# UK bank holiday pub licensing hours

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-bank-holiday-pub-licensing-hours/296268>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 25, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-bank-holiday-pub-licensing-hours/296268 "2005-03-25T22:30:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-bank-holiday-pub-licensing-hours/296268/1 "2005-03-25T22:30:30Z")

</div>

Simple question, which proves impossible to Google due to endless discussion about proposed changes to the system: are _all_ public holidays subject to Sunday opening hours? Or is it only specific (ie religious) holidays that this applies to? (I’ve astounded myself that my substantial knowledge of pubs hasn’t answered this 😉 …)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-bank-holiday-pub-licensing-hours/296268/2 "2005-03-25T22:35:15Z")

</div>

I don’t know, but I’m posting to gloat that we have two more Bank Holidays than you Englanders.

ner ner.

😃

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-bank-holiday-pub-licensing-hours/296268/3 "2005-03-25T22:38:47Z")

</div>

> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> I don’t know, but I’m posting to gloat that we have two more Bank Holidays than you Englanders.

True…but you also have to take at least one flight to reach civilisation 😛

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-bank-holiday-pub-licensing-hours/296268/4 "2005-03-25T22:41:04Z")

</div>

Or boat trip. It’s true - I miss big towns and normal rain.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-bank-holiday-pub-licensing-hours/296268/5 "2005-03-25T22:50:41Z")

</div>

Well googling **“licencing hours” “good friday”** suggests that Good Friday is a special case and has the same opening hours as Sundays.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-bank-holiday-pub-licensing-hours/296268/6 "2005-03-25T22:57:20Z")

</div>

“Licen **S** ing”, that should be. And apparently off-licences can open at 8:00am on Good Friday, compared to 10:00am on Sunday.

Never try to understand British licensing laws.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-bank-holiday-pub-licensing-hours/296268/7 "2005-03-25T23:39:36Z")

</div>

> [@Usram](#):
>
> Well googling **“licencing hours” “good friday”** suggests that Good Friday is a special case and has the same opening hours as Sundays.

Aha - the discovery of the correct combination of Google terms gives the information. Thank you.

It also confirms that the landlord of my local is a Class A wanker, who clearly doesn’t know the law as well as he should. (For the record, I wasn’t trying to demand a drink after-hours, this was a conversation at 8pm, I was just amazed that he was telling customers that ‘obviously’ the ‘bank holiday hours’ meant they would close at 10.30.)