St. George’s Day is not an official holiday in England, despite being celebrated nationwide. Bank Holidays are typically reserved for major events in the British calendar, such as Easter. However, there are some expectations, such as the late Queen’s jubilee in 2022. Many people believe that St. George’s Day should be a Bank Holiday in England due to Scotland having a day off for St. Andrew’s Day and Northern Ireland having St. Patrick’s Day as a national holiday.
St. George's Day is celebrated annually on April 23, recognised as England's national day to mark the death of the Patron Saint of England. He is thought to have died around AD 303 when he was tortured and executed in Lydda, Israel. St George was described as a martyr after he died for his Christian faith.
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The UK has officially had bank holidays since 1871 when they were recognised by an Act of Parliament. This means banks, businesses and schools are allowed to close. The UK has eight bank holidays annually, which is one of the lowest numbers in the world.
Spain has the highest number of national holidays of any country in Europe, with up to 14 each year. Colombia has a staggering 18 bank holidays a year, one of the highest in the world.
The bank holidays in 2025 for the UK are as follows:
While there are no current suggestions for England to follow in the footsteps of Scotland and Northern Ireland and spend a day celebrating the country’s patron saint, there have been calls in the past.
Back in 2018, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said that if he were elected, he would introduce four new bank holidays to the whole of the UK, marking each country's patron saints.
