Easter 2025, 2026 and 2027 - PublicHolidays.com.au (original) (raw)

Easter is one of the most widely celebrated holiday seasons across Australia. In all states and territories, Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays that create a 4-day long weekend.

In 2025, Good Friday falls on 18 April while Easter Sunday falls on 20 April. In 2026 Easter will be celebrated earlier in the calendar with Easter Sunday falling on 5 April.

The date of Easter is partly dependent on the lunar cycle, and this is why Easter occurs so late in 2025. Easter Sunday, also known as Resurrection Sunday, falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the March equinox. This puts Easter Sunday between the end of March and the end of April, depending on the year.

This method for determining the date of Easter was first established in 325 AD at the Council of Nicaea, which took place in what is now modern-day Turkey. In total, Easter is a celebration that spans over a 50-day period. It begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter Sunday with many Easter-related events in between.

The Easter long weekend is the most anticipated of the year for millions of Australians with hotels, campsites and holiday rentals booked out months in advance, not to mention the busy roads and airports.

Culturally, the dominant icons of Easter are Easter eggs and the Easter Bunny. But Easter is also one of the oldest of the Christian festivals and the most popular time of the year for Australians to go to church. The most common services are on Good Friday morning and Easter Sunday morning at churches of every variety and denomination.

Good Friday is the beginning of the Australian Easter holiday long weekend and is the day when Christians commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. According to the Christian scriptures, Jesus lived and died during the first four decades of the 1st Century AD. The Bible, the key spiritual writings about the Christian faith, proclaims Jesus Christ to be God’s son who came to Earth to teach about God and to lead the way for people to find ‘salvation’ through Christ’s death and resurrection.

Holy Saturday is the second day of the Easter weekend and is commemorated by Christians as the day Jesus Christ’s body lay in a borrowed tomb after his death the day before. Holy Saturday is also known, amongst other names, as Black Saturday or Easter Eve.

Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from his tomb. This day is also known as Resurrection Sunday or Pascha. Churches are filled with people more than at any other time of year except perhaps Christmas, with songs and hymns sung and usually a Gospel presentation.

Easter Monday is the last of the national public holidays relating to the Easter celebrations, and is effectively a replacement holiday for the public holiday that falls the previous day.

Note:
— Easter Tuesday is a restricted public holiday in Tasmania. Observed by some awards/agreements and the State Public Service. To check award ring Fair Work Infoline on 131394.

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