Boxing Day is the day after Christmas Day. It is a public holiday in the United Kingdom (England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland).
It is an important day for big sports events, visiting family, and shopping.
All banks, government offices, and most businesses are closed on Boxing Day.
Most shops are open (unlike on Christmas Day when it is against the law for large shops to open). It’s a busy shopping day with stores beginning their post-Christmas sales. Many stores open early in the morning. It’s the UK’s equivalent of Black Friday.
Boxing Day is an important date in the UK sporting calendar. Football fixtures are planned so that teams will have a home fixture on Boxing Day or New Year’s Day. Local teams often play each other to minimise travel time for supporters.
Transport services are reduced. Many lines close for engineering repairs and improvements. Bus schedules are typically scaled back. The Manchester Metrolink and London Underground offer reduced services.
If Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, a public holiday is observed on the following Monday.
If Boxing Day falls on a Sunday (Christmas Day on Saturday), the associated public holidays are observed on the following Monday and Tuesday.
Why is it called Boxing Day?
There are competing theories for the origin of the name Boxing Day.
One states it derives from the tradition of the wealthy giving Christmas boxes to their servants.
Servants were required to work on Christmas Day but would be given a holiday the following day to visit their families. They would often be given Christmas boxes containing gifts and bonuses.
Another theory is that the name is related to charitable donations made by churches. Around Christmas time, parishioners donated money to the poor. The money was typically place in alms boxes in churches. The boxes were opened the day after Christmas and the money distributed.
Next Boxing Day Bank Holiday - UK (England and Wales)
The next Boxing Day Bank Holiday in UK (England and Wales) is Tuesday, December 26, 2023.
There are 274 days till Boxing Day Bank Holiday 2023.
Last updated on .