Find out more about school holidays and half term in London. A bank holiday in London provides the perfect chance to discover more of the city, from its top attractions and family activities , to exploring new areas of the capital. Pick up a sightseeing pass to see many of London's top sights in one weekend and keep a look out for special events.
Start the year on a high with activities on New Year's Day in London , enjoy an action-packed Easter weekend in the capital, celebrate spring during the early May bank holiday and the spring bank holiday later in the month, or soak up the sun and carnival atmosphere over the summer bank holiday weekend in London.
Towards the end of the year, there are many fun Christmas activities, including unique things to do on Christmas Day.
Follow the coronavirus guidance for London. COVID information. Find out about the capital's public holidays in and , Christmas closures and half-term dates ahead of your trip to London. On Easter Sunday, large shops have to be closed by law, though small shops can open.
Public transport may be reduced over Easter. Easter holidays On Easter Sunday, large shops have to close by law. Children, particularly girls, dance around a tall pole, decorated with long, colorful flowing ribbons. The aim of the dance is to create a decorative pattern on the pole with the ribbons. The maypole dancing has roots in Roman Britain around 2, years ago, when soldiers celebrated spring by dancing around decorated trees while giving thanks to their goddess Flora.
Another traditional form of dancing, Morris dancing, is also associated with the beginning of May. Dancers dress in white with bells on various parts of their costumes and carry scarves and long wooden sticks. The dancing is accompanied by loud accordion music. Groups of Morris dancers often hold displays on the early May bank holiday.
This type of dancing was initially carried out exclusively by men. However, in past decades, the tradition has achieved growing popularity among women as well. Other traditions include making floral garlands, decorating houses with flowers and leaves and crowning a May queen as a living image of the Roman goddess Flora. In some areas, girls go out very early to wash their faces in the morning dew.
This is supposed to make them very beautiful in the coming year. In Rochester, there is a festival of chimney sweeps. Traditionally, May 1 was the only day in the year that they did not have to work. In Derbyshire, villagers decorate, or dress, the wells with flowers. On Cooper's Hill in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, people race down a steep hill following a large round cheese. The hill is concave and has an incline of in some places. The first person to cross the finishing line wins a Double Gloucester cheese weighing about 8lbs around 3.
The custom may have been started by the Romans or ancient Britons and be an ancient fertility rite or a way of guaranteeing the rights of the villagers to graze their livestock on the surrounding land. In some years, there have been a lot of injuries, causing the event to be cancelled a couple of times in recent years. In these years, the cheese was rolled down the hill, but nobody was allowed to chase it.
In Endon in Staffordshire, the villagers dress their well, hold a fayre village celebration and crown a girl as the Well Dressing Queen. Local men hold a competition, known as 'Tossing the Sheaf', in which they compete to see who can toss a bale of straw the highest. In other places, boats are blessed, Morris dancers put on displays and local festivals are held.
The last Monday in May is a bank holiday. Many organizations, businesses and schools are closed. Stores may be open or closed, according to local custom.
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