TO celebrate the staggering 70 years the Queen has been on the throne, Brits are treated to extra bank holiday in June 2022.
So when is the Platinum Jubilee holiday and why are we having one?
When is the extra bank holiday?
Brits can enjoy an extra bank holiday in 2022, scheduled for Friday, June 3.
The late May Bank Holiday will move to June 2 to make it a four-day weekend running from Thursday, June 2, to Sunday, June 5.
And hopefully the June dates will mean a better chance of good weather.
The late May bank hol is traditionally on the last Monday in the month.
Why are we having an extra bank holiday?
The additional holiday is to mark the Queen’s 70th year on the throne.
It will be the first time a British monarch has reached a Platinum Jubilee.
The milestone will be marked with a “once-in-a-generation show” over a special four-day Bank Holiday weekend, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden announced.
As of February 6, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated a 70 years reign – the first time a British sovereign will have been on the throne for seven decades.
But her ascension, February 6, 1952 is also the day her King George VI died and not a date the head of state would wish to base celebrations around.
But June 2 is a special day for the Queen as it was the day of her coronation in 1953 – over a year after her father’s death.
Therefore the first week in June has been chosen for the Platinum weekend, just like the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees.
Plans are in place to stage a series of events across four days, from June 2-5, 2022.
The celebrations will reflect the Queen’s reign and her impact on the UK and the world since her accession to the throne in 1952.
The Government and Buckingham Palace are planning an extensive programme of events in cities across the UK and the Commonwealth.
The Queen hopes as many people as possible will have the opportunity to join celebrations marking her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, Buckingham Palace has said.
A huge national pudding competition will make up some of the celebrations, while thousands of jubilee lunches will be held to honour Britain’s longest ever reigning monarch.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: “The Platinum Jubilee offers an opportunity for the Queen to express her thanks for the support and loyalty Her Majesty has received throughout her reign.
“The Queen hopes that as many people as possible will have the opportunity to join the celebrations.”
The Culture Secretary said: “Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee will be a truly historic moment – and one that deserves a celebration to remember.
“We can all look forward to a special, four-day Jubilee weekend, when we will put on a spectacular, once-in-a-generation show that mixes the best of British ceremonial splendour with cutting edge art and technology.
“It will bring the entire nation and the Commonwealth together in a fitting tribute to Her Majesty’s reign.”
Members of the Royal Family are expected to take part in the celebrations over the extended weekend and in the run-up to the four-day extravaganza.
In keeping with tradition, a Platinum Jubilee medal will be awarded to people who work in public service, including representatives of the Armed Forces, the emergency services and the prison services.
The Royal Household and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) are organising the commemorations which are being developed with some of the UK’s leading creative minds, event organisers and world class digital design companies.
The DCMS has said “spectacular” moments in London and other major cities will be complemented by events in communities across the UK and the Commonwealth.
Dowden said: “It will be a truly historic moment for the country – and one that deserves a celebration to remember.
“After an incredibly difficult year, we all need something to look forward to together.”
How many bank holidays do we get in 2022?
To create the four-day weekend in June 2022, the late May Spring bank holiday – which would have been on Monday, May 30 – will be moved to Thursday, June 2, and an additional Bank Holiday will be added on Friday, June 3
This will bring the total number of public holidays for England and Wales in 2022 to nine days.
The other bank holidays are New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May, August, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Scotland traditonally has nine bank holidays and Northern Ireland has ten.
