UK Clocks Advance for British Summer Time Start

On Sunday, March 29, 2026, clocks across the United Kingdom will spring forward by one hour at 1 a.m., marking the start of British Summer Time and shifting the nation from Greenwich Mean Time. This biannual adjustment, observed in much of Europe, aims to extend evening daylight during the warmer months but will cost most people an hour of sleep as the night shortens.

The change occurs on the last Sunday in March each year, advancing timepieces from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. In autumn, clocks fall back by one hour at 2 a.m. on the last Sunday in October, returning to Greenwich Mean Time. This practice, known as Daylight Saving Time internationally, provides longer evenings for outdoor activities while mornings grow slightly darker initially. As spring progresses, natural daylight will expand, with the vernal equinox on March 20 already balancing day and night, leading to over 12 hours of sunlight daily and peaking at nearly 19 hours in northern Scotland by the summer solstice on June 21.

The tradition originated during World War I, when Germany implemented it in 1916 to conserve energy by reducing reliance on artificial lighting. The United Kingdom followed weeks later under the Summer...