There are usually 8 public or bank holidays observed in England and Wales although additional days are occasionally added for special occasions. There are different arrangements for Northern Ireland and Scotland.

The banks holidays observed in England are as follows:

New Year's Day

New Year's day is celebrated the 1st January and so the day of the week varies from year to year. If 1st January falls on a Saturday or Sunday the following Monday is treated as a bank holiday.

Good Friday

The Good Friday bank holiday always falls on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday as calculated for the Western Christian religions. The formula for calculating the date of Easter is complex and varies from year to year. Consequently the Good Friday bank holiday can fall in March or April.

Easter Monday

The Easter Monday bank holiday always falls on the Monday following Easter Sunday as calculated for the Western Christian religions. The formula for calculating the date of Easter is complex and varies from year to year. Consequently the Easter Monday bank holiday can fall in March or April.

Early May Bank Holiday

The early May bank holiday always falls on the first Monday in May.

Spring Bank Holiday

The spring bank holiday always falls on the last Monday in May.

Summer Bank Holiday

The summer bank holiday always falls on the last Monday in August.

Christmas Day

Christmas day is celebrated on 25th December and so the day of the week varies from year to year. If 25th December falls on a Saturday or Sunday the following Monday is treated as a bank holiday.

Boxing Day

Boxing day is celebrated on the 26th December and so the day of the week varies from year to year. If 26th December falls on a Saturday the following Monday is treated as a bank holiday. If 26th December falls on a Sunday the following Tuesday is treated as a bank holiday.

The following table shows the anticipated dates of bank holidays in England and Wales for the year 2009:

• New Year's Day 1 jan
• Good Friday 10 Apr
• Easter Monday 13 Apr
• Early May Bank Holiday 4 May
• Spring Bank Holiday 25 May
• Summer Bank Holiday 31 Aug
• Christmas Day 25 Dec
• Boxing Day 28 Dec