May Bank Holiday in 2025

When is Early May Bank Holiday?

This is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom and is celebrated on the first Monday in May.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it may be known as May Day.

History of Early May Bank Holiday

The first Monday in May became a public holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1978. In Scotland, it had already been one of the original bank holidays since 1871 (In Scotland, Whit Monday was not a holiday).

Britain has a long heritage of May Day celebrations dating back to pagan times that still have echoes in such customs as the Maypole.

However, this holiday was brought in as a way of marking the International Labour day by the socialist government of the time.

In 1995 the early May bank holiday was moved from May 1st to May 8th to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of victory in Europe.

In 2011 the British parliament debated replacing the May Day bank holiday with a different holiday in October. This change would have spread out the bank holidays more evenly throughout the year as after the August Bank Holiday, it's a barren period for public holidays until Christmas Day. In the end, it was decided not to change the date.

Bank Holidays

On Bank Holidays, generally on a Monday, some shops and banks are closed. Shops that open may follow different trading hours than normal and transport may run on a reduced schedule. There will be no postal service.

Bank holidays were first introduced by the Bank Holidays Act of 1871, which designated four holidays in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and five in Scotland.

These were Easter Monday, the first Monday in August, the 26th December, and Whit Monday (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) and New Year's Day, Good Friday, the first Monday in May, the first Monday in August, and Christmas Day (Scotland).