31/08/2026
The UK’s August bank holiday began in 1871, when the Bank Holidays Act created official days when banks could close. The August holiday was intended to give bank employees a summer day off, with the timing also making it easier for people to enjoy leisure activities such as cricket matches.
The original holiday was held on the first Monday in August throughout the UK. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it was moved to the last Monday in August after a trial from 1965, partly to extend the summer holiday season and support tourism and leisure businesses.
The Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 made that arrangement permanent.
Scotland kept the first Monday in August, partly because its school year traditionally starts earlier in the month.
It is called a “bank” holiday because banks originally closed on that day, although today it functions more broadly as a public holiday. Employers are not automatically required to provide bank holidays as paid leave; they can count them as part of an employee’s annual leave entitlement.
