UK (United Kingdom) Public Holidays News and Updates

2019 (public news feed delayed by 30 days)

• Aug
• 10
• full story

• UK Mulls November 1st Brexit Public Holiday

  The Telegraph (London) - The runner-up to the recent contest to become the UK's Prime Minister, Michael Gove, has proposed the idea of declaring a one-off non-working public holiday on Friday, November 1st, 2019, the day after a likely hard Brexit, "to cushion any potential fallout and disruption to financial markets".
• full story

• Jul
• 20
• full story

• Scotland 2020 Public Holidays Announced

  The Devolved Government for Scotland (Edinburgh) - The devolved government for Scotland has released a list of the 2020 bank holidays (aka public holidays) in Scotland for the calendar year 2020.
• full story

• Jul
• 12
• full story

• UK-NIR Public Sector Holiday July 15

  The Irish News (Belfast) - Civil servants in Northern Ireland will benefit from a sectorial non-working public holiday, on Monday, July 15, 2019.
• full story

• Jun
• 8
• full story

• UK 2020 Public Holidays Amended

  The Independent (London) - The UK Business Secretary, Greg Clark, has announced the upcoming non-working UK early-May public holiday will move from Monday, May 4, 2020, to Friday, May 8, 2020, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE-Day.
• full story

• Feb
• 22
• full story

• UK Considering 2020 Public Holidays Changes

  YouGov (London) - The UK Prime Minister's official spokesman has announced that it was considering moving the 2020 early May bank holiday from Monday, May 4, 2020, to Friday, May 8, 2020, to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the end of WW2 in Europe.
• full story

2018

• Jul
• 6
• full story

• Scotland 2019 Public Holidays Announced

  The Devolved Government for Scotland (Edinburgh) - The devolved government for Scotland has released a list of the 2019 bank holidays (aka public holidays) in Scotland for the calendar year 2019.
• full story

2017

• Nov
• 27
• full story

• UK Rules-Out Royal Wedding Public Holiday

  YouGov (London) - The UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, has ruled-out the declaration of a one-off non-working public holiday in the UK, on the occasion of the upcoming wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
• full story

• Apr
• 23
• full story

• UK To Get 4 New Public Holidays Under Labour

  BBC News - The leader of the UK's Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, has announced that, were Labour to win the upcoming, June 8, general elections, his Labour government would create four new UK-wide bank holidays on the patron saint's day of each of the home nations.
• full story

• Mar
• 8
• full story

• UK Mulls Queen Sapphire Jubilee Public Holiday In 2017

  The House of Commons (London) - The "Queen's Sapphire Jubilee Bill" has been introduced to UK's Parliament by Conservative MP for Romford, Andrew Rosindell, under the Ten Minute Rule as a Private Member’s Bill "to make provision for a national public holiday marking the Queen’s Sapphire Jubilee in 2017".
• full story

2016

• Mar
• 7
• full story

• UK Mulls Wales Public Holidays Bill

  UK House of Commons Information Office (London) - The Private Members' Bill "Devolution (Bank Holidays) (Wales) Bill 2015-16" has been introduced in the UK House of Commons under the "Ten Minute Rule" (SO No 23) by MP Mark Williams, and had its first reading.
• full story

2015

• Jul
• 18
• full story

• Scotland 2016-2018 Public Holidays Announced

  The Devolved Government for Scotland (Edinburgh) - The devolved government for Scotland has released a list of the 2016-2018 bank holidays (aka public holidays) in Scotland for the period of 2016-2018.
• full story

2014

• Jun
• 17
• full story

• UK Rejects New Religious Public Holidays

  YouGov (London) - The UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has issued its decision on another petition to declare 2 new annual non-working public holidays (aka. bank holidays in the UK), one for the Hindu festival of Diwali, and another one for one of the "Eid" Muslim festivals.
• full story

2013

• Nov
• 24
• full story

• UK Mulls NI Peace Public Holiday

  The Irish Examiner (Cork) - The British Labour Party has proposed that a new non-working public holiday (aka. bank holiday, in the UK) should be created in Northern Ireland to celebrate the achievements of the peace process since the Good Friday agreement of the late nineties.
• full story

• Jul
• 9
• full story

• UK Mulls Royal Baby Public Holiday

  YouGov (London) - According to a recent poll by the internet-based market research firm YouGov, the UK public is evenly split on whether another one-off public holiday should be declared for the upcoming birth/christening of the child of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
• full story

