Spring Bank Holiday 2020
What is Spring Bank Holiday and when does it fall?What is Spring 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 Spring Bank Holiday 2020?
Spring Bank Holiday 2020 is on Monday, 25 May 2020. Falling on a Monday, it makes a three-day weekend without using any annual leave.
Spring Bank Holiday 2020 at a glance
| Date | Monday, 25 May 2020 |
| Date rule | moveable, always the last Monday in May |
| Where it applies | the whole of the UK |
| Also known as | Late May Bank Holiday, formerly the Whitsun Bank Holiday |
Spring Bank Holiday: from Whit Monday to the last Monday in May
It replaced Whit Monday
Until the 1960s the late spring holiday was Whit Monday, the day after Whitsun, which moved with Easter and could land anywhere from mid-May to mid-June. A fixed late-May Monday was trialled from 1967, the change having been put off twice, once because it clashed with the exam season and once because Whit Monday already fell on the last Monday in May. It was made permanent by the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971.
Until the 1960s the late spring holiday was Whit Monday, the day after Whitsun, which moved with Easter and could land anywhere from mid-May to mid-June. A fixed late-May Monday was trialled from 1967, the change having been put off twice, once because it clashed with the exam season and once because Whit Monday already fell on the last Monday in May. It was made permanent by the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971.
Why it was moved
The moveable date made planning difficult for schools, transport and industry, and in early years it could collide with exam season. Fixing it to the last Monday in May gave a predictable long weekend and a clean half-term break.
The moveable date made planning difficult for schools, transport and industry, and in early years it could collide with exam season. Fixing it to the last Monday in May gave a predictable long weekend and a clean half-term break.
Moved for royal occasions
The Spring bank holiday has been shifted four times, each for a royal anniversary. In 1977 it moved to Monday 6 June for the Silver Jubilee, with the special Jubilee holiday on the Tuesday. It moved into early June again in 2002 for the Golden Jubilee and in 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee, and in 2022 it went to Thursday 2 June for the Platinum Jubilee, with an extra holiday on the Friday.
The Spring bank holiday has been shifted four times, each for a royal anniversary. In 1977 it moved to Monday 6 June for the Silver Jubilee, with the special Jubilee holiday on the Tuesday. It moved into early June again in 2002 for the Golden Jubilee and in 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee, and in 2022 it went to Thursday 2 June for the Platinum Jubilee, with an extra holiday on the Friday.
What happens on the day
The late May weekend is the start of the British summer season: the Cooper's Hill cheese rolling near Gloucester, the Hay Festival, and the first big weekend of the year for coastal resorts and national parks.
The late May weekend is the start of the British summer season: the Cooper's Hill cheese rolling near Gloucester, the Hay Festival, and the first big weekend of the year for coastal resorts and national parks.
No substitute day
Because it is defined as the last Monday in May rather than a date, it can never fall at a weekend and never needs a substitute day. It falls between 25 and 31 May.
Because it is defined as the last Monday in May rather than a date, it can never fall at a weekend and never needs a substitute day. It falls between 25 and 31 May.
Calendar 2020 to print
You do not have to copy the dates out: our free calendar templates for 2020 have bank holidays already marked.
Download a free printable calendar 2020 for the UK in PDF format:
Download a free printable calendar 2020 for the UK in PDF format:
All bank holidays of the year
Which other bank holidays fall in 2020, what day of the week they land on and which parts of the UK they apply to.Calendar around Spring Bank Holiday 2020
The calendar month around Spring Bank Holiday 2020 and the months before and after.
See also: Yearly calendar for 2020
| April 2020 | |||||||
| Wk | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su |
| 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 15 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 16 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 17 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 18 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |||
Dates of Spring Bank Holiday: long term overview
As the last Monday in May, the date can fall anywhere between 25 and 31 May. Being a Monday it never needs a substitute day.
| Year | Date | Day of the week | Substitute day |
| 2015 | 25 May 2015 | Monday | – |
| 2016 | 30 May 2016 | Monday | – |
| 2017 | 29 May 2017 | Monday | – |
| 2018 | 28 May 2018 | Monday | – |
| 2019 | 27 May 2019 | Monday | – |
| 2020 | 25 May 2020 | Monday | – |
| 2021 | 31 May 2021 | Monday | – |
| 2022 | 2 June 2022 (moved here from the last Monday in May) | Thursday | – |
| 2022 | 3 June 2022 (The Queen's Platinum Jubilee) | Friday | – |
| 2023 | 29 May 2023 | Monday | – |
| 2024 | 27 May 2024 | Monday | – |
| 2025 | 26 May 2025 | Monday | – |
| 2026 | 25 May 2026 | Monday | – |
| 2027 | 31 May 2027 | Monday | – |
| 2028 | 29 May 2028 | Monday | – |
| 2029 | 28 May 2029 | Monday | – |
| 2030 | 27 May 2030 | Monday | – |
| 2031 | 26 May 2031 | Monday | – |
| 2032 | 31 May 2032 | Monday | – |
| 2033 | 30 May 2033 | Monday | – |
| 2034 | 29 May 2034 | Monday | – |
| 2035 | 28 May 2035 | Monday | – |
| 2036 | 26 May 2036 | Monday | – |
| 2037 | 25 May 2037 | Monday | – |