This winter has felt particularly long, hasn’t it? Finally, spring is within sight. The biannual clock change will take place at the end of this month, meaning the UK is about to return to longer, brighter days. And with that, comes all of the good stuff: picnics in the park, beer gardens, beach days and music festivals.
Once the clocks go forward, sunlight will finally stretch into evening, though sunrise will happen a little later than in the past weeks. Here’s everything you need to know about when the clocks go forward in the UK in 2024.
When do the clocks go forward in 2024?
Mark your calendars: in 2024, the clocks will go forward on Sunday, March 31 at 1am.
Will I lose or gain an extra hour in bed?
With all the different dates and times, it’s easy to get confused about what it actually means for us in practical terms. But as the time change occurs at night (at 1am, the clocks will go forward to 2am), most of us will be sleeping. The March time change means we lose an hour in bed.
When will the clocks go back again?
In autumn 2024, the clocks will go back on October 27 at 2am.
Why do we change the clocks in the UK?
The tradition of changing clocks began in 1916 in an attempt to make better use of daylight hours. Daylight Saving Time (or British Summer Time) meant people could work for longer and could save fuel during the war.
Which other countries change the clocks?
More than 70 countries around the globe change their clocks, with most European countries changing their clocks at the end of March and again at the end of October. But most countries around the equator don’t change their clocks, due to little variation in daylight across the year.
Will my phone automatically update with the time?
Most likely. Most digital devices these days – phones, laptops, smart watches – will automatically update the time when the clocks change.
Is the UK getting rid of Daylight Savings Time?
A survey last year found that 45 percent of Brits were in favour of stopping the ritual, which has been going on in the UK since 1916. But there's no signs of Daylight Savings Time being ditched any time soon. Even after European parliament voted to scrap it in 2019, Boris Johnson said it seemed ‘unlikely’ that it would happen here.
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