I am planning a trip to London and southeast England next spring, likely the first week of May. After seeing another thread on the General Europe forum, I realized we may encounter some closures due to the May bank holiday and potentially VE day (May 8th) Is there anything I should be aware of for that timeframe? We'd likely be in London on May 4th, and somewhere in the Eastbourne/Brighton area on May 8th. Would it be prudent to consider adjusting the dates of the trip?
Posted by
Duluth🌲
9564 posts
Well, it will affect it somewhat. Especially in London. Some places will be closed or have limited hours and public transportation may be more limited than usual. Also, major attractions might be busier than usual because they usually stay open and so a lot of people will head to those.
But if you’re prepared for it and plan your day accordingly, then you shouldn’t have any major problems. And VE day is not a bank holiday, so things will not be closed unless it’s on an individual basis. That said, VE day is earmarked for community events and celebrations to honor that day. So it might actually be a fun time to be there for that. But that is up to you. I’m not sure what is going on in Brighton that day, but I’ll bet if you check, there’ll probably be some ideas online about events then.
Posted by
Duluth🌲
9564 posts
Linnae, I just did a quick search and came up with quite a few results for events that are happening on VE day in both the Eastbourne area and Brighton. It could very well be interesting.
Posted by
Bristol, UK
1753 posts
Only businesses like banks, offices and schools shut for bank holiday Monday. Tourist attractions, shops and restaurants are all open as usual so it won’t affect your plans. A lot of people leave London for the long weekend so it shouldn’t be particularly busy unless you go to attractions primarily aimed at families - playgrounds, Natural History museum, etc.
Posted by
Preston UK
1514 posts
I suspect that if you hadn't been aware you may well not have realised that there was a holiday weekend, except for a greater possibility of train disruption for weekend engineering work.
Posted by
Lake District, England
9709 posts
VE Day this year was a big thing, because it was the 80th anniversary.
Most years, outside a zero anniversary, there are no significant events.
In my own town it is marked annually, but that is barely advertised. You'd only find out by sheer chance.
At least where I am the turnout even this year was pretty thin, and the events had been well publicised for once. Even the majority of the town council didn't turn up. Given the amount of time people like me had spent planning for the day, it was a bit disappointing.
Posted by
UK (London - Chelsea Harbour)
312 posts
Hi Linnae! You didn’t ask about this, but I would remiss not to point out that (since as others have cogently stated, you shouldn’t miss out on anything because of holiday scheduling) England is absolutely GLORIOUS in May.
That may in fact be at least partly behind your scheduling decision… but if it is not, then I am here to say that you have chosen wisely. You are in for a treat: temps won’t be blazing, everything is in bloom, and the few spatters of rain here and there will make the sunshine that more enjoyable. Enjoy!