Good Friday 2023: Is today, April 7, a bank holiday?
With Spring underway and Easter rapidly coming up, many of us will be looking forward to our weekend plans, be it travelling to visit family and friends or just enjoying a well-deserved lie-in.
There are many Christian traditional days surrounding Easter, from Lent to Maundy Thursday and more.
One of the most well-known is today – Good Friday, although, let’s be honest – its origins sound mostly anything but *good*.
But is today – April 7 – a bank holiday?
Here is what you need to know.
Is Good Friday a bank holiday?
Good news! Today is a bank holiday!
However, before you rush off to the beach, park, or pub, it’s best you check in with work first.
It’s worth remembering that your employer does not have to give you any paid leave on bank or public holidays, according to gov.uk.
It’s also worth remembering that some shops have different opening hours over bank holidays than at other times, especially over Easter.
What other bank holidays are coming up?
If you are lucky enough to get bank holidays off of work, the excellent news is you don’t have long to wait for the next one!
Easter Monday is also a bank holiday, meaning that a four-day weekend is in order for many.
Lucky for some…
Remaining bank holidays in 2023
Here is a complete list of upcoming bank holidays:
- April 10 – Monday – Easter Monday
- May 1 – Monday – Early May Bank Holiday
- May 8 – Monday – Bank Holiday for the Coronation of King Charles III
- May 29 – Monday – Spring Bank Holiday
- August 28 – Monday – Summer Bank Holiday
- December 25 – Monday – Christmas Day
- December 26 – Tuesday – Boxing Day
Why do we have bank holidays?
Sir John Lubbock, the first Baron of Avebury, is the man we have to thank for bank holidays.
A banker, writer, and politician by trade, according to the BBC: ‘In 1871, he drafted the Bank Holiday Bill. When it became law, he created the first official bank holidays.
‘Initially, it was just banks and financial buildings that would close, which is where the name comes from.
‘But as time went on, businesses, shops, schools and the government all joined in.’
The royal family can also add extra bank holidays (remember ‘Platy Jubes’, anyone?).
MORE : Are there any travel disruptions across Easter 2023 in London?
MORE : B&Q, Homebase, Wickes, and ScrewFix opening times for Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Monday 2023
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