Revellers hit the town last night to celebrate the four-day weekend in style – but some Easter bunnies may wake up sore heads this morning after enjoying a particularly Good Friday.
The streets of Newcastle, Birmingham and Leeds were filled with party-goers as celebrants dressed up to make the most of the festive weekend.
With some in elaborate jockey outfits, others enjoyed the occasion as cheerleaders, aliens and even super villains.
But as the Easter Bank Holiday started in earnest police forces also took to the street in force – with one man on Birmingham Broad Street having to be hauled away by police after a scuffle in a takeaway.
In Birmingham some punters braved the chilly night out tiny crop tops whilst on the hung for a good night out, with temperatures dropping as low as five and six degrees for revellers in Newcastle and Leeds.
Birmingham’s partiers took to the streets with tiny crop tops whilst on the hunt for a night out
Many revellers were in high spirits on Broad Street, Birmingham with a group of friends doing faux bunny ears for the camera
Revellers get into their best party gear as they relive the 80s – in flared bellbottoms and Baywatch costumes
SpongeBob and Patrick look thrilled as they enjoy a night out in Leeds
The Bikini Bottom-pair look chuffed as they join up with pals on the roaring night out
A cheerleading squad look cheeky as they pose for the camera in windy Leeds
A jockey jumps for joy as he leaps towards a Police van in the Newcastle city centre
And they look quieter as they chat with officers massed in the centre
A group of girls laugh as they brave the rainy weather for an Easter night on the town
A man is carried off by an alien as he chats with Mario and Luigi, sticking up on food before the big night
A gang of Barbies feel the Kenergy as they enjoy the evening partying in Leeds
A man in white crocks feels the good vibes as he takes his dressing gown for a stroll in Newcastle
Two pals look elegant as they smile for the camera as they stun in white and denim blue
A girl roars with laughter as she clutches a can of Monster – as her pal flashes the peace sign in a cheeky salute
A reveller flicks her hair as she braces for the weather in white shorts and a gold handbag
The girls glow as they settle into a pose – pouting and signalling at the camera
Pretty in pink! Two girls hit the streets in a vibrant feathered ensemble ahead of a wild night of partying
A group flash cheeky grins at the camera as they appear to head on a raucous round of pub golf
Luckily, the rain held off as revellers danced the night away in skimpy outfits despite the brisk winds.
It comes as ambulance services warned that there may be increased delays as they face mounting calls over the four days.
London Ambulance Service is expecting to recieve around 20,000 999 calls as they warned the public to only contact them if the matter is urgent.
This is despite preparing for the Christian holiday by putting on extra ambulances, response vehicles and control room staff.
It comes amid warnings of Easter being thrown into chaos by ‘carmageddon’ and ferry firm DFDS predicting disruption ‘due to strong winds’ on Thursday, while rail passengers contend with the impact of Storm Nelson.
Darren Farmer, Director of Ambulance Operations at London Ambulance Service, said: ‘We hope everyone enjoys Easter but please be ready for the four day weekend.
‘We would ask the public to help us manage demand by making sure they have the medication they need ahead of the bank holiday.
‘If it’s urgent, but it’s not a serious medical emergency, please consider other options such as GPs and pharmacies as some of these services will still be available, or NHS 111 online.
‘NHS 111 should be your first port of call if you’re unsure what to do or unsure which service you need.
A man looks sheepish as he is walked away by officers amid a crowded night in Newcastle
Police massed in the city centre as they kept order, with two firmly maneuvering a man across a road
Another man in Birmingham looked furious as he was being hauled away by police following a scuffle in a takeaway
Another partygoer didn’t seem to be having the best time on Broad Street either, slumped on the floor as friends took care of him
A group of pals grin in tiaras and Donald Trump shirts as they enjoy a festive night in Leeds
A pair of girls brave the brisk night air in Newcastle as they head out on the town
A lady joyously flashes the peace signs in a groovy red and black number in Newcastle
A trio of girls in Greece-inspired dress admire themselves as they pose up for a selfie
A man raises both fists in a salute as he rocks through Leeds in a poncho
Dr Evil carries his signature white cat through the centre of Newcastle as he watches on at the gathered crowds
A pair of girls match in white tennis shorts and long socks as they make the most of the Easter night out
A group cheer as they dash across a road, braving the icy northern air for a Leeds night out
A man in a sparkly top hat shares a sweet moment in Newcastle with a girl dressed in contrasting black
Two blokes looked dressed for the occasion as they boast a stunning pair of sparkling hats and huge glasses
A man cheekily appears to place a hat on a friend as he passes him in the street in Newcastle
Two girls glow in matching pink as they cosy up for a photo in Newcastle
A group of men end the night in a fast food joint as they battle over a test your strength machine
A happy trio look aprehensive as they head out on the town in Newcastle in a set of glamorous dresses
‘If you need advice or medication from a pharmacist in London, use the NHS pharmacy finder to check which pharmacies are open near you.
