Early May Bank Holiday

The Early May Bank Holiday was introduced by the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, replacing the old Whit Monday — which had fallen 50 days after Easter and therefore varied in date each year. The first Monday in May was chosen to give workers a fixed spring long weekend unlinked from the religious calendar.

The government retains the power to move this holiday for special national occasions. In 2020, it was moved from Monday 4 May to Friday 8 May to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe Day — the formal end of the Second World War in Europe on 8 May 1945). In 2023, the Early May Bank Holiday stayed on its usual Monday (1 May), and a separate one-off bank holiday was added on Monday 8 May to mark the Coronation of King Charles III, who was crowned at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6 May.

The bank holiday gives workers a long weekend at the beginning of May, widely associated with the arrival of warmer weather and the start of the outdoor season.

The Early May Bank Holiday falls on the first Monday in May in most years. However, the government may move it by Royal Proclamation for significant national occasions — as happened in 2020, when it was moved to Friday 8 May for the 75th anniversary of VE Day. (In 2023 it was not moved: the 1 May holiday was kept and a separate one-off bank holiday was added on 8 May for the Coronation of King Charles III.) There is no automatic date substitute — if it is moved, the new date is announced in advance.

The Early May Bank Holiday is observed across all of the United Kingdom — England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland — on the first Monday in May. It may be moved by royal proclamation for special national events.

Under the Employment Rights Act 1996 and Working Time Regulations 1998, workers whose contracts include bank holidays are entitled to a paid day off. There is no statutory penalty rate for working bank holidays in the UK — any enhanced pay (time-and-a-half, double time) is contractual, not a legal entitlement.

There are no specific national traditions attached to the Early May Bank Holiday. Many people take advantage of the long weekend for short breaks within the UK or travel abroad — the May bank holidays are among the busiest travel periods of the year.

Garden centres are particularly busy in the first week of May, as it is traditionally considered safe to plant tender plants outside after the risk of frost has passed in much of England.

Maypole dancing is a traditional English folk custom associated with May Day (1 May) — the ancient spring festival that predates the bank holiday. Some communities still hold maypole dances on or around May Day, with ribbons woven around a tall pole by dancers.