When are the May Bank Holidays? Full list for 2022

Bank holidays are always a highlight for employees; and if you get your planning right, they could entitle you to a few extra days off.

© Getty Images/iStockphoto iStock-1182503530.jpg

It’s a particularly good time to start looking at the calendar, too, given that Britons will get an additional bank holiday this year thanks to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

In February, Her Majesty celebrated 70 years on the throne – a historic milestone marking the longest reign of any British monarch to date.

Hence why a four-day weekend has been introduced in June to mark the celebrations. As well as the annual Trooping the Colour, a number of events have been announced for the special occasion, including a “platinum pudding competition”, a platinum party at Buckingham Palace, a “Big Jubilee Lunch”, and a Platinum Jubilee Pageant.

Outlining plans to stage a series of events across the UK, Oliver Dowden said in 2020 that the country will hold a “celebration to remember” over a special bank holiday weekend from 2-5 June.

To create the four-day weekend, the government said the late May bank holiday in 2022 will be moved to Thursday 2 June and an additional bank holiday on Friday 3 June will be created.

Because of the way that the bank holidays fall this year, there is a way of “hacking” your annual leave which would mean you turn 18 days into 45 days off.

For example, because of the bank holidays surrounding Easter this year, if you book off 19-22 April, this means you’d be able to go on holiday from 15 April until 24 April.

As for bank holidays, here are the dates for 2022:

3 January	Monday	New Year’s Day (substitute day)
15 April	Friday	Good Friday
18 April	Monday	Easter Monday
2 May	Monday	Early May bank holiday
2 June	Thursday	Spring bank holiday
3 June	Friday	Platinum Jubilee bank holiday
29 August	Monday	Summer bank holiday
26 December	Monday	Boxing Day
27 December	Tuesday	Christmas Day (substitute day)

about how to hack your annual leave for maximum holiday here.

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