8 UK Bank Holidays facts to enjoy over the long weekend

Bank holidays are great. Generally it’s an extra day off work which means more time for sitting in a traffic jam or having a fight in a packed IKEA with a loved one.

In the UK, we’re enjoying a three-day weekend as it’s the Spring Bank Holiday. No doubt, many of us will have planned outside activities, such as a BBQ, which inevitably means it’s very likely to rain.

We’ve put together a few bank holiday facts for you. Enjoy your long weekend, whatever it is you choose to do!

1. Bank holidays in the UK were introduced in 1871 by Sir John Lubbock, a banker and politician. The Bank Holidays Act appointed specific days as public holidays, which initially focused on the closure of banks. Hence how the name came about. 

2. The first official UK Bank Holiday in the UK was on August 5th 1871, so bank employees could attend a cricket match at the Kennington Oval between England and Australia.

3. Until 1834, the UK had 33 public holidays per year as Saint’s Days and religious festivals were also included. This was considered excessive though and the number was significantly reduced. 

4. England and Wales have 8 bank holidays a year, Scotland have 9, and Northern Ireland have 10.

5. In 2011, the coalition government debated spreading out the bank holidays more throughout the year by replacing the May Day Bank Holiday with a different one in October. These plans were scrapped though as there was too much opposition from people who thought that the May Day festivals would be damaged by the change.

6. After 1971, any new bank holidays were designated by Royal Proclamation. Examples are the Millennium Bank Holiday (December 31st 1999), The Golden Jubilee Bank Holiday (June 3rd 2002), and The Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday (June 3rd 2022)

7. The UK has fewer bank holidays than many countries in the world. 

8. In 2021, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) proposed adding four extra bank holidays to the UK. The request was denied. 

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