Easter Monday

Easter Monday follows Easter Sunday and in Christian theology commemorates post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus. In the UK, it is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland — but Scotland does not observe Easter Monday as a bank holiday.

Scotland's different holiday structure reflects its distinct history and Presbyterian religious tradition. Scotland instead has a different set of bank holidays, including 2 January (a second New Year bank holiday) and the first Monday in August as its summer bank holiday (rather than the last Monday in August observed in the rest of the UK).

The Easter bank holiday weekend (Good Friday to Easter Monday) is one of the most popular and busiest travel periods in the UK — millions of people travel domestically and abroad over the four-day weekend. Easter Monday in England is associated with traditional outdoor customs, most famously the Easter Monday egg rolling at Avenham Park in Preston, Lancashire — where thousands of people roll hard-boiled eggs down the park's steep hill in a tradition dating back at least to the 19th century.

Easter Monday always falls on the Monday after Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday is calculated as the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon on or after 21 March, so Easter Monday can fall anywhere from 23 March to 26 April. There is no substitute day — the date cannot be moved.

Easter Monday is a bank holiday in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland on the Monday after Easter Sunday. It is NOT a bank holiday in Scotland. The date varies each year.

Under the Employment Rights Act 1996 and Working Time Regulations 1998, workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland whose contracts include bank holidays are entitled to a paid day off on Easter Monday. There is no statutory penalty rate for working on Easter Monday — any enhanced pay is contractual, not a legal requirement.

Workers in Scotland should note that Easter Monday is not a bank holiday in Scotland — their entitlement on that Monday is governed solely by their contract, not bank holiday legislation.

Egg rolling — the rolling of decorated hard-boiled eggs down a hillside — is England's best-known Easter Monday tradition. Avenham Park in Preston, Lancashire hosts the largest annual event, with thousands of participants. The eggs (and sometimes the children) roll down a steep grass slope. The tradition may have symbolic roots in the rolling away of the stone from Jesus's tomb, though its origins predate Christianity in some forms.

Easter egg hunts are widespread — families and organisations hide chocolate eggs in gardens and parks for children to find. The National Trust organises egg hunts at hundreds of its properties across England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Easter Monday.

Easter Monday is also the final day of the Easter bank holiday for those in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, meaning it is often associated with return travel and the end of spring break holidays.