Easter Sunday 2027 falls on Sunday, March 28, 2027. Good Friday is Friday, March 26, and Easter Monday is Monday, March 29. Easter 2027 falls on Sunday, March 28, 2027.
In Germany, Ostern 2027 falls on the same date, March 28, and Spain’s Semana Santa runs from Palm Sunday, March 21, to Easter Sunday. Orthodox Easter falls five weeks later, on Sunday, May 2.
Easter 2027 is early. The Western date can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25, and March 28 sits six days from the earliest possible date — the earliest Easter since March 27, 2016.
Two consequences follow. Lent begins on February 10, one of the earliest Ash Wednesdays in the cycle, and the gap to Orthodox Pascha stretches to 35 days, one of the widest separations between the two traditions in the current century.
Easter 2027 at a glance
- Easter Sunday: March 28, 2027. Good Friday: March 26. Easter Monday: March 29.
- Orthodox Easter: Sunday, May 2, 2027.
- How early: 6 days after the earliest possible date, March 22, and 8 days earlier than Easter 2026 (April 5).
- U.S. federal holiday: no.
- Pentecost: Sunday, May 16, 2027, the same day as Eid al-Adha 2027.
- Next year: Easter 2028 falls on Sunday, April 16, the same day as Orthodox Easter.
Table of Contents
When is Easter 2027?
Easter 2027 is on Sunday, March 28, 2027. It is an early Easter: the date can fall anywhere from March 22 to April 25, and 2027 lands in the first week of that window.
The date is the same in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and the rest of the Western church. The weekend holidays around it differ by country, as the table further down shows. Easter week sits at the end of the March 2027 calendar.
The complete Holy Week and Easter season calendar:
| Observance | Date 2027 | Weekday | Days from Easter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Septuagesima | January 24 | Sunday | −63 |
| Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras | February 9 | Tuesday | −47 |
| Ash Wednesday, Lent begins | February 10 | Wednesday | −46 |
| First Sunday of Lent | February 14 | Sunday | −42 |
| Palm Sunday | March 21 | Sunday | −7 |
| Holy Monday | March 22 | Monday | −6 |
| Holy Tuesday | March 23 | Tuesday | −5 |
| Holy Wednesday | March 24 | Wednesday | −4 |
| Maundy Thursday | March 25 | Thursday | −3 |
| Good Friday | March 26 | Friday | −2 |
| Holy Saturday | March 27 | Saturday | −1 |
| Easter Sunday | March 28 | Sunday | 0 |
| Easter Monday | March 29 | Monday | +1 |
| Ascension Day | May 6 | Thursday | +39 |
| Pentecost | May 16 | Sunday | +49 |
Every date on this list is derived from Easter by a fixed offset. Establish the Easter date, and the rest of the liturgical year follows arithmetically.
Holy Week 2027 dates
Holy Week 2027 runs from Palm Sunday, March 21, to Easter Sunday, March 28. The final 3 days, from Maundy Thursday evening to Easter Sunday, form the Easter Triduum.
| Day | 2027 date | Also called |
|---|---|---|
| Palm Sunday | Sunday, March 21 | Palmsonntag, Domingo de Ramos |
| Maundy Thursday | Thursday, March 25 | Holy Thursday, Gründonnerstag, Jueves Santo |
| Good Friday | Friday, March 26 | Karfreitag, Viernes Santo, Vendredi saint |
| Holy Saturday | Saturday, March 27 | Black Saturday, Karsamstag, Sábado Santo |
| Easter Sunday | Sunday, March 28 | Resurrection Sunday, Ostersonntag, Domingo de Pascua |
| Easter Monday | Monday, March 29 | Ostermontag, Lunes de Pascua, Pasquetta |
What makes Easter 2027 unique?
Easter 2027 is the earliest Easter since 2016, and it brings 7 calendar quirks that most years don’t have.
- It is early. March 28 is the earliest Easter since March 27, 2016, and no Easter falls earlier until March 25, 2035.
