May Day bank holiday is to be moved back four days next year to coincide with the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
The national day off will be changed from its normal slot on the first Monday of the month to the Friday of that week, signalling the start of a three-day weekend of commemorative events.
Victory in Europe Day, when the Allies accepted the surrender of Nazi Germany in the Second World War, is marked on 8 May 1945.
Welcomed by Sir Andrew Gregory, chief executive of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, described it as a "fitting" idea saying "it's our duty to keep the events of the past alive in collective memory, including future generations - this is how we ensure that such a conflict never happens again."
Mr Gregory asked people to take a moment "to reflect on the significance of this date, as a milestone that changed the course of history for the whole world."