There are between 8 and 10 bank holidays in the UK depending which part you live in.

As the name suggests originally these were days on which the banks closed and the British typically went to the seaside for a day out or some other place of interest. However over the years more and more businesses (especially shops), now open on all bank holidays (except Christmas), and people stay at home due to congestion on the roads!

Key to flags:

UK	England	Wales	Scotland	Northern Ireland	Republic of Ireland

This table shows when the Bank Holidays occur in the UK each year

Date	Name	Which country
1st January	New Year’s Day
2nd January
17th March	St Patrick’s Day
First Friday before Easter Sunday	Good Friday
The day after Easter Sunday	Easter Monday
First Monday in May	May Day
Last Monday in May	Spring bank holiday
First Monday in June	June Bank Holiday
12 July	Battle of the Boyne – Orangemen’s Day
First Monday in August	Summer Bank Holiday
Last monday in August	Summer Bank Holiday
Last Monday in October	October Bank Holiday
30 November	St Andrew’s Day
25 December	Christmas Day
26 December	Boxing Day, St. Stephen’s Day