When I Victoria Day 2025? Date, Hi tory, and Tradition

Planning your May long weekend? Victoria Day 2025 lands on Monday, May 19, but its date shifts each year by a fixed rule that dates back to 1952. This guide confirms the exact date, explains why it moves, and details who gets the day off — and who does not.

2025 Date: May 19 ·
Statutory holiday in: most of Canada except NS, PE, QC ·
Observed since: 1845 ·
Named after: Queen Victoria (born May 24, 1819)

Five key facts summarize Victoria Day’s official status, date pattern, and historical origin.

When is Victoria Day 2025?

What date is Victoria Day 2025?

Victoria Day 2025 lands on Monday, May 19, 2025. The Canada Revenue Agency lists this date as a public holiday for federal employees (Canada Revenue Agency federal tax authority). British Columbia’s government also confirms May 19 as the statutory holiday for 2025 (Government of British Columbia provincial employment standards).

When is the Victoria Day long weekend in 2025?

The Victoria Day long weekend runs from Saturday, May 17, through Monday, May 19. Because the holiday always falls on a Monday, it naturally creates a three-day weekend. Statutory Holidays describes this as “the May long weekend” and notes it is commonly called the “May two-four weekend” in reference to a case of 24 beers (Statutory Holidays Canadian holiday reference).

The pattern: the three-day weekend is the reason Victoria Day became a movable Monday holiday in 1952 — a shift from the fixed May 24 date that had been observed for more than a century.

Is Victoria Day always on a Monday?

Yes. Since 1952, Victoria Day has been fixed to the last Monday before May 25 (Wikipedia online encyclopedia). That means the holiday always falls between May 18 and May 24 inclusive. In 2025, that Monday is May 19. In 2026, it moves to May 18, as shown on the CRA’s 2026 holiday list (Canada Revenue Agency federal tax authority).

Is Victoria Day always on May 18th?

How is Victoria Day date determined?

The date is determined by the “Monday before May 25” rule. This was standardised in 1952 when the holiday became variable (Wikipedia online encyclopedia). Before that, it was celebrated on May 24 itself. The rule ensures a consistent long weekend while keeping the holiday close to the sovereign’s birthday.

When was Victoria Day in past years?

• 2024: May 20
• 2023: May 22
• 2022: May 23
• 2021: May 24

All fell between May 18 and May 24. The 2025 date of May 19 is at the early end of that window.

The takeaway: Victoria Day’s date drifts within a narrow band. It’s never May 18 itself — that’s just one of seven possible dates.

Is Victoria Day a holiday in the UK?

Does the UK celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday?

No. Victoria Day is not a public holiday in the United Kingdom (Statutory Holidays Canadian holiday reference). The UK does not have a holiday named after Queen Victoria; instead it observes the “Spring bank holiday” on the last Monday in May, and the Queen’s official birthday — tied to the reigning monarch — is celebrated in June with Trooping the Colour.

What is the UK’s spring bank holiday?

The UK’s late May bank holiday falls on the last Monday of May. In 2025, that is May 26 — a full week after Canada’s Victoria Day. The origins are separate: Victoria Day grew from pre-Confederation Canadian celebrations, while the UK’s spring holiday is a modern statutory creation (Wikipedia online encyclopedia).

Why this matters: A Canadian resident searching for Victoria Day in the UK context might be surprised that the monarchy link doesn’t carry across the Atlantic. For Britons, the sovereign’s birthday is a separate, June affair.

What is Victoria Day and why do we celebrate it?

Why is it called Victoria Day?

The holiday honours Queen Victoria, who was born on May 24, 1819. It has been observed in Canada since at least 1845, predating Confederation (Wikipedia online encyclopedia). After Victoria’s death in 1901, the holiday remained in place, and it later came to also mark the official birthday of the reigning Canadian monarch.

What is the history of Victoria Day in Canada?

• 1845: First official celebration in the Province of Canada (Wikipedia online encyclopedia)
• 1890s: Became a statutory holiday across most of the country
• 1952: Date changed from May 24 to the last Monday before May 25 (Wikipedia online encyclopedia)

This makes Victoria Day one of Canada’s oldest non-religious public holidays.

The thread: A celebration of one British monarch has evolved into a Canadian marker of spring, but its monarchy link remains central to the official rationale.

How is Victoria Day connected to the sovereign’s birthday?

In Canada, Victoria Day also serves as the official birthday of the reigning monarch — currently King Charles III — through an order-in-council. This is a Canadian-specific tradition; the UK uses a June date (Wikipedia online encyclopedia). So when Canadians mark Victoria Day, they are simultaneously honouring Queen Victoria and the current sovereign.