- Europe changes its clocks on Easter morning. The UK and the EU switch to summer time at 1 a.m. UTC on Sunday, March 28, so the Easter Vigil night is 1 hour shorter. The US already moved its clocks on March 14 (see daylight saving time 2027).
- The 2 Easters are as far apart as they get. Western Easter (March 28) and Orthodox Easter (May 2) are 5 weeks apart, the largest gap possible.
- Easter comes 3 weeks before Passover. The 2 holidays usually fall close together, but Passover 2027 starts on April 21 because the Jewish year 5787 has an extra month.
- The Paschal full moon is also Holi. The March 22 full moon that sets Easter’s date is the same full moon Hindus celebrate as Holi 2027.
- Pentecost falls on Eid al-Adha. Christians mark Pentecost, and Muslims mark Eid al-Adha on the same day, Sunday, May 16, 2027.
- The date repeats in 2032. Easter 2032 falls on March 28 again, with Orthodox Easter on May 2 again.
Holidays that move with Easter in 2027
Easter sets the date of 14 holidays, each a fixed number of days before or after it, so they all move when Easter does. In 2027, they run from Rosenmontag on February 8 to Corpus Christi on May 27.
| Holiday (local names) | Rule | 2027 date |
|---|---|---|
| Rosenmontag (Carnival Monday) | Easter − 48 days | Monday, February 8 |
| Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, and Carnaval | Easter − 47 days | Tuesday, February 9 |
| Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch, Miércoles de Ceniza) | Easter − 46 days | Wednesday, February 10 |
| Palm Sunday (Palmsonntag, Domingo de Ramos) | Easter − 7 days | Sunday, March 21 |
| Maundy Thursday (Gründonnerstag, Jueves Santo) | Easter − 3 days | Thursday, March 25 |
| Good Friday (Karfreitag, Viernes Santo) | Easter − 2 days | Friday, March 26 |
| Holy Saturday (Karsamstag, Sábado Santo) | Easter − 1 day | Saturday, March 27 |
| Easter Sunday (Ostersonntag, Domingo de Pascua) | Easter | Sunday, March 28 |
| Easter Monday (Ostermontag, Lunes de Pascua) | Easter + 1 day | Monday, March 29 |
| Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt, Ascension) | Easter + 39 days | Thursday, May 6 |
| Pentecost (Pfingsten, Pentecôte) | Easter + 49 days | Sunday, May 16 |
| Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag, Lundi de Pentecôte) | Easter + 50 days | Monday, May 17 |
| Trinity Sunday | Easter + 56 days | Sunday, May 23 |
| Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam, Corpus Christi) | Easter + 60 days | Thursday, May 27 |
Carnival season peaks the week before Lent, with Mardi Gras 2027 on February 9 and Ash Wednesday on February 10. In Germany, Christi Himmelfahrt and Pfingstmontag are national holidays, and Fronleichnam is a holiday in 6 states, including Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia.
How the date of Easter 2027 is calculated
Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon falling on or after the March equinox. The rule, called the computus, was fixed at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD.
The church uses fixed tables rather than the sky, but the two agree in 2027. The astronomical full moon falls at 10:43 UTC on March 22, 2027, 2 days after the March equinox. If the Paschal full moon falls on a Sunday, Easter moves to the next Sunday, which is why Easter never falls on the full moon itself.
Applied to 2027:
- The March equinox falls on Saturday, March 20, 2027 at 4:24 p.m. EDT.
- The first full moon on or after that date is the Worm Moon, on Monday, March 22, 2027 at 6:43 a.m. EDT.
- The first Sunday after March 22 is March 28.
One qualification the shorthand omits: the computus uses an ecclesiastical approximation of the equinox fixed permanently at March 21, and an ecclesiastical moon calculated from tables rather than observed.
In most years the ecclesiastical and astronomical values agree, as they do in 2027. In rare years they diverge by a day, and the ecclesiastical value governs.
