Spring Bank Holiday

The Spring Bank Holiday falls on the last Monday in May. It replaced the old Whit Monday — which had religious origins as the day after Whitsunday (Pentecost), falling 50 days after Easter and therefore varying each year — when the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 decoupled it from the ecclesiastical calendar and fixed it on the last Monday in May.

The government has moved the Spring Bank Holiday on several occasions for royal jubilees:

• In 2002, moved to 4 June for Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee (50 years on the throne).
• In 2012, moved to 5 June for the Diamond Jubilee (60 years), with an additional bank holiday on 4 June — creating a four-day weekend.
• In 2022, moved to 2 June for the Platinum Jubilee (70 years), with an additional bank holiday on 3 June — creating another four-day weekend from 2–5 June.

The Spring Bank Holiday marks the unofficial start of the British summer and is consistently one of the UK's busiest travel weekends of the year.

The Spring Bank Holiday normally falls on the last Monday in May. It has been moved by Order in Council for royal jubilees on multiple occasions: 2002 (Golden Jubilee), 2012 (Diamond Jubilee), and 2022 (Platinum Jubilee). Any future changes would be announced well in advance.

The Spring Bank Holiday is observed across all of the United Kingdom — England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland — on the last Monday in May. It may be moved by Order in Council for significant 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 on bank holidays in the UK — any enhanced pay is contractual, not a legal requirement.

The Chelsea Flower Show — one of the world's most prestigious horticultural events, held annually by the Royal Horticultural Society at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London — typically takes place in the week leading up to or around the Spring Bank Holiday. First held in 1913, it showcases spectacular show gardens and floral displays to more than 150,000 visitors.

The bank holiday weekend itself is associated with outdoor events, village fetes, and county shows across Britain — the weather is often warm enough for outdoor gatherings, though the British climate makes no promises.

Millions of people travel to coastal resorts — Cornwall, Devon, the Norfolk Broads, the Lake District, and the Scottish Highlands — making this one of the year's busiest road and rail travel periods. Music festivals also begin to open the outdoor season in late May.