Public holidays in the United Kingdom

Public holidays in the United Kingdom are days where most businesses and non-essential services are closed, although an increasing number of retail businesses (especially the larger ones) do open on some of the public holidays. There are restrictions on trading on Sundays and Christmas Day in England and Wales and on New Year's Day and Christmas Day in Scotland. Legally defined holidays, analogous to "public holidays" in many other countries, are usually called bank holidays in the United Kingdom, but can also be referred to as "public holidays"; strictly, however, "public holidays" refer to "common law holidays", the observance of which derive from custom and practice (see "Terminology" below).

The United Kingdom has no national day holiday marked and/or celebrated for its formal founding date. Increasingly, there are calls for public holidays on the patron saints' days in England, Scotland and Wales (Northern Ireland already has St Patrick's Day as a holiday). An online petition to the Prime Minister for a public holiday in Wales on St. David's Day received 11,000 signatures; the Scottish Parliament has passed a law creating a public holiday on St Andrew's Day, although it must be taken in lieu of another public holiday; campaigners in England are calling for a bank holiday on St. George's Day; and in Cornwall, there are calls for a public holiday on St Piran's Day.

The two terms "bank holidays" and "public holidays" are often used interchangeably, although strictly and legally there is a difference. A government website describes the difference as follows:

Bank holidays are holidays when banks and many other businesses are closed for the day. Public holidays are holidays which have been observed through custom and practice.

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