These are called bank holidays. Which days are recognized as bank holidays depends on which part of Great Britian you live in. Whether you actually get a holiday depends on where you work. We understand, though, that though our department offices are open, some of the higher-level administrative offices are closed, and there are no classes. Restaurants on campus close early.
Some businesses are open today, and some close.
Many stores in town have special sales for this holiday. The faculty in the Linguistics Department certainly does a lot of traveling. A very well-traveled bunch. We are glad that some people thought that this information would be useful for their research. Actually some of them were trying to subscribe to lists, use ERIC, etc., that very afternoon.