E), Scotland (S), Wales (W) and Northern Ireland (NI), along with explanations of how they’re worked out. Most are fixed dates, but some rely on some not-too-obvious calculations…

UK Public Holidays

New Year’s Day (E, W, S, NI) (1st January)
Public Holiday (S) (2nd January)
St Patrick’s Day (NI) (17th March)
Good Friday (E, W, S, NI) (The Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday)
Easter Sunday (The first Sunday after the first calculated Full Moon on or after 21st March)
Easter Monday (E, W, NI) (The day after Easter Sunday)
Early May Bank Holiday (E, W, S, NI) (The first Monday of May)
Spring Bank Holiday (E, W, S, NI) (The last Monday of May)
Battle of the Boyne (NI) (12th July)
Summer Bank Holiday (S) (The first Monday of August)
Summer Bank Holiday (E, W, NI) (The last Monday of August)
St Andrew’s Day (S) (30th November)
Christmas Day (E, W, S, NI) (25th December)
Boxing Day (E, W, S, NI) (26th December)

Notable Dates

Valentine’s Day (14th February)
Shrove Tuesday (The day in February or March immediately preceding Ash Wednesday)
Ash Wednesday (The Wednesday in the seventh week before Easter)
St David’s Day (1st March)
BST Begins (Last Sunday of March)
Mother’s Day (The fourth Sunday of Lent (exactly three weeks before Easter Sunday))
St George’s Day (23rd April)
Father’s Day (The third Sunday of June)
Summer Solstice (About 21st June)
BST Ends (Last Sunday of October)
Guy Fawkes Night (5th November)
Winter Solstice (About 21st December)

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