Who celebrates Victoria Day?

Which provinces observe Victoria Day as a statutory holiday?

Victoria Day is a statutory holiday in most of Canada, but not everywhere. According to the Government of British Columbia, it is a statutory holiday in BC, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, and a general holiday in Alberta, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, and Yukon (Government of British Columbia provincial employment standards). The Canada Revenue Agency treats it as a paid public holiday for federal employees across the country (Canada Revenue Agency federal tax authority).

Do Quebec and the Atlantic provinces celebrate Victoria Day?

Quebec does not observe Victoria Day. Instead, it marks National Patriots’ Day on the same Monday in May (CanPay Payroll payroll information provider). In Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Victoria Day is not a statutory paid holiday — it is a non-statutory holiday or a “general holiday” that many employers still observe (Wikipedia online encyclopedia). Newfoundland and Labrador also does not treat it as a paid public holiday (Wikipedia online encyclopedia).

Is Victoria Day celebrated outside Canada?

Some Commonwealth countries have similar holidays, but none use the name “Victoria Day” as a nationwide public holiday. Scotland has a local Victoria Day holiday, but it is not widely observed. The Canadian iteration remains unique in its scope and royal connection (Wikipedia online encyclopedia).

What it means: For most Canadians, Victoria Day is a reliable long weekend. But Atlantic Canada and Quebec require a closer look at local rules.

What do people eat on Victoria Day?

What are traditional Victoria Day foods?

There is no single canonical meal, but three traditions stand out. Barbecues and picnics dominate across the country. Dairy Queen has long associated its seasonal opening with the Victoria Day weekend, making a blizzard or cone a customary treat for many (National Today calendar and holiday site). Some families bake a Victoria sponge cake — a light jam-and-cream layer cake named after the Queen herself — though this is not universal.

What do Canadians grill on the long weekend?

Hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, and chicken are the staples. The weekend unofficially signals the start of cottage and camping season, so outdoor cooking is part of the ritual. CanPay Payroll notes that the holiday is also known as “May Two-Four,” a slang reference to a case of 24 beers often brought to a barbecue (Statutory Holidays Canadian holiday reference).

The cultural rhythm: Victoria Day has become as much about the food and social rituals as about the monarchy. The holiday is a permission slip to fire up the grill, open the cottage, and welcome summer.

Timeline: Victoria Day through the years

• May 24, 1819 — Queen Victoria born
• 1845 — First official celebration in pre-Confederation Canada (Wikipedia online encyclopedia)
• 1901 — Queen Victoria dies; the holiday remains
• 1952 — Date fixed to Monday before May 25 (Wikipedia online encyclopedia)
• 2025 — Victoria Day falls on May 19

The timeline shows how a 19th-century celebration weathered the end of Victoria’s reign and adapted to a modern long-weekend culture.

What we know and what remains uncertain

Confirmed facts

• Victoria Day 2025 is Monday, May 19 (Statutory Holidays Canadian holiday reference)
• It is not a public holiday in the UK (Wikipedia online encyclopedia)
• It is a statutory holiday in most Canadian provinces, except NS, PE, QC (Government of British Columbia provincial employment standards)
• It originated in 1845 to honour Queen Victoria’s birthday (Wikipedia online encyclopedia)

What’s unclear

• Whether Victoria Day officially marks the start of summer — it’s a cultural marker, not an official designation (National Today calendar and holiday site)
• Exact food traditions vary so widely that no single menu defines the holiday
• The degree of observance in provinces where it is non-statutory (some employers give the day off, others do not)

What the sources say

“Victoria Day is observed on the Monday preceding May 25, which makes it a long weekend holiday.”

— Statutory Holidays Canadian holiday reference

“The holiday has been observed in Canada since at least 1845, originally celebrating the birthday of Queen Victoria.”

— Wikipedia online encyclopedia

“Victoria Day is a federal Canadian public holiday observed on the last Monday preceding May 25.”

— Canada Revenue Agency federal tax authority

Summary: What Victoria Day 2025 means for Canadians

The date is set: May 19, 2025. For Canadians in the majority of provinces, it’s a paid day off, a long weekend, and a cultural green light for summer traditions — barbecues, cottage openings, and the first Dairy Queen cone of the year. But the holiday’s patchwork of provincial observance means not everyone gets the same benefit. For a worker in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, or Quebec, the choice is clear: check your employer’s policy, or plan a personal day to join the long weekend. Otherwise, you might be watching the May Two-Four from the office.

While Victoria Day is a statutory holiday across most of Canada, Quebecs unique observance of Victoria Day highlights how the day is known as National Patriots’ Day in Quebec.

Frequently asked questions