If the paschal full moon itself falls on a Sunday, Easter is observed the following Sunday, which prevents Easter and Passover from coinciding under the ecclesiastical reckoning.
Easter 2027 closures by institution
Easter is not a federal holiday in the United States. Neither is Good Friday.
| Institution | Good Friday, March 26 | Easter Sunday, March 28 | Easter Monday, March 29 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal offices | Open | Closed, Sunday | Open |
| Banks, Federal Reserve schedule | Open | Closed, Sunday | Open |
| U.S. Postal Service | Normal delivery | No delivery | Normal delivery |
| NYSE and Nasdaq | Closed | Closed, Sunday | Open |
| Bond markets, SIFMA | Early close | Closed, Sunday | Open |
| State offices | Closed in roughly 12 states | Closed | Open in most states |
| Public schools | Varies by district | Closed | Varies by district |
| Most retail and grocery | Open | Reduced hours | Open |
The stock exchanges are the exception worth knowing. NYSE and Nasdaq close for Good Friday every year despite it carrying no federal status, so March 26, 2027, is a market holiday on a day when banks and federal offices are open.
Easter by the numbers
About 8 in 10 Americans celebrate Easter, and they spent a record $24.9 billion on it in 2026. These are the latest figures available before Easter 2027.
| Fact | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Americans who celebrate Easter | 80% | NRF, 2026 survey of 7,845 adults |
| Total US Easter spending | $24.9 billion (a record) | NRF, 2026 |
| Spending per person | $195.59 | NRF, 2026 |
| Biggest spending category | Food, $7.5 billion | NRF, 2026 |
| Celebrants who attend church | 43% | NRF, 2026 |
| Celebrants who plan an egg hunt | 36% | NRF, 2026 |
| Easter candy sales | $5.6 billion in 2025 | National Confectioners Association |
| People who bite a chocolate bunny’s ears first | 77% | National Confectioners Association |
| Christians worldwide | About 2.3 billion | Pew Research Center, 2020 data |
| Eggs at the 2026 White House Easter Egg Roll | 40,000 | KMPH, April 2026 |
| Crowd at the Pope’s 2026 Easter Mass | About 50,000 | AP via ABC30 |
Food beat candy in 2026: Americans spent $7.5 billion on Easter food, $3.9 billion on gifts, $3.7 billion on clothing, and $3.5 billion on candy. The NRF publishes its 2027 forecast in March, and we will add it here.
Here are the key facts, figures, and research-backed trends.
1. Church Attendance & Worship Patterns
- The Highest-Attended Sunday of the Year: According to Lifeway Research, 90% of Protestant pastors report that Easter ranks among their three highest-attendance services of the entire year, with 52% citing it as their absolute #1 most-attended day (outperforming Christmas Eve).
- The Surge Effect (“Chreasters”): Weekly church attendance in the United States typically hovers around 30% of adults (Gallup). On Easter Sunday, however, self-reported church attendance regularly surges past 45% to 50%, driven by infrequent churchgoers (often colloquially called “Chreasters”—those who attend only on Christmas and Easter).
- Denominational Attendance Spikes: Mainline Protestant and traditional liturgical congregations (such as Lutheran and Methodist churches) see some of the highest reliability in Easter spikes, with over 95% of their pastors ranking Easter in their top three annual services.
- Belief in the Resurrection: Lifeway’s State of Theology research indicates that roughly 65% to 66% of all American adults affirm that the biblical accounts of the physical resurrection of Jesus are historically and factually accurate. Among those who attend religious services at least monthly, that figure rises to 90%.
2. General Public Participation & Celebrations
- Overall Celebration Rate: Around 79% to 81% of Americans actively celebrate Easter each year, according to annual National Retail Federation (NRF) and YouGov tracking.
- How People Celebrate: Among those who observe Easter:
- 55% to 57%host or attend a family meal or gathering.
- 51% of households with children organize an Easter egg hunt at home or in their neighborhood.
- 40% to 43% attend an in-person or virtual religious service.
- 33% participate in outdoor spring activities, picnics, or community events.
