Early May Bank Holiday 2030
What is Early May Bank Holiday and when does it fall?What is Early May Bank Holiday, where in the UK is it a bank holiday and when does it fall? Date, day of the week, substitute day and background.
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When is Early May Bank Holiday 2030?
Early May Bank Holiday 2030 is on Monday, 6 May 2030. Falling on a Monday, it makes a three-day weekend without using any annual leave.
Early May Bank Holiday 2030 at a glance
| Date | Monday, 6 May 2030 |
| Date rule | moveable, always the first Monday in May |
| Where it applies | the whole of the UK |
| Also known as | May Day Bank Holiday |
| Days to go | 1301 |
Early May Bank Holiday: the newest of the regular UK bank holidays
Introduced in 1978
The Early May bank holiday is the youngest of the recurring UK bank holidays, created in 1978 under the Labour government of James Callaghan. It is the last recurring bank holiday to have been added anywhere in the UK. New Year's Day had reached England, Wales and Northern Ireland only four years earlier, in 1974.
The Early May bank holiday is the youngest of the recurring UK bank holidays, created in 1978 under the Labour government of James Callaghan. It is the last recurring bank holiday to have been added anywhere in the UK. New Year's Day had reached England, Wales and Northern Ireland only four years earlier, in 1974.
May Day behind it
The date deliberately picks up May Day, which carries two quite separate traditions: the pre-Christian spring festival of Beltane, and International Workers' Day, called for by the Second International in 1889 and first marked across Europe in 1890. The choice of the first Monday rather than 1 May itself keeps the holiday attached to a weekend.
The date deliberately picks up May Day, which carries two quite separate traditions: the pre-Christian spring festival of Beltane, and International Workers' Day, called for by the Second International in 1889 and first marked across Europe in 1890. The choice of the first Monday rather than 1 May itself keeps the holiday attached to a weekend.
Repeatedly under threat
Successive governments have proposed abolishing it or moving it to October as a 'UK Day' or a Trafalgar Day, on the argument that the spring already has enough holidays and the autumn none. None of the proposals has been carried through.
Successive governments have proposed abolishing it or moving it to October as a 'UK Day' or a Trafalgar Day, on the argument that the spring already has enough holidays and the autumn none. None of the proposals has been carried through.
Moved twice
The holiday has been moved twice, both times for VE Day. In 1995 it went from Monday 1 May to Monday 8 May for the fiftieth anniversary, and in 2020 from Monday 4 May to Friday 8 May for the seventy-fifth. It did not move in 2023: the coronation Monday on 8 May was an additional holiday, and the Early May bank holiday stayed where it was, on 1 May.
The holiday has been moved twice, both times for VE Day. In 1995 it went from Monday 1 May to Monday 8 May for the fiftieth anniversary, and in 2020 from Monday 4 May to Friday 8 May for the seventy-fifth. It did not move in 2023: the coronation Monday on 8 May was an additional holiday, and the Early May bank holiday stayed where it was, on 1 May.
Customs
Maypole dancing, Morris sides and May queens survive in many villages, and the 'Obby 'Oss festival at Padstow and the Jack in the Green at Hastings draw large crowds. As a Monday it never needs a substitute day.
Maypole dancing, Morris sides and May queens survive in many villages, and the 'Obby 'Oss festival at Padstow and the Jack in the Green at Hastings draw large crowds. As a Monday it never needs a substitute day.
All bank holidays of the year
Which other bank holidays fall in 2030, what day of the week they land on and which parts of the UK they apply to.Calendar around Early May Bank Holiday 2030
The calendar month around Early May Bank Holiday 2030 and the months before and after.
See also: Yearly calendar for 2030
| April 2030 | |||||||
| Wk | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su |
| 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 15 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 17 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 18 | 29 | 30 | |||||
| May 2030 | |||||||
| Wk | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su |
| 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 19 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 20 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 21 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 22 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | ||
| June 2030 | |||||||
| Wk | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su |
| 22 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| 23 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 24 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 25 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 26 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
Dates of Early May Bank Holiday: long term overview
As the first Monday in May, the date can fall anywhere between 1 and 7 May. Being a Monday it never needs a substitute day.
| Year | Date | Day of the week | Substitute day |
| 2015 | 4 May 2015 | Monday | – |
| 2016 | 2 May 2016 | Monday | – |
| 2017 | 1 May 2017 | Monday | – |
| 2018 | 7 May 2018 | Monday | – |
| 2019 | 6 May 2019 | Monday | – |
| 2020 | 8 May 2020 (75th anniversary of VE Day) | Friday | – |
| 2021 | 3 May 2021 | Monday | – |
| 2022 | 2 May 2022 | Monday | – |
| 2023 | 1 May 2023 | Monday | – |
| 2024 | 6 May 2024 | Monday | – |
| 2025 | 5 May 2025 | Monday | – |
| 2026 | 4 May 2026 | Monday | – |
| 2027 | 3 May 2027 | Monday | – |
| 2028 | 1 May 2028 | Monday | – |
| 2029 | 7 May 2029 | Monday | – |
| 2030 | 6 May 2030 | Monday | – |
| 2031 | 5 May 2031 | Monday | – |
| 2032 | 3 May 2032 | Monday | – |
| 2033 | 2 May 2033 | Monday | – |
| 2034 | 1 May 2034 | Monday | – |
| 2035 | 7 May 2035 | Monday | – |
| 2036 | 5 May 2036 | Monday | – |
| 2037 | 4 May 2037 | Monday | – |