Are shops open during the Coronation? Bank Holiday opening times explained

The coronation of King Charles III will take place this weekend.

Supermarkets and stores have begun to confirm opening hours for during the bank holiday weekend. During the Queen’s funeral in September, shops were shut for large parts of the day - will it be the same next month?

Charles III will be officially crowned alongside Queen Consort Camilla at a ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday, 6 May. Many people across the country will get an extra day off on Monday, 8 May to mark the occasion.

Pubs and bars will be able to open for extra hours over the bank holiday weekend to celebrate the coronation. Licensing hours will be extended until 1am.

But will shops shut? Here is all you need to know:

Will shops be open during the coronation?

You might remember that during the Queen’s funeral in September how shops were shut during the service for the late monarch. Big name retailers including Primark were closed for a large part of the day before reopening later in the afternoon.

But will stores be closing on the day of the coronation? The ceremony on 6 May is a more joyous occasion, unlike the period of mourning around the death of Elizabeth II, and so far retailers have yet to announce plans for closures on the day of Charles III’s crowning.

However the weekend is a bank holiday with Monday, 8 May, being an extra day off for many people across the UK. It means that supermarkets and stores may operate altered or reduced hours on the day of the bank holiday.

Asda have offered to give staff an extra day off - but only if they are participating in the Big Help Out on 8 May.

Shop opening hours for coronation weekend

Supermarkets have begun to announce opening hours for the coronation bank holiday weekend, our sister website The Scotsman reports. It includes the likes of Aldi, Asda and Co-Op and we will update the article as more stores announce bank holiday hours.

Aldi

• Saturday, 6 May (coronation): normal hours
• Sunday, 7 May - normal Sunday hours
• Monday, 8 May - Scotland - normal hours, England & Wales - close at 8pm

Asda

• Saturday, 6 May (coronation): normal hours
• Sunday, 7 May: normal Sunday hours
• Monday, May: 7am-8pm

Co-Op

• Saturday, 6 May (coronation): normal hours
• Sunday, 7 May: Normal Sunday hours

Lidl

• Saturday, 6 May (coronation): normal hours
• Sunday, 7 May: Normal Sunday hours
• Monday, 8 May: Normal hours

Morrisons

• Saturday, 6 May (coronation): normal hours
• Sunday, 7 May: normal Sunday hours
• Monday, 8 May: 7am-10pm

Sainsburys

• Saturday, 6 May (coronation): normal hours
• Sunday, 7 May: normal Sunday hours
• Monday, 8 May: 7am-10pm

Tesco

• Saturday, 6 May (coronation): normal hours
• Sunday, 7 May: Normal Sunday hours
• Monday, 8 May: 8am-8pm

Can pubs open later during the coronation?

Pubs, bars and clubs will be able to open with extended hours over the bank holiday weekend. Venues across England and Wales will be able to continue serving customers for an extra two hours between Friday 5 May and Sunday 7 May to celebrate the crowning of Charles III.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman will extend licensing hours from the normal 11pm to 1am to allow people to “enjoy an extra pint or two”. The move was backed by a leading body in the hospitality sector as well as 77% of the public who took part in a month-long consultation.

The licensing laws will be extended to allow punters in England and Wales to have an extra couple of hours in pubs, bars and clubs over the bank holiday weekend. The hours will be extended to 1am from 11pm.