England has only 8 official public holidays a year, although don’t fear for the locals as they are entitled to at least another 20 days holiday on top of that, as a statutory minimum of 28 days (!!) is in place.
This year, on 5th of May, we will have an additional Bank holiday to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III.
The main holidays are the traditional Christian holidays: Easter, Christmas and the Gregorian calendar New Year (1st January). In addition, there are Bank Holidays and Public Holidays, where tourist attractions, larger shops and restaurants will still be open.
Traditionally all Banks and businesses were closed during Bank Holidays. These days, more and more of the larger shops or chains tend to be open during these holidays, usually with shorter opening hours.
Easter and Christmas are considered family holidays and as such, many businesses, shops and tourist attractions may be closed. Occasionally they’ll be closed for a few days before and / or after the holiday, especially around Christmas time. Saying that, one of the regular exceptions is Chinatown ,where almost ALL the shops and restaurants remain open.
Usually, Christmas is on 25 December, with Boxing day on 26 December; if these fall on a weekend, there will be an additional day of holiday on the following Monday.
The next Bank Holidays for 2024 are:
Bank Holidays in England in 2024-2025
26/8/2024 – August Bank Holiday
25/12/2024 – Christmas Day
26/12/2024 – Boxing Day
Bank holiday in London 2025
1/1/2025 – New Year’s Day
18/4/2025 – Good Friday
21/4/2025 – Easter Monday
5/5/2025 – Early May Bank Holiday
26/5/2025 – Late May – Spring Bank Holiday
25/8/2025 – August – Summer Bank Holiday
25/12/2023 – Christmas Day
26/12/2023 – Boxing Day
United Kingdom is the collective name of of England, Scotland, Wales and their islands; holidays and / or school terms might differ!
Check out the government website for any additional information
UK School Holidays
UK School terms and holidays are are set by the regional local authorities. This means that there will be differences between districts or even schools. For more information on the UK school holidays use the post code of the location in the following: gov.uk website.
Please note, if you are in London during school holidays, many of the tourist attractions, public transport, shops and restaurants are likely to be busier than normal. It is recommended to book your tickets in advance. It will allow you securing a place and you are likely to pay less.
You can find more information about attractions on our dedicated page London tourist attractions