When do the clocks change in 2023 – and when will they go forward or back?
Here in the UK, we change the clocks twice a year to bookend the different stages of the year. The clocks go forward as we enter British Summer Time, to get us up earlier and to enjoy the longer days. And they go back again as we prepare for the winter.
Despite some raising the possibility of getting rid of putting the clocks forward and back – a tradition which dates back over a century.
The Daylight Savings Time initiative was introduced and formalised as British Summer Time with the Summer Time Act 1916.
The change gave farmers an extra hour of sunlight to work, a helpful boost to the agricultural sector following the crippled British economy during the First World War.
When are the clock changes in 2023?
When do the clocks change this year?
Daylight Savings Time will begin at 1am on Sunday, 26 March 2023.
At this time, clocks will ‘spring forward’ as we welcome in the longer days and sunnier seasons of Spring and Summer.
So 1am on this Sunday becomes 2am, which is why people often claim we lose an hour of sleep that day. If your alarm goes off at 8am, it’ll be going off at what actually feels like 7am to our body clocks.
The clocks will ‘fall back’ again an hour on Sunday, October 29 2023.
At this time, 2am will go back to 1am, giving us an extra hour in bed and preparing us for the colder months when the sun sets earlier and days get significantly shorter.
Which countries change the clocks?
While it’s been a practice in the UK for over a century, we aren’t alone in changing the clocks for British Summer Time (known as Daylight Savings Time in other places).
All European Union countries and many European non-members continue to make the switch twice a year.
Outside of Europe, changing the clocks is also practiced in Argentina, Paraguay, Cuba, Haiti, the Levant, New Zealand and parts of Australia.
The US has changed the clocks twice a year for many decades, like the UK, but this is all set to change.
The US Senate passed a bill to make Daylight Savings Time permanent.
The Sunshine Protection Act was unanimously passed in 2022 meaning clocks will no longer change back and forth twice a year. From 2023, it will establish a fixed time all year round.
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