3. Economic & Consumer Spending Figures
Easter ranks among the largest consumer spending events in the first half of the year:
| Metric | Typical Annual Figure (NRF Data) |
| Total U.S. Consumer Spend | $22B – $25B annually |
| Average Spend per Person | ~$180 – $195 |
| Food & Dining | $7.3B – $7.5B (largest category) |
| Gifts & Toys | $3.5B – $3.9B |
| Clothing (Easter Outfits) | $3.5B |
| Candy & Chocolate | $3.1B – $3.3B (~90% of celebrants buy candy) |
| Flowers & Lilies | $1.6B – $1.9B |
4. Global & Community Scale
- St. Peter’s Square (Vatican City): The Pope’s Easter Sunday Mass and subsequent Urbi et Orbi (“To the City and the World”) blessing routinely draws 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims in person to the square, with a global television and digital broadcast reach estimated in the tens of millions.
- White House Easter Egg Roll: First held in 1878 under President Rutherford B. Hayes, this remains one of the largest public events on the South Lawn, distributing around 40,000 tickets via public lottery each year for children and families.
- Sunrise Services: A distinct Protestant tradition originating in 1732 with the Moravian Church in Herrnhut, Germany, outdoor Easter sunrise services regularly draw thousands to natural amphitheaters and parks (such as the Red Rocks Sunrise Service in Colorado, which draws up to 10,000 worshippers at dawn).
Easter 2027 around the world
All Western-church countries mark Easter 2027 on March 28, but the days off around it differ. Germany closes on Good Friday and Easter Monday, while most of Spain closes on Holy Thursday and Good Friday.
| Country | Local name | Easter public holidays in 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Easter | None nationally. A few states, such as Connecticut and Hawaii, close state offices on Good Friday, March 26. |
| United Kingdom | Easter | Good Friday, March 26, everywhere; Easter Monday, March 29, in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, but not Scotland |
| Ireland | Cáisc | Easter Monday, March 29. Good Friday is not a public holiday. |
| Canada | Easter, Pâques | Good Friday, March 26, in every province except Quebec, where employers give Good Friday or Easter Monday. Easter Monday, March 29, is also a day off for federal workers. |
| Australia | Easter | Good Friday to Easter Monday, March 26 to 29, in most states; Tasmania has only Good Friday and Easter Monday |
| New Zealand | Easter, Aranga | Good Friday, March 26, and Easter Monday, March 29 |
| Germany | Ostern | Karfreitag, March 26, and Ostermontag, March 29, nationwide |
| Spain | Semana Santa, Pascua | Viernes Santo, March 26, nationwide; Jueves Santo, March 25, in most regions; Lunes de Pascua, March 29, in 6 regions, including Catalonia and Valencia |
| Mexico | Semana Santa | Jueves Santo and Viernes Santo, March 25 and 26, are not official rest days under federal labor law, but most government offices, banks, and schools close |
| Italy | Pasqua | Pasquetta (Easter Monday), March 29 |
| France | Pâques | Lundi de Pâques, March 29; Good Friday only in Alsace and Moselle |
| Philippines | Mahal na Araw | Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, March 25 and 26, are regular holidays; Black Saturday, March 27, is a special non-working day |
Easter also goes by Pasen in the Netherlands, Wielkanoc in Poland, Påske in Denmark and Norway, and Páscoa in Brazil and Portugal. All of them fall on March 28, 2027.