• Feb
• 27
• full story

• Wales FM Favors March 1st Public Holiday

  BBC News - Responding to the Welsh Conservatives' call for a new annual non-working public holiday in Wales on March 1st to commemorate Saint David's Day, the First Minister of Wales announced that he was in favour of seeking the power to declare a public holiday in Wales.
• full story

2012

• May
• 8
• full story

• UK Trafalgar Public Holiday Abandoned

  UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport (London) - A spokesman from the UK's Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has announced that the UK government had dropped the previously-announced plans to create an annual non-working public holiday commemorating the Battle of Trafalgar.
• full story

• May
• 2
• full story

• UK 10-Year Public Holidays Bill Abandoned

  House of Commons Information Office (HCIO) - The "Public Festivals, Holidays and Commemorations Bill 2010-12", has failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session, meaning that the Bill will make no further progress.
• full story

2011

• Dec
• 11
• full story

• UK 10-Year Public Holidays Bill Next Week

  House of Commons Information Office (HCIO) - Next Tuesday, Conservative backbencher Andrew Rosindell is scheduled to ask leave to introduce a Bill into the UK House of Commons which would require the Secretary of State to annually prepare and publish a list of the public holidays and bank holidays for the 10 years to come.
• full story

• Oct
• 22
• full story

• UK Trafalgar Public Holiday Proposed

  The Guardian (London) - The UK's Minister for Tourism, John Penrose, has suggested replacing the early May bank holiday with an October 21 annual non-working public holiday (or bank holiday, as public holidays are called in the UK) commemorating the Battle of Trafalgar.
• full story

• Sep
• 9
• full story

• UK Magna Carta Anniversary Public Holiday Bill

  House of Commons Hansard Debates (London) - The UK's House of Commons has accepted for consideration the "Magna Carta Anniversary (Bank Holiday) Bill", which would designate Monday, June 15, 2015, as a one-off non-working public holiday in the United Kingdom to mark the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta.
• full story

• Jul
• 25
• full story

• UK Moving Towards Cornish Public Holiday

  The Guardian (London) - The corporate resources overview and scrutiny committee of the UK's City Council of Cornwall have approved the idea of making St Piran's Day into a new annual regional bank/public holiday on March 5th.
• full story

• Mar
• 4
• full story

• UK Unveils May Day Public Holiday Options

  BBC (London) - The UK Government has unveiled plans to replace the early May public holiday in the UK by either St George's Day, in April, or Trafalgar Day, in October.
• full story

• Feb
• 4
• full story

• UK Considers Replacing Early May Public Holiday

  The Guardian (London) - The UK government is considering replacing the annual, early May, public holiday, with a new annual public holiday in the autumn.
• full story

2010

• Nov
• 24
• full story

• Scotland Will Declare Royal Wedding Public Holiday

  The Scotsman (Edinburgh) - A spokesman for Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, has announced that the Cabinet had agreed that Friday, April 29, 2011, would also be a public holiday in Scotland.
• full story

• Nov
• 23
• full story

• UK Confirms Royal Wedding Public Holiday In 2011

  The Guardian (London) - The UK's Prime Minister, David Cameron, has announced that the Cabinet had agreed to declare Friday, April 29, 2011, as a one-off public holiday in the UK.
• full story

• Nov
• 18
• full story

• UK Could Declare Additional 2011 Public Holiday

  BBC (London) - UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, has said that he would like a one-off public holiday declared on the occasion of the wedding of Prince William, tentatively scheduled for the spring or summer of 2011.
• full story

• Apr
• 24
• full story

• UK Unlikely To Declare St George's Day Public Holiday

  Press Association (London) - The UK's Conservative Party has announced that making St George's Day a public holiday (or bank holiday as public holidays are called in the UK) is not part of the Conservative Party's policy, should they win the upcoming general elections.
• full story

• Mar
• 13
• full story

• UK Promised New Public Holiday

  The Times (London) - The UK's Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has promised a new annual public holiday (or "bank holiday" as public holidays are called in the UK) called "Pride in Britain Day", but only once economic recovery from the current downturn is secure.
• full story

2009

• Dec
• 27
• full story

• UK Votes Queen's 2012 Diamond Jubilee Public Holiday

  Mail on Sunday (London) - Last night, the UK Parliament approved a bill creating an additional one-off public holiday to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, in 2012.
• full story

• Jul
• 28
• full story

• UK Considering New Public Holiday

  The Financial Times (London) - Yvette Cooper, the United Kingdom's Work and Pensions Secretary, has proposed adding a new annual bank holiday to commemorate people who are killed at work.
• full story

