Is Easter Sunday a Bank Holiday?

Easter Sunday bank holiday

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings folks but no, Easter Sunday is not a bank holiday in the UK, nor is it a public holiday, but it is an important day in the Christian calendar and many people take a long weekend off work with Good Friday and Easter Monday.

School holidays mark Easter as a holiday but given that it’s a moveable feast, the date can vary considerably.

Read on to find out why …

Easter Bank Holidays 2023

DateDayHolidayCoverage
7 AprFriGood FridayAll UK
9 AprSunEaster Sunday(Not a bank holiday)
10 AprMonEaster MondayAll UK (ex. Scotland)
Easter dates 2023

Easter Bank Holidays 2024

DateDayHolidayCoverage
29 MarFriGood FridayAll UK
31 MarSunEaster Sunday(Not a bank holiday)
1 AprMonEaster MondayAll UK (ex. Scotland)
Easter dates 2024

Easter Bank Holidays 2025

DateDayHolidayCoverage
18 AprFriGood FridayAll UK
20 AprSunEaster Sunday(Not a bank holiday)
21 AprMonEaster MondayAll UK (ex. Scotland)
Easter dates 2025

Easter Bank Holidays 2026

DateDayHolidayCoverage
3 AprFriGood FridayAll UK
5 AprSunEaster Sunday(Not a bank holiday)
6 AprMonEaster MondayAll UK (ex. Scotland)
Easter dates 2026

Despite Easter being one of the most important events in the Christian calendar it is not a bank holiday. Both Good Friday and Easter Monday are bank holidays, but not Easter Sunday.

The development of bank holidays began with the Bank Holidays Act of 1871 when the Right Honourable Sir John Lubbock MP proposed a list of statutory holidays to be taken throughout the UK and Ireland. Initially this included Easter Monday in England, Wales and Ireland, and Good Friday in Scotland.

To quote Wikipedia “The Act did not include Good Friday … as bank holidays in England, Wales, or Ireland because they were already recognised as common law holidays: they had been customary holidays since before records began.”