Change in 2020 May Day bank holiday date
In order to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day in 2020, the government has decided to move the early May bank holiday, which is usually scheduled for the first Monday in May, to Friday 8th May.
This means the first three day weekend in May in 2020 will take place from Friday May 8 – Sunday May 10. The Spring bank holiday at the end of the month will take place on a Monday as normal on May 25th.
In June 2019 the government announced the early May bank holiday in 2020 would be changed to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
VE Day, which stands for Victory in Europe Day, was the day towards the end of World War Two when fighting against Nazi Germany came to an end in Europe.
The bank holiday on Friday May 8 will be the beginning of a three-day weekend of commemorative events in the UK to mark the important date. The occasion will remember the contribution of British, Commonwealth and Allied armed forces personnel who contributed to the war effort.
It is only the second time the early May bank holiday has been moved in history. The first time the date was changed was in 1995 to mark the 50th anniversary of VE Day.
The BBC has suggested that a lot of calendars that have already been printed are wrong!