Is 2024 a leap year? The date of February leap day plus what it is, why we have it and meaning behind it

Every four years, we have a year that is considered a little bit special. That's because it's a leap year.

A leap year is special because it adds an extra day to the shortest month in the calendar, February. The UK, along with most of the world, follows the Gregorian calendar which gives us 365 days a year - but every four years we gain an extra day.

It's up to you what you do with that extra day; for many it may become just another ordinary day of employment or education, but some may choose to use their bonus 24 hours to do something they've always wanted to, make time to see friends or family, or simply indulge in some self-care.

But, is it a leap year in 2024, what exactly is a leap year and why do we have them, plus what happens for people who are born on a leap year and when are the future leap years? This is what you need to know.

Is 2024 a leap year?

Yes, 2024 is a leap year.

When is leap year day?

Leap year day is February 29. That means that this year, leap year will be on Thursday February 29. February usually has 28 days.

What is a leap year?

A leap year is a year where an extra day is added to the end of February. Leap years occur every four years.

How many days are in a leap year?

There are 366 days in a leap year, which is one day more than an average year which has 365 days.

When is the next leap year?

After this year, the next leap years will be 2028, 2032, 2036, 2040, 2044, 2048 and 2052.

Why do we have a leap year?

Leap days occur so that our calendar is kept in alignment with the Earth’s revolutions around the Sun.

It takes the Earth approximately 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45 seconds – to circle once around the Sun.

This is slightly more than the 365 days that we have every year, and so every four years an extra day needs to be added to account for these extra hours. This is because the additional hours add up to an extra day after four years.

Without an extra day every four years, we would lose almost six hours every year.

This may not sound like a lot, but the implications would be bigger in the longer term. After only 100 years, for example, a calendar without leap years would be off by approximately 24 days.

This means that seasonal days such as the autumn equinox and winter solstice would, therefore, shift in relation to the months in the calendar.

For example, in 100 years, the Northern Hemisphere’s autumnal equinox, which falls in late September, would fall in late August, and in a few centuries, August would become a spring month.

According to an Irish tradition known as Bachelor’s Day, women are allowed to propose on 29 February.

This tradition once had legal basis in Scotland and England, but in modern day women can propose to their partners when they like - although many do still observe the tradition.

What happens if people have a leap year birthday?

People who were born on a leap year, who are known as leapers or leaplings, have the opportunity to celebrate their actual birthdate when February 29 happens.

Every other year, people who were born on February 29 have to mark their birthday on either February 28 or March 1.