The UK may get an additional Bank Holiday in 2025, celebrating 80 years since the end of the Second World War.
The long weekend is expected to coincide with May 8, recognised as Victory in Europe (VE) Day, marking Germany’s official surrender in 1945, and will honour August 15, the day Japan’s defeat marked the end of global conflict.
The Daily Express previously reported discussions are ongoing about the exact dates, with suggestions for a four-day celebration from May 9 to 12 or an extended August Bank Holiday to include August 22 and merging it with the summer bank holiday on August 25.
A spokesperson for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said previously: “The 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day will be moments of huge significance for our country, and the Government is committed to commemorating the occasions appropriately.”
The spokesperson stated that £10 million has been allocated for the events and that the Government’s plans to commemorate the occasion will be revealed soon.
The late October Budget also confirmed taxpayers’ £10 million allocation for the VE and VJ Day anniversaries in 2025.
The long weekend is expected to be a meaningful tribute to the estimated 70,000 surviving wartime veterans.
The push for a new bank holiday has garnered significant backing from prominent figures, including Lord Richard Dannatt, former Chief of the General Staff and Chairman of the Normandy Memorial Trust.
As the number of surviving members of the Greatest Generation continues to decline, this is believed to be an important opportunity to honour those who served in the Second World War.
There was a bank holiday in 2022 for the Platinum Jubilee, followed by another in 2023 for King Charles’s coronation.
This year, there was also talk of an extra bank holiday if England won the Euros.
