Father's Day 2024: When is Father’s Day, why does the date change every year and what is its history? Everything you need to know about the day we celebrate fathers

Father’s Day is a holiday that recognises the importance and value of fathers, as well as celebrating fatherhood, parental bonds and the influence of fathers in society.

The day takes place on different dates across the world and different places celebrate the day in their own way.

In the UK, there are many different methods of celebrating Father’s Day, whether that is heading to the pub for a Sunday roast and watching TV or doing something out of the ordinary such as a Murder Mystery event with the family or attempting an escape room.

Father’s Day does not have a long tradition in the UK and complements other family appreciation days such as Mother’s Day or in some countries, Sibling Day.

Here is everything you need to know about Father’s Day.

When is Father’s Day 2024 and is it a public holiday?

This year, the day falls on Sunday, June 16.

Businesses open as usual on this day as it is not a public holiday.

Why does the date for Father’s Day change every year?

In 2023, the date was June 18, in 2022 it was June 19 and in 2021 it was June 20.

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The dates vary each year because Father’s Day falls on the third Sunday of June in the UK.

What is the history behind Father’s Day?

The first Father’s Day celebration took place in 1910 in the US but the tradition of the day dates back further than that to the Middle Ages when the Eastern Orthodox Church appointed the second Sunday before Nativity as the Sunday of the Forefathers.

This was to honour the ancestors of Christ according to the flesh.

The feast of the day includes the ancestors of Mary, mother of Jesus and various prophets.

A traditional day for the celebration of fatherhood in Catholic Europe is thought to date back to at least 1508 which is normally celebrated on March 19, as the feast day of Saint Joseph.

The Catholic Church also actively supported the custom of a celebration of fatherhood on St Joseph’s Day from around the late 14th century or early 15th century.

What started out as a religious observance became a commercialised day where various events are held and greeting cards are sold.