UK Bank holidays 2019: The days off left this year

From long sunny afternoons to even longer lie-ins, there’s nothing better than a bank holiday weekend.

This month, we are treated to a total of two in total – one at the beginning of May and one at the end of the month.

In the UK we have a total of eight bank holidays throughout the year in England and Wales, while there are nine in Scotland and 10 in Northern Ireland.

This means that, including the upcoming May bank holiday this weekend, Brits have a total of four days holiday left this year (or five for Scotland and six for Northern Ireland).

So if you feel like some more days off or are just wondering when to book a weekend getaway, here is the full list of bank and public holidays in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

What is a Bank Holiday?

National holidays in the UK have been referred to as “bank” holidays since the late 19^th century, because traditionally on these days banks would close their doors for trading.

Nowadays most of the working population will be granted the day off and many banks and government offices remain closed. A number of shops still operate as usual on bank holidays, albeit often with reduced trading hours.

2019 Bank and Public Holidays in the UK​

• Spring bank holiday: Monday 27 May

• Battle of the Boyne: Friday 12 July (Northern Ireland only)

• Summer Bank Holiday: Monday 5 August (Scotland only)

• Summer Bank Holiday: Monday 26 August (England, Wales and Northern Ireland only)

• St Andrew’s Day: Monday 2 December (Scotland only)

• Christmas Day: Wednesday 25 December

• Boxing Day: Thursday 26 December

Other days to remember

• Father's Day: Sunday 16 June

• Halloween: Thursday 31 October

• Bonfire Night: Tuesday 5 November

• St Andrew's Day: Saturday 30 November