Good Friday

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is one of only two UK bank holidays not set by the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 — the other being Christmas Day. Its date is determined by the ecclesiastical calendar, not by statute, and so it cannot be moved by the government. Good Friday has been observed as a public holiday in England since medieval times.

Historically, Good Friday was one of the most strictly observed non-trading days in the UK, with pubs legally required to close and most commerce halted. Today trading restrictions are far less severe, but many businesses still close or operate reduced hours.

The Easter bank holiday weekend runs from Good Friday through to Easter Monday. Note that Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday are not bank holidays in the UK. Easter Monday is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland — but not in Scotland, which does not observe Easter Monday.

Good Friday is tied to the ecclesiastical calendar and its date varies each year. Easter Sunday is calculated as the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March (the spring equinox) — a rule established at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. Good Friday falls exactly two days before Easter Sunday. Good Friday cannot be substituted — if it coincides with another event, there is no replacement day.

Good Friday is a bank holiday across all of the United Kingdom — England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland — on the Friday before Easter Sunday. The date varies each year.

Under the Employment Rights Act 1996 and Working Time Regulations 1998, workers whose contracts include bank holidays are entitled to a paid day off on Good Friday. There is no statutory right to time off if bank holidays are not included in your contract.

There is no statutory requirement for enhanced pay if you work on Good Friday. Whether you receive time-and-a-half, double time, or any other premium is a matter of your employment contract, not law.

Hot cross buns are the defining Good Friday food — spiced sweet buns marked with a white cross, traditionally eaten on Good Friday only (though they are now sold from January onwards in UK supermarkets). Folklore holds that hot cross buns baked on Good Friday will not go mouldy and have healing properties.

Fish and chips on Good Friday is a widespread tradition rooted in the Christian practice of abstaining from meat on Good Friday — fish being permitted. Many British families still observe this custom today regardless of religious belief.

Pace egging is a traditional egg rolling and egg tapping custom found in parts of northern England. Avenham Park in Preston, Lancashire, hosts the most famous annual egg rolling event on Easter Monday (the slope on Avenham Park has been used for egg rolling since at least the 19th century). Mumming plays associated with pace egging also survive in some communities.

Church services — including the Three Hours' Devotion and evening services — are held across the country on Good Friday.