Well, folks – another year is upon us. 2023 is done and dusted, even though it feels like 2022 was mere weeks ago. And with a new year comes new bank holidays to look forward to. Is there anything more deliciously satisfying, after all, than an extra day off of work? With the four-day workweek becoming ever more popular, it’s a taste of the good life when we get a lovely long weekend. For those looking ahead to the rest of the year, here are all of the confirmed UK bank holidays in 2024:
- January 1 – New Year’s Day (Monday) – well, we’ve already had this one to be fair…
- March 29 – Good Friday
- April 1 – Easter Monday
- May 6 – Early May bank holiday (Monday)
- May 27 – Spring bank holiday (Monday)
- August 26 – Summer bank holiday (Monday)
- December 25 – Christmas Day (Wednesday)
- December 26 – Boxing Day (Thursday)
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that we’ll end up with any extra bank holidays in 2024 – which happened in both 2022 and 2023.
The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that the end of 2024 is a bit chaotic with the holidays. Christmas is on Wednesday and Boxing Day falls on a Thursday. Meanwhile, New Year’s Day is on a Wednesday in 2025. This will spell a pretty awkward (and probably unproductive) few days of work on the Friday and following Monday and Tuesday.
But that’s enough Christmas talk! We only just finished celebrating New Year’s after all. And you’re probably wondering how you can best use this new information anyway…
Taking advantage of the 2024 Bank Holidays
Now, if we’re being completely honest with ourselves, the main reason for looking up the year’s bank holidays is to maximize time off from work. It’s not enough to just get a long weekend – we want to take a full week or two off work without slashing our holiday allowance. If you combine weekends and bank holidays you can net yourself some lengthy time off. Here’s how:
March/April
Our first suggestion for lengthening your holiday with the help of the bank holidays does make the heftiest dent in your annual allowance. But it also nets you a full 16 days off! Take advantage of Good Friday and Easter Monday to double your holiday by using up just eight of your holiday days. All you have to do is book off the four days before Good Friday, and the four days after Easter Monday (and then decide where to go!)
✈️ Book these days off: March 25-28, April 2-5
Early May
Already in need of another lengthy break? Take advantage of the May bank holiday on May 6 and book off four days to get away from the desk for nine days! Better get that O.O.O. email ready…
✈️ Book these days off: May 7-10
Late May
Clearly, you won’t be getting much work done in May this year! As well as the early May bank holiday, the Spring bank holiday provides a great chance for plenty of time off. Book off the last four days of May, and you’ll be holidaying for a total of 9 days for the price of four.
✈️ Book these days off: May 28-31
August
Give yourself one final hurrah for Summer by taking advantage of the Summer bank holiday on August 26. By using four days of your holiday allowance, you could be sunning yourself for nine days in total. And if you take even more days off around that to give yourself a lengthy Summer vacay? We won’t tell anyone…
✈️ Book these days off: August 27-30
December
There are two possibilities for a long(er) holiday in December, with one option taking you all the way to the second week of January!
Option 1: If you can make sense of the complicated calendar of bank holidays and weekends around Christmas and New Year’s, you could net yourself 12 days off to spend with family. (Who’s getting the six geese a-laying?) The best part is you’ll only use up 5 holiday days to do so, with time to rest before and after the holidays to boot.
✈️ Book these days off: December 23, 24, 27, 30, 31
Option 2: If you can’t bear the prospect of returning to work so soon into 2025, using another two days of your holiday allowance will grant you a whopping 16 days off, for the cost of just 7 of your holiday days!
✈️ Book these days off: December 23, 24, 27, 30, 31 & January 2, 3
But remember folks – not everyone is lucky enough to take the bank holidays off. You may be thrilled to get an extra day of eating out, boozing, or generally enjoying yourself, but that means plenty of people are working. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to head to bars and restaurants or travel across the city! So be sure to be kind, courteous, and understanding, to all those who are working during these times.
