Public Holidays in London

There are a number of public holidays (also known as Bank Holidays) throughout the year and you'll find a full list of these below. For more tips on planning your perfect trip see our London Holiday page.

Many of London's shops, attractions and businesses stay open throughout the public holidays. Be sure to check opening times before visiting on these days as some will open for reduced hours and others might not open at all.

Holiday	2009	2010
New Year's Day	Thursday 1 January	Friday 1 January
Good Friday	Friday 10 April	Friday 2 April
Easter Monday	Monday 13 April	Monday 5 April
Early May Bank Holiday	Monday 4 May	Monday 3 May
Spring Bank Holiday	Monday 25 May	Monday 31 May
Summer Bank Holiday	Monday 31 August	Monday 30 August
Christmas Day	Friday 25 December	Saturday 25 December
Boxing Day	Saturday 26 December	Sunday 26 December

School Holidays

School term dates change from year to year and differ from school to school. In particular there are differences between local authority-run schools and independent schools.

Traditionally, there are three school terms, with short mid-term (half term) breaks and a longer break over the summer:

Summer holiday: late July to early September
Autumn half term: final week of October
Christmas holidays: 20 December to 6 January
Spring half term: one week in mid-February
Easter holidays: two weeks either side of Easter Sunday
Summer half term: one week end of May/early June

There are further differences with many local authorities now adopting a standard school year. This is made up of six terms, each of a similar length.