Spring Bank Holiday 2026

What is Spring Bank Holiday?

The Spring Bank Holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom and in several territories with similar calendars, including the Channel Islands, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man. It is held on the last Monday of May and creates a long weekend that marks the start of the spring and summer outdoor season, with garden shows, outdoor festivals and day trips. It has no religious or national meaning of its own. The name differs by territory: in some places it is called the Late May Bank Holiday. Its name differs slightly between territories.

Many sports and music events, garden openings and village fairs are scheduled for the weekend, and families often use the break for short trips to the coast or the countryside. As the holiday is secular, the traditions associated with it are mostly linked to the weather, gardens and the countryside, and it is often thought of as a holiday for leisure rather than for remembrance. The holiday also marks the point after which many seaside resorts, heritage railways and visitor attractions open for the full season. Weather forecasts for the long weekend are a regular news item in Britain.

Why it is observed

The holiday is a modern one. Until 1971, the Whit Monday bank holiday, which was tied to Easter and could fall between mid-May and mid-June, was the main spring bank holiday in the UK. The Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 replaced it with the Spring Bank Holiday on the last Monday in May, giving a fixed point in the calendar and ending the link to Easter. Together with the Summer Bank Holiday in August, it is one of the holidays established under that law. In 2012 and 2022 it was moved to make a long weekend for Jubilee celebrations.

How the date is set

The Spring Bank Holiday falls on the last Monday of May. Exceptions are made in some years by royal proclamation, as in 2012 and 2022, when it was moved to accommodate Jubilee celebrations.

How it is observed

On the Spring Bank Holiday, banks, public offices and schools are closed, and public transport usually runs a Sunday or reduced timetable. Many shops and supermarkets open, often with shorter hours, and visitor attractions, garden centres and seaside resorts are typically busy. Roads, railways and airports are crowded across the long weekend, so travel needs planning. The date is the last Monday of May unless a one-off change is announced, as happened for Jubilee celebrations. Because bank holidays do not automatically give employees a right to a paid day off in the UK, entitlements depend on the employment contract and the employer.