Up-Helly-Aa festival: Shetland council proposing to move annual Wednesday holiday next year

The traditional holiday following Lerwick's Viking fire festival could be moved next year to allow council workers to celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee instead.

With the Up Helly Aa festival called off for the second year running due to the covid pandemic, Shetland Islands Council (SIC) are proposing to move the annual Wednesday holiday to early June next year, reports the Shetland Times.

The UK Government has already said the May Bank Holiday will be moved to Thursday, June 2 for the Jubilee celebrations.

But the SIC’s policy and resources committee are now considering whether council workers should have a holiday on the Friday too.

The Shetland Times reports that the traditional post-Lerwick Up Helly Aa holiday could be moved to Friday, June 3 next year.

The report says the move would “enable council staff and families to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee as a community over three days”.

School staff and children could also be given the Friday as a public holiday.

The Up Helly Aa festival takes place every year and remembers the islands’ Viking rulers of more than 1,000 years ago.

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