UK Bank holidays and British Summer Time

April 29, 2009

United Kingdoms Bank holidays are public holidays, when banks and many other businesses are closed for the day. Find out about the bank holiday dates in the different parts of the UK, and when the clocks go forward and back for British Summer Time.

When the usual date of a bank or public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, a ’substitute day’ is given, normally the following Monday. For example in 2009, Boxing Day is actually on Saturday, 26 December, so there is a substitute bank holiday on Monday, 28 December.

There are currently eight permanent bank holidays in England and Wales:

England and Wales	2009	2010	2011
New Year’s Day	1 January	1 January	3 January*
Good Friday	10 April	2 April	22 April
Easter Monday	13 April	5 April	25 April
Early May Bank Holiday	4 May	3 May	2 May
Spring Bank Holiday	25 May	31 May	30 May
Summer Bank Holiday	31 August	30 August	29 August
Christmas Day	25 December	27 December*	26 December*
Boxing Day	28 December*	28 December*	27 December*

British Summer Time

British Summer Time (BST) starts on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October, at 1.00 am Greenwich Mean Time (GMT):

* in spring the clocks go forward, losing an hour – at 1.00 am GMT the UK moves to 2.00 am BST
* in autumn the clocks go back, giving an extra hour – at 2.00 am BST the UK moves to 1.00 am GMT

In the next three years, the summer time periods begin and end on the following dates: