There’s nothing quite like a long weekend – or the shorter working week that precedes or follows one – to give us a new lease of life.
So why not crack out your calendar and get planning how you’re going to use all your days off in 2020? After all, it’s never too soon.
Though us Brits are used to two Monday bank holidays in May, for 2020, things are changing somewhat. Sadly, no extra day off has been granted for UK workers, but the government has announced that the early May bank holiday - known as May Day - has been moved back four days next year to coincide with the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
VE Day - or Victory in Europe Day - marks the day in 1945 when the Nazis surrendered their armed forces in the Second World War. The weekend will see three days of commemorative events.
Whether you’ve got a wedding in the works, are planning a long weekend trip or are simply living from the weekend in your 9-5, look no further: these are all the bank holidays in 2020 for those living in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
2020 Bank and Public Holidays:
- New Year’s Day: Wednesday 1 January
- New Year’s Holiday: Thursday 2 January (Scotland only)
- St Patrick’s Day: Tuesday 17 March (Northern Ireland only)
- Good Friday: Friday 10 April
- Easter Monday: Monday 13 April (England, Wales and Northern Ireland only)
- Early May bank holiday: Friday 8 May
- Spring bank holiday: Monday 25 May
- Battle of the Boyne (substitute day): Monday 13 July (Northern Ireland only)
- Summer bank holiday: Monday 3 August (Scotland only)
- Summer bank holiday: Monday 31 August (England, Wales and Northern Ireland only)
- St Andrew’s Day: Monday 30 November (Scotland only)
- Christmas Day: Friday 25 December
- Boxing Day (substitute day): Monday 28 December
Other key dates to remember for 2020:
- Burns Night: Saturday 25 January
- Chinese New Year: Saturday 25 January
- Valentine’s Day: Friday 14 February
- Shrove Tuesday: Tuesday 25 February
- Ash Wednesday: Wednesday 26 February
- St David’s Day: Sunday 1 March
- Mothering Sunday: Sunday 22 March
- Daylight saving time starts – Sunday 29 March
- St George’s Day: Thursday 23 April
- Ramadan start (TBC): Thursday 23 April
- Eid al-Fitr (TBC): Saturday 23 May
- Summer Solstice: Saturday 20 June
- Father’s Day: Sunday 21 June
- Eid al-Adha begins (TBC): Thursday 30 July
- Islamic New Year: Wednesday 19 August
- Rosh Hashanah: Friday 18 September
- Yom Kippur: Sunday 27 September
- Daylight saving time ends: Sunday 25 October
- Halloween: Saturday 31 October
- Guy Fawkes Night: Thursday 5 November
- Remembrance Day: Wednesday 11 November
- Diwali (TBC): Saturday 14 November
- St Andrew’s Day: Monday 30 November
- Hanukkah begins: Thursday 10 December
- Winter Solstice: Monday 21 December
Go forth and plan your holidays accordingly.
