Pubs across the UK have now been given the green light to extend their opening hours in celebration of The Queen's Platinum Jubilee this year. Under government guidance, venues in England and Wales are able to stay open for an extra two hours over the four-day bank holiday weekend, which is set to take place from Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June.
The extension of opening hours will apply for three days, on Thursday 2 June, Friday 4 June and Saturday 4 June, allowing businesses to extend their licensing hours from 11pm to 1am to mark the milestone occasion.
Usually, the bank holiday weekend falls on the last weekend in May, but this year has been moved to June and merged with another special Bank Holiday so Brits can enjoy an extra day off.
Home Office minister Kit Malthouse said the extension would allow people to ‘celebrate the longest-reigning monarch in the United Kingdom’.
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee will celebrate 70 years of her reign over the country, a feat that no other British monarch has accomplished. Despite the holiday taking place in June, The Queen actually served on the throne for seven decades on the 6 February 2022.
Past national occasions where the government has extended licensing hours have included the royal wedding in 2018, The Queen’s 90th birthday in 2016, the FIFA World Cup in 2014, The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and the royal wedding in 2011.
Planned celebrations for the June bank holiday weekend include Trooping the Colour, a Service of Thanksgiving, a concert, a Platinum Pageant and nation-wide street parties.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries also commented: ''2022 will be a year of pride, celebration and coming together with the Platinum Jubilee alongside our other blockbuster events including the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Unboxed, championing creativity in the UK.’’
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