Festival Monday (Bank Holiday) Inspires Glastonbury Music and Radio Show

The August Bank Holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom, part of the statutory bank holiday provision. Originally, the holiday was held on the first Monday of August across the country, but was changed in the late 1960s to the last Monday in August for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It remains the first Monday for Scotland.

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On Monday August 5, 2024, at 8:00 AM ( Alaska Time), on our local public radio show marks Festival Monday with some of the best artists from the Glastonbury Festivals. Listen live on102.7fm, or 103.1fm. or https://www.ktoo.org/listen/krnn/

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The holiday was one of four created by the Bank Holidays Act 1871 (along with Easter Monday, Whit Monday and Boxing Day), being the only one which was not linked to an Anglican religious festival. The act was introduced by Liberal politician Sir John Lubbock.

In 1964, an experimental move to the end of August was announced by the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development, Edward Heath,[5] taking effect for two years from 1965,[6] responding to pressure from the holiday industry to extend the season.The move applied to England and Wales, but not to Scotland.

There was consultation on other methods of staggering holidays and reducing congestion related to this. Other suggestions included staggering school holidays by region, and introducing a four-term school year.

Following the two year trial, each year’s date was announced in Parliament on an ad hoc basis, causing problems for publishers of the calendars and diaries. The rule seems to have been to select the weekend of the last Saturday in August, so that in 1968 and 1969 Bank Holiday Monday actually fell in September,[ causing concern amongst some politicians. The date was settled in statute with the passage of the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, which remains in force today, with the date specified as “the last Monday in August”.

Originally, the Bank Holidays Act of 1871 specified that the early August bank holiday would fall on the first Monday of the month. However, this changed with the Banking and Financial Dealings Act of 1971, which moved this holiday to the last Monday in August, effectively creating the Summer Bank Holiday we know today. This switch was made to help distribute public holidays throughout the year more evenly, avoiding a long gap between the Whit Monday and Christmas holidays.

Interestingly, the last Monday in August is not a bank holiday in Scotland. Instead, they observe their Summer Bank Holiday on the first Monday of August, preserving the original date set out in the 1871 Act. This difference showcases the distinctiveness of the Scottish system and its ability to maintain its own traditions and holidays within the UK.

The first Monday of August is Commerce Day, a public holiday in Iceland. ,

SOURCE: Wiki.com; http://www.nextbankholidays; http://www.icelandicroots.com/