It is a date many people spend all of winter looking forward to. It serves as a signal that weeks of dark commutes and minimal sunlight are finally coming to an end. Despite “losing” an hour of sleep, the clocks going forward are welcomed by millions across the country.

Fortunately for those longing for extra daylight hours, there is not too much more time left to wait. Clocks in the UK will go forward at the end of March as we head into  spring.

The clocks will change on March 29 at 1am, a day earlier than in 2025. This marks the official start of British Summer Time (BST). 

The clocks will turn back one hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October.

There is often confusion as to when clocks go forward and when they go back, but an easy method can put any uncertainty to bed.

An easy way to remember which way the clocks change at which time of year is to remember that the clocks ‘spring’ forward in spring, and ‘fall’ back in autumn.

The clocks move forward in summer due to a campaign from the early 20th century to adjust clocks during the summer months, known as British Summer Time.

The original campaign argued that by changing the clocks during the summer, people in the northern hemisphere could make more use of the earlier daylight hours.

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According to Royal Museums Greenwich: “William Willett – an early promoter of British Summer Time and great-great-grandfather of Coldplay singer Chris Martin published a pamphlet in 1907 titled ‘The Waste of Daylight’, which suggested changing the clocks in the spring and putting them back in the autumn.

“However, Willett’s proposal was complicated, involving advancing the clocks by 80 minutes in four separate moves of 20 minutes each. Willett died in 1915. A year later, Parliament passed the Summer Time Act, which established the practice of putting the clocks an hour forward during the summer.”

The decision to change the clocks on a Saturday or Sunday morning was made because it would be the least disruptive option for schools and businesses.

Most devices with an internet connection, such as smartphones, should automatically update themselves. However, some devices may require people to update them manually. Around 70 countries observe some form of daylight saving time, but the timing varies from region to region.