Easter traditions around the world in 2027
Many countries mark Easter with a signature custom, and most fall between Holy Thursday, March 25, and Easter Monday, March 29, in 2027.
| Place | Tradition | 2027 date |
|---|---|---|
| Seville, Spain | Semana Santa processions of religious brotherhoods through the city | March 21 to 28 |
| Philippines | Visita Iglesia (visiting 7 churches) and Good Friday processions | March 25 and 26 |
| Bermuda | Flying homemade kites on Good Friday | March 26 |
| Florence, Italy | Scoppio del Carro: a decorated cart set off with fireworks outside the cathedral | March 28 |
| Germany | Easter fires on Saturday night and decorated Easter fountains (Osterbrunnen) | March 27 and 28 |
| Sweden and Finland | Children dress as Easter witches and go door to door | March 21 to 27 |
| Poland | Åšmigus-dyngus, or Wet Monday: people splash each other with water | March 29 |
| Australia | The chocolate Easter Bilby, a native animal, alongside the Easter Bunny | March 26 to 29 |
| Greece and Cyprus | Midnight Resurrection service, fireworks, and red-dyed eggs (Orthodox Easter) | May 1 and 2 |
How Americans celebrate Easter
Most Americans celebrate Easter with a family meal: 56% of celebrants cook a holiday meal, and 52% visit family or friends, according to the NRF. These traditions fill Easter weekend 2027:
- White House Easter Egg Roll: held on Easter Monday since President Rutherford B. Hayes hosted the first in 1878. In 2027, it is expected on Monday, March 29.
- Sunrise services: many churches hold an outdoor service at dawn on Easter Sunday. The Moravian sunrise service in Old Salem, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has run since 1773.
- Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival: New Yorkers stroll Fifth Avenue near St. Patrick’s Cathedral in decorated hats on Easter Sunday morning.
- Egg hunts and baskets: 36% of celebrants plan an egg hunt, and 89% of basket makers fill them with chocolate and candy.
- Easter dinner: ham is the classic main course, with lamb popular in Greek, Italian, and Middle Eastern families.
Easter 2027 at the Vatican
Easter 2027 will be the second Easter for Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, who was elected on May 8, 2025. His first Easter Mass, on April 5, 2026, drew about 50,000 people to St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has not published its 2027 schedule, but the Holy Week pattern is fixed. Expect Palm Sunday Mass on March 21 and the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday morning. The Way of the Cross at the Colosseum follows on Good Friday night, and the Easter Vigil on Saturday, March 27.
On Easter Sunday, the Pope celebrates Mass in St. Peter’s Square, then gives the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing (“to the city and the world”) from the basilica’s central balcony at noon Rome time. Rome moves to summer time that morning, so noon in Rome is 6 a.m. Eastern time in the US.
How Easter 2027 differs from other countries
The United States is an outlier among English-speaking countries in giving Easter no public holiday status at all.
| Country | Good Friday | Easter Monday | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not federal | Not federal | No long weekend |
| United Kingdom | Bank holiday | Bank holiday | Four-day weekend |
| Ireland | Public holiday | Public holiday | Four-day weekend |
| Canada | Statutory | Statutory in some provinces | Three or four days |
| Australia | Public holiday | Public holiday | Four-day weekend |
| New Zealand | Public holiday | Public holiday | Four-day weekend |
| Germany, France, Netherlands | Public holiday | Public holiday | Four-day weekend |
Because Easter 2027 is early, that four-day weekend arrives in late March across Europe and the Commonwealth, while the weather is still unsettled in the northern half of the continent.
Easter dates 2025 to 2032
| Year | Easter Sunday | Weekday check | Ash Wednesday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | April 20 | Sunday | March 5 |
| 2026 | April 5 | Sunday | February 18 |
| 2027 | March 28 | Sunday | February 10 |
| 2028 | April 16 | Sunday | March 1 |
| 2029 | April 1 | Sunday | February 14 |
| 2030 | April 21 | Sunday | March 6 |
| 2031 | April 13 | Sunday | February 26 |
| 2032 | March 28 | Sunday | February 11 |
The date swings by up to 35 days between consecutive years. Between 2026 and 2027 it moves eight days earlier; between 2027 and 2028 it moves nineteen days later.
There is no short cycle: the full pattern repeats only every 5,700,000 years under the Gregorian computus.
