The dates of eight more bank holidays have been confirmed for the UK in 2025 by the government – as calls grow to add an additional bank holiday just for England.
While households in various parts of UK enjoyed bank holidays over Easter, the exact bank holidays you have left to enjoy this year will depend on whether you live in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. The government has now confirmed the dates for every nation-state of the UK, but a growing campaign to add at least one more for English people is gathering momentum. Posting in Reddit’s r/Unitedkingdom, u/sjw_7 said: “Currently Scotland and Northern Ireland get an additional Bank Holiday in honour of their patron saint which seems very sensible to me (plus Northern Ireland get another on top of this too for a total of ten).
“England and Wales currently only have eight and none of them are for their patron saints. Adding one to each to honour St George and St David would be good.”
MP Dan Aldridge has also called on the government to add a Bank Holiday for St George’s Day in England.
He said: “St George’s Day is an occasion to celebrate all that makes England great. It’s about embracing our rich history, values, and the unity that defines us as a nation.
“This day of celebration could draw in tourists, enhance local businesses, and offer opportunities for festivals and events that showcase the best of our culture.
“Just as St Andrew’s Day is a bank holiday in Scotland, St Patrick’s Day is a bank holiday in Ireland, England deserves its own celebratory bank holiday.”
The MP said he plans to launch an official petition in the coming weeks which will add pressure to the government to make plans to recognise St George’s Day from 2026 onwards.
The government has confirmed the rest of the Bank Holidays for the UK in 2025. How many you’ll get from this point until the end of the year depends which constituent country of the UK you’re in.
They are:
May 5 – Early May bank holiday (all of UK)
May 26 – Spring bank holiday (all of UK)
July 14 – Battle of the Boyne (Northern Ireland)
August 4 – Summer bank holiday (Scotland)
August 25 – Summer bank holiday (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
December 1 – St Andrew’s Day (Scotland)
December 25 – Christmas Day (all of UK)
December 26 – Boxing Day (all of UK)