• Apr
• 5
• full story

• UK's Archbishop of York Favors St George's Day Public Holiday

  BBC - The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has come out in favor of making St George's Day (April 23) a public holiday to promote unity in England.
• full story

• Jan
• 15
• full story

• UK Parliamentarians Calling For Charles Darwin National Holiday

  The Canadian Press (London) - A group of 10 MP's, led by MP Ashok Kumar, is calling for February 12, the birthdate of Charles Darwin, to be made a new national holiday, to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the scientist's birth.
• full story

2008

• Oct
• 28
• full story

• UK Shelves Plans For "Britishness" Public Holiday

  AFP (London) - In reply to a written question from an opposition lawmaker, Constitution Minister Michael Wills told the House of Commons that there were no longer plans to create a new "Britishness" public holiday, or rename one of the existing bank holidays as such.
• full story

• Aug
• 17
• full story

• UK Government Responds To Calls For New Annual Public Holiday

  The official site of the Prime Minister's Office - The government of the United Kingdom has posted an official response to last year's e-petition to create a new annual public holiday, the National Remembrance Holiday.
• full story

• Jul
• 12
• full story

• UK's New Public Holiday Drive Gaining Momentum

  Travel Trade Gazette - Following the presentation, in March, of a petition to Downing Street, signed by 522,000 in support of a new bank holiday, a delegation from Thomas Cook met trade minister Lord Digby Jones last week.
• full story

• Jun
• 26
• full story

• UK 2012 Combined Olympics And Diamond Jubilee Public Holiday Deemed Likely

  The Guardian - In the running saga of the search for a new UK public holiday, a new idea has recently surfaced; that of making the 2012 Tuesday after the Summer Bank Holiday a public holiday, thus creating a 4-day public holiday.
• full story

• Jan
• 11
• full story

• UK's PM In Favour Of New Public Holiday

  The Daily Mail (UK) - The UK's Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said he would look at ideas for an extra public holiday. At this time, the most likely option would be to make the Monday nearest to November 11 a public holiday.
• full story

2007

• Dec
• 26
• full story

• UK: Renewed Calls For Fall Public Holiday

  Travel Weekly + The Daily Mail - Thomas Cook, is launching a massive advertising campaign to pressure the government to add another bank holiday.
• full story

• Aug
• 29
• full story

• UK Proposed New Public Holiday Could Be In November

  Financial Times - The Institute for Public Policy Research, a left-leaning think-tank, said in a recent paper that the new "British National Day" should be launched as an extra bank holiday on the Monday after Remembrance Sunday.
• full story

• Aug
• 25
• full story

• Scotland's First Minister Re-Affirms Commitment To Full Public Holiday Status For St-Andrew's Day

  The Scotsman - In response to accusations that the SNP was going back on its promise to create a new public holiday on Saint Andrew's Day (November 30), Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, confirmed that the creation that new public holiday was still part of his party's platform.
• full story

• Jul
• 25
• full story

• July 24 Selected For UK's Volunteer Day Pulic Holiday

  The Telegraph - Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced that he is set to make July 24 a national day for celebrating volunteering - and possibly make it a new bank holiday.
• full story

• Jul
• 18
• full story

• Vatican Moves Saint Patrick's Day To March 15

  Ireland.com - ((http://tinyurl.com/2hok9z)) The Vatican has announced that Saint Patrick's Day would be observed on March 15, 2008, instead of the traditional date of March 17, since Saint Patrick's, will coincide with the second day of the Holy Week and under the Catholic Church's rules, the saint's feast day does not rank as high as the Monday before Easter.
• full story

• Jul
• 18
• full story

• Vatican Moves Saint Patrick's Day To March 15

  Ireland.com - The Vatican has announced that Saint Patrick's Day would be observed on March 15, 2008, instead of the traditional date of March 17, since Saint Patrick's, will coincide with the second day of the Holy Week.
• full story

• Jun
• 27
• full story

• UK Britishness Public Holiday Back To The Fore

  CSM and Bloomberg - The new Prime Minster, Gordon Brown, is quoted as favoring a new "Britishness" public holiday, which could be set in June.
• full story

• Jun
• 24
• full story

• Renewed Calls For Wales' March 1st Public Holiday

  BBC News - Swansea Council has voted to investigate the cost and legality of the council celebrating Sain David's Day, Wales' national day, on March 1st, every year.
• full story