Western and Orthodox Easter dates 2020 to 2035
Between 2020 and 2035, Western Easter is earliest on March 25, 2035, and latest on April 21, 2030. Western and Orthodox Easter fall on the same day in 4 of these years: 2025, 2028, 2031, and 2034.
| Year | Western Easter | Orthodox Easter | Same day? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | April 12 | April 19 | No |
| 2021 | April 4 | May 2 | No |
| 2022 | April 17 | April 24 | No |
| 2023 | April 9 | April 16 | No |
| 2024 | March 31 | May 5 | No |
| 2025 | April 20 | April 20 | Yes |
| 2026 | April 5 | April 12 | No |
| 2027 | March 28 | May 2 | No |
| 2028 | April 16 | April 16 | Yes |
| 2029 | April 1 | April 8 | No |
| 2030 | April 21 | April 28 | No |
| 2031 | April 13 | April 13 | Yes |
| 2032 | March 28 | May 2 | No |
| 2033 | April 17 | April 24 | No |
| 2034 | April 9 | April 9 | Yes |
| 2035 | March 25 | April 29 | No |
Easter 2032 repeats the 2027 pattern exactly, with Western Easter on March 28 and Orthodox Easter on May 2.
What Easter 2027 is not
Easter is not a fixed date and cannot be looked up as one. It is not tied to March 25, to the first Sunday of April, or to any calendar rule that does not involve the Moon.
Easter Sunday 2027 is not the same as Orthodox Easter 2027, which falls on Sunday, May 2, five weeks later.
Both traditions apply the same underlying rule, but Eastern churches compute it on the Julian calendar, which now runs 13 days behind the Gregorian.
Easter is not a federal holiday in the United States, and Good Friday is not either. If you are checking whether an office will be closed, the federal holiday schedule will not answer the question.
Easter 2027 does not fall in April. It falls on March 28, in the previous month, which is unusual enough that April calendars for 2027 contain no Western Easter dates at all.
When is Orthodox Easter 2027?
Orthodox Easter 2027 falls on Sunday, May 2, 2027, 5 weeks after Western Easter. Orthodox churches use the older Julian calendar for the equinox and the full moon, so their Easter usually comes later. Greek, Russian, Serbian, and other Orthodox communities all celebrate on May 2.
Is Easter a federal holiday in the US?
No. Easter Sunday always falls on a Sunday, and Good Friday is not one of the 11 federal holidays. A few states close state offices on Good Friday, and the New York Stock Exchange closes that day.
Frequently asked questions
When is Easter 2027?
Easter 2027 is on Sunday, March 28, 2027. Good Friday is March 26, and Easter Monday is March 29.
When is Easter 2027 in the UK?
Easter Sunday 2027 in the UK is March 28. Good Friday, March 26, is a bank holiday across the UK, and Easter Monday, March 29, is a bank holiday everywhere except Scotland.
Wann ist Ostern 2027?
Ostern 2027 (Easter Sunday) is on Sunday, March 28, 2027. Karfreitag is March 26, Ostermontag is March 29, and Pfingsten (Pentecost) is May 16, 2027.
When is Semana Santa 2027?
Semana Santa 2027 runs from Domingo de Ramos, March 21, to Domingo de Pascua, March 28. Jueves Santo is March 25, and Viernes Santo is March 26.
When is Orthodox Easter 2027?
Orthodox Easter 2027 is on Sunday, May 2, 2027, 5 weeks after Western Easter.
What is special about Easter 2027?
Easter 2027 is the earliest since 2016, and it falls 5 weeks before Orthodox Easter, the widest gap possible. Europe also switches to summer time on Easter morning, and Pentecost lands on the same day as Eid al-Adha.
Where does the Pope celebrate Easter 2027?
Pope Leo XIV is expected to celebrate Easter Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, March 28, 2027, followed by the Urbi et Orbi blessing at noon Rome time, which is 6 a.m. Eastern.
When is Easter 2028?
Easter 2028 is on Sunday, April 16, 2028. Western and Orthodox Easter fall on the same day that year.
Easter is one of the movable feasts in the liturgical calendar, and every faith’s holy days for 2027 are in the religious holidays calendar.
