Late May Bank Holiday 2024 and in 2025 year
In seen list or in calendar views you can see when will be Late May Bank Holiday 2024 and Late May Bank Holiday 2025. You can plan your holidays, weekends and free days.
| Year | Date | Day | Holiday | Regions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 27 May | Monday | Late May Bank Holiday | National Holiday |
| 2025 | 26 May | Monday | Late May Bank Holiday | National Holiday |
The Late May Bank Holiday is popularly regarded as the Spring Bank Holiday and is a day off for school or work for United Kingdom residents. It’s usually on the last Monday of May, although the Monday after Pentecost was the popular date.
Is Spring Bank Holiday a Public Holiday?
Yes! Since it is a free day for everyone, there is usually no business or school operations that day.
What Do People Do?
Most people are usually excited about having a free day during the spring bank holiday. Some prefer to go on a short vacation or visit some pleasant places they have never been. Others prefer to be with their friends and family, take a work, do some home maintenance or go to garden centers. However, some United Kingdom regions have a few customs during the bank holiday.
In Brockworth, Gloucestershire, the Cooper’s Hill is filled with people who race across the steep hill running after a very big round cheese. In some parts of the hill, there is a 1:1 inclination and the hill is also concave. Whoever crosses the finish line first, wins a Double Gloucester cheese, which weighs about 3.5kg (about 8 lbs.). The ancient Britons or Romans are assumed to have started this custom feast and it's considered as an old fertility rite or how the villagers’ rights are guaranteed to ensure their livestock are grazed on the land around them. People have also sustained different types of injuries during this event, thereby leading to a cancelation of the event recently. During these years, people were not permitted to chase the cheese after it was rolled down the hill.
Meanwhile, villagers in Endon, Staffordshire hold a fayre (village celebration),in their gorgeous attires, and a girl is eventually crowned the Best Dressed Queen. Mens organize a competition, which is called “Tossing the Sheaf” where they compete to get the person with the high toss of a bale of straw. In other areas, the locales bless the boats; local festivals are held with a dance presentation from the Morris dancers.
On this day
During this holiday, as organizations, schools, and businesses are closed, a few stores may be closed or open, depending on the local tradition of the region. The public transportation systems usually operate based on the holiday timetable.
History
The first Spring Bank Holiday in the United Kingdom began on the Monday after the Pentecost, and it is regarded as Whit or Whitsun Monday. The 1971 Banking and Financial Dealings Act changed the date to the last Monday in May, after a trial period of the event between 1965 and 1970. There was however a change of the date to June 4 in 2002, in order to follow another bank holiday on June 3. People were about to enjoy a four-day weekend towards the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II as it was a celebration of her 50th year of being on the throne. In 2012, the date of the late may bank holiday was changed to June 4, in order for the people to enjoy a long weekend with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration alongside the bank holiday.