• Jun
• 24
• full story

• UK: Renewed Moves For Wales' March 1st Public Holiday

  BBC News - Swansea Council has voted to investigate the cost and legality of the council celebrating Sain David's Day, Wales' national day, on March 1st, every year.
• full story

• May
• 8
• full story

• UK Public Holiday To Mark Queen Elizabeth's 60th Wedding Anniversary: Status Report

  - Following-up on our report of February 28, we have reviewed the reports of a proposed public holiday, to be held in late August 2007, to mark Queen Elizabeth's 60th Wedding Anniversary, and we have decided to remove from the list of potential public holidays displayed on the page of UK public holidays.
• full story

• Apr
• 21
• full story

• UK Petition To Make St George's Day A Public Holiday

  Daily Express - It has been reported that nearly a million people have signed an on-line petition supporting a proposed Parliamentary Bill calling for a public holiday on April 23, Saint George's Day.
• full story

• Feb
• 28
• full story

• UK (United Kingdom) Public Holidays News Update

  All Headline News - Proposed Public Holiday Reportedly Set For Queen Elizabeth's 60th Wedding Anniversary. Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to announce plans to recognize the queen's achievement in becoming the first monarch in history to achieve 60 years of marriage with a commemorative day.
• full story

• Jan
• 19
• full story

• UK (United Kingdom) Public Holidays News Update

  BBC - Nearly six million workers could soon be entitled to an extra eight days holiday a year under new government proposals. Employers will no longer be able to include bank holidays within the minimum holiday entitlement - currently 20 days.
• full story

• Jan
• 9
• full story

• Wales Calls For March 1st Public Holiday

  IC Wales - The Welsh Liberal Democrats have reiterated their call, first made in 1999, for the National Assembly to be granted the power to make St David's Day (March 1st) a bank holiday.
• full story

2006

• Dec
• 1
• full story

• UK (United Kingdom) Public Holidays News Update

  BBC - Scotland Only: last night, the St Andrew's Day Holiday Bill, to make November 30 an official public holiday, was approved unanimously by MSPs of the Scottish Parliament.
• full story

• Dec
• 1
• full story

• Scotland Approves St Andrew's Day Holiday Bill

  BBC - Last night, the St Andrew's Day Holiday Bill, to make November 30 an official public holiday, was approved unanimously by MSPs of the Scottish Parliament.
• full story

• Aug
• 31
• full story

• UK (United Kingdom) Public Holidays News Update

  The Herald (Glasgow) - There was a lot of discussion, in the late summer of 2006, in the Scottish press and in the Scottish Parliament, about making St Andrew's Day (November 30) a public holiday in Scotland only. But, so far, nothing has come of it.
• full story

• Aug
• 31
• full story

• UK (United Kingdom) Public Holidays News Update

  The Herald (Glasgow) - There was a lot of discussion, in the late summer of 2006, in the Scottish press and in the Scottish Parliament, about making St Andrew's Day (November 30) a public holiday in Scotland only. But, so far, nothing has come of it.
• full story

2002

• Jun
• 19
• full story

• UK Considering World Cup Public Holiday

  BBC UK - UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has said that he would give "careful consideration" to calls for a public holiday should England reach the World Cup Final.
• full story

2001

• Jun
• 19
• full story

• UK Announces Public Holiday For Queen's 2002 Golden Jubilee

  The Telegraph - The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair, confirmed yesterday that a one-off public holiday would be declared on Monday, June 3, 2002, to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee.
• full story

2000

• Nov
• 24
• full story

• UK 4-Day June Public Holidays In 2002

  The Independent (London) - In a recent reply to a House of Commons question, the UK's Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has announced that an extra public holiday would be declared in 2002 to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee.
• full story

• Feb
• 8
• full story

• UK Asked For Northern Ireland March 17 Public Holiday

  The News Letter (Belfast) - The UK's Northern Ireland Assembly overwhelmingly passed a motion sent to the UK's Secretary of State, Peter Mandelson, to make St Patrick's Day (March 17) a public holiday.
• full story

1999

• Jun
• 23
• full story

• UK Proclaims Y2K Public Holiday

  M2 Presswire (London) - The Queen of England has proclaimed a one-off, additional bank holiday (aka. public holiday) on New Year's Eve, Friday, December 31, 1999, for the entire United Kingdom.
• full story

1998

• Jun
• 3
• full story

• UK Announces Y2K Public Holiday

  The Independent (London) - The UK's Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Chris Smith, has announced that the government had granted an extra public holiday for the Millennium, on Friday, December 31, 1999.
• full story