‘Please also check on any vulnerable family or friends ahead of the weekend to make sure they are safe and have the medication that they need.
‘Only call 999 when it’s a serious medical emergency so we can prioritise responding to the most seriously ill and injured patients.’
And Easter threatened being thrown into chaos as queues of 15 to 20 miles were seen on the M4 and M5 interchange near Bristol, which is adding 45 minutes on to journey times.
Meanwhile, the western side of the M25 was described as ‘pretty bad’ and a ‘lot worse than normal’, with 40-minute queues.
RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: ‘Everyone’s heading to Devon and Cornwall, that’s the attraction, and there’s been a bit of better weather.
‘It’s causing some pretty horrendous queues.’
This afternoon, holidaymakers still faced 90 minute delays at the Port of Dover, down from two hours.
A pair get comfortable on the back of an ambulance as they chat the night away
An every-day hero gives a woman’s feet a rest as he gives her a piggy-back through the streets of Leeds
A group of jockeys and their horse enjoy a night out as they venture into Newcastle
A pair of girls in dazzle as they pose up for a picture in frosty Newcastle
A group of jockeys cheer as they enjoy a lively night out on the town in Newcastle
A glamorous trio stun in glamorous dresses as they kick off the Easter Bank Holiday in style
A wacky group in a colourful array of outfits enjoy the night as they party in Newcastle
A group of girls guffaw as they hit the town in Newcastle at the start of the Easter season
Revellers take a seat outside a music venue as they take to the bars and clubs of Newcastkle
A group of 80s fans enjoy the cheer of the night out together in a groovy set of outfits
A girl shows off a high kick as she poses with pals for a night out picture in Leeds
Two girls enjoy a lively chat as they strut through Leeds in matching floral wreaths
Two million Britons are expected to jet off abroad for the long weekend – with big queues forming at some of the country’s major airports today.
But some train services are not going ahead due to pre-planned engineering works on the southern end of the West Coast Mainline – turning the normally frantic London Euston railway station into a ghost town.
And incidents on some of the motorways on Friday have threatened to disrupt thousands of journeys across the country.
Crashes were reported on the M5, causing an 85 minute delay, and on the M40 – both roads have since re-opened, albeit with knock-on hold-ups to traffic.
And Network Rail has urged train passengers to check their journey details before they travel because some major routes will be closed due to engineering work – with 493 upkeep projects happening across the Easter period.
The West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Milton Keynes, used by Avanti West Coast trains to and from Scotland, is shut for four days from today.
Network Rail said it was laying new track near Kensal Green tunnel in north west London and replacing a busy junction just south of Milton Keynes.
Buses will run from Potters Bar to Watford Junction and Milton Keynes to London.
A group of girls dazzle in blue sports tops as they head out on the town
Two girls look glam as they pose up in the blustery Newcastle centre before an Easter night out
A group of pals pose up as they celebrate a night out as they kick off the Easter weekend
A sophisticated-looking pair raise their legs and grin as they enjoy a night in Newcastle
Four girls brace the icy cold in Newcastle in matching black boots and outfits as they grin against the weather
Two girls live their best pink lives as they shine in silky feathered outfits and matching sunglasses
A girl grins as she gets the better end of a deal – and is carried piggy-back along the streets of Leeds
A group of girls laugh as they pose for a photo together and hit off the festive season
A trio of party-goers grin as they brave the chilly air in tiaras and a McDonald’s hat
A group of girls smile as they pose for the camera – braving the chilly night air in Leeds
A set of friends in brightly coloured and pattered outfits make their way through the Good Friday night out
There will also be disruption to ScotRail services because of work to renew tracks and points over a major junction between Glasgow Central and Cambuslang and Polmadie Depot.
And in West Yorkshire, work will continue on the TransPennine Route Upgrade, with new tracks being laid around Huddersfield. This will mean changes to trains on routes such as Sheffield to Leeds and all trains to Huddersfield itself.
Greater Anglia warned of disruption across its routes because of construction work for the new Beaulieu Park station in Chelmsford, as well as track maintenance work.
Train services between London and many East Anglia locations, including Norwich, Ipswich and Colchester, will be replaced by buses for part of the journey.
And in London, the Elizabeth line will be closed due to engineering work through the centre of the capital between London Paddington and Stratford and Abbey Wood.
Network Rail’s network strategy director Laurence Bowman said: ‘There’s never a good time to do the work we need to do but the four days of the bank holiday, when fewer people are travelling, give us the opportunity to do major work we couldn’t do in normal weekend.’
On the south coast, the Port of Dover authority said shortly before 11am today that queues were at least two hours long – but advised that French border controls were ‘flowing well’ despite delays caused by last night’s stormy weather.
It said on X, formerly Twitter: ‘The tourist processing time is around two hours from arrival at the Port as we approach our peak travel time on Good Friday. Thank you to the local community for your patience as we work to keep traffic moving.’