St. Andrew's Day

St. Andrew's Day commemorates Scotland's patron saint and is a Scottish Bank Holiday, although employers are not obliged to give employees time off. St. Andrew's Day is marked on 30th November every year. If that date is on the weekend, the St. Andrew's Day Bank Holiday takes place on the following Monday 1st or 2nd December.

In Edinburgh, St. Andrew's Day is at the beginning of the Edinburgh Winter Festivals season, which includes a variety of events around Christmas and Hogmanay.

St Andrew's Day celebrations usually feature a range of free events in Edinburgh on the nearest weekend - such as the St. Andrew's Do in 2009/2010, and St Andrew's Day Celebrations at Edinburgh Castle in 2011.

Background to the St. Andrew's Day Bank Holiday

The Scottish Government passed the St Andrew's Day Holiday (Scotland) Bill on the Eve of St. Andrew's Day in 2006 following much debate about whether St. Andrew's day should be made a national holiday.

In what was seen a compromise solution the Bill added a bank holiday on 30th November or the Monday after, if St. Andrew's Day falls on a weekend, but employers are not obliged to give their employees time off. They can choose to mark the St Andrew's Day or not.

Scotland's Homecoming

St. Andrew's Day also marked the beginning in 2008, and end in 2009, of Scotland's Homecoming, the government sponsored year of festive events marking the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns' birth.