Quick answer: Easter Sunday 2027 falls on Sunday, 28 March 2027 for Western churches – Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican. Orthodox Easter 2027 falls on Sunday, 2 May 2027, five weeks later. Good Friday is 26 March 2027 and Easter Monday is 29 March 2027.
That makes 2027 an early Easter – a full week earlier than 2026, and one of the earliest dates of the decade. If you plan school holidays, book flights, or run anything seasonal, that shift matters more than it sounds.
Easter 2027: Every Date You Need
| Day | Date 2027 |
|---|---|
| Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras / Pancake Day) | Tuesday, 9 February |
| Ash Wednesday (Lent begins) | Wednesday, 10 February |
| Mothering Sunday (UK) | Sunday, 7 March |
| Palm Sunday | Sunday, 21 March |
| Maundy Thursday | Thursday, 25 March |
| Good Friday | Friday, 26 March |
| Holy Saturday | Saturday, 27 March |
| Easter Sunday | Sunday, 28 March |
| Easter Monday | Monday, 29 March |
| Orthodox Easter Sunday | Sunday, 2 May |
| Ascension Day | Thursday, 6 May |
| Pentecost (Whit Sunday) | Sunday, 16 May |
Why Does the Date of Easter Change Every Year?
Easter is the only major Christian festival tied to the moon rather than a fixed calendar date. The rule, settled at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, is this: Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March, the date the Church fixes as the spring equinox.
In 2027, the ecclesiastical full moon used for the calculation falls on Monday 22 March. The next Sunday after that is 28 March – so that is Easter. Because the lunar cycle runs about 29.5 days and does not divide neatly into a 365-day year, the date slides around within a 35-day window every year.
The earliest Easter can ever fall is 22 March; the latest is 25 April. At 28 March, 2027 sits near the very early end of that range.
Why Is Orthodox Easter Five Weeks Later in 2027?
Both traditions use the same rule – they just use different calendars to apply it. Western churches calculate from the Gregorian calendar; Orthodox churches still use the older Julian calendar for this purpose, which now runs 13 days behind. Orthodox rules also require Easter to fall after Passover.
The result is that the two dates sometimes coincide and sometimes diverge by as much as five weeks. In 2027 they diverge to the maximum: Orthodox Easter falls on 2 May 2027, corresponding to 19 April in the Julian calendar.
Easter Dates: 2026 to 2030
| Year | Western Easter Sunday |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, 5 April |
| 2027 | Sunday, 28 March |
| 2028 | Sunday, 16 April |
| 2029 | Sunday, 1 April |
| 2030 | Sunday, 21 April |
What an Early Easter Actually Means for You
- School holidays shift. In the UK and much of Europe, the Easter break moves with the date. A March Easter means an earlier, and often colder, spring holiday.
- Travel prices peak sooner. Flights and hotels for the Easter weekend start climbing roughly eight to ten weeks out – so for 2027, that is late January.
- Lent starts in the depths of winter. Ash Wednesday on 10 February is unusually early, which means the 40 days of Lent run almost entirely through February and March.
- The UK and US split further apart. British Mothering Sunday tracks Easter and lands on 7 March 2027, while American Mother’s Day stays fixed on the second Sunday of May. In 2027 those are two months apart.
Is Good Friday a Public Holiday?
It depends where you are. Good Friday (26 March 2027) and Easter Monday (29 March 2027) are both public holidays across the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and much of Europe. In the United States, neither is a federal holiday – though a number of states observe Good Friday, and many schools and businesses close anyway. Financial markets in the US do close on Good Friday.
People Also Ask
What day is Easter Sunday 2027?
Easter Sunday 2027 is Sunday, 28 March 2027. Orthodox Easter falls later, on Sunday, 2 May 2027.
When does Lent start in 2027?
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, 10 February 2027, and runs for 40 days (not counting Sundays) until Easter.
Why is Easter so early in 2027?
Because the first ecclesiastical full moon after 21 March falls very early that year – on 22 March 2027 – and Easter is the Sunday immediately after it. There are only six days of the year that can produce an earlier Easter.
When is Good Friday 2027?
Good Friday 2027 is Friday, 26 March 2027, two days before Easter Sunday.
How is the date of Easter calculated?
Easter is the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after 21 March. The Church uses a fixed set of astronomical tables rather than live moon observations, which is why the calculated full moon can differ from the actual one by a day or two.
Will Easter ever be a fixed date?
There have been serious proposals – most notably to fix Easter on the second Sunday of April – and church leaders across denominations have discussed a common date for decades. Nothing has been agreed, so for now the moving date stays.
How many days until Easter 2027?
Counting from August 2026, Easter Sunday 2027 is roughly 236 days away. Ash Wednesday, which is when most people actually need to be ready, arrives about six weeks earlier on 10 February.
The Bottom Line
Mark Sunday, 28 March 2027 for Easter and Sunday, 2 May 2027 if you are following the Orthodox calendar. Lent opens on 10 February and Holy Week runs from 21 to 27 March. If you are booking anything around the long weekend, an early Easter means moving early – the demand curve starts in January.