The UK will get an extra bank holiday in honour of King Charles III’s coronation this weekend.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed the bank holiday last year and said it would be a chance to "come together and celebrate" and would mark “a unique moment for our country”.
Mr Sunak said: “I look forward to seeing people come together to celebrate and pay tribute to King Charles III by taking part in local and national events across the country in his honour.”
But as the ceremony will take place on a Saturday (May 6), when will the bank holiday be?
When is the extra bank holiday for the coronation?
The extra bank holiday for King Charles III’s coronation will fall on Monday, May 8, 2023, two days after the coronation ceremony.
If a bank holiday falls on a weekend, a “substitute” weekday will become a bank holiday — typically the following Monday.
We had a “substitute” bank holiday last year, for example, as Christmas Day fell on a Sunday.
When are the bank holidays in 2023?
This will be one of three bank holidays in May: the early May bank holiday fell on May 1, while the spring bank holiday will fall on May 29.
The UK will also had a bank holiday on January 2, for New Year’s Day, plus two in April for Easter, on April 7 and April 10.
The summer bank holiday will fall on August 28, 2023, followed by two bank holidays for Christmas Day and Boxing Day, on December 25 and December 26.
Last year, the British public received two extra bank holidays: one on June 3 for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and one on September 19, for the Queen’s state funeral.
How are bank holidays created?
Bank holidays are created under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 and include days specifically listed in the act as well as days proclaimed by the monarch.
The royal bank holiday proclamations usually change holidays to a different day – but occasionally add a holiday – and are announced every summer in The Gazette, which has been published since 1665 as the official public record.
It was intended that an additional bank holiday can only take place as a one-off – but the Government has the power to make it an annual celebration.
