Good Friday 2027 is Friday, March 26: what it is, what is open and how to plan

The short answer: good friday 2027 is Friday, March 26, 2027, two days before Easter Sunday on March 28.

• Maundy Thursday: March 25
• Holy Saturday: March 27
• Is it a holiday? What's open and what may be closed
• Good Friday 2026 was Friday, April 3
• Next step: Plan it with the Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99).

Good Friday 2027 is Friday, March 26, 2027, two days before Easter Sunday on March 28. Here's when it falls, whether it's a holiday, what's open, what the day means and how to plan the weekend, with simple tools for the Easter meal. Our Easter countdown shows how many days are left until Easter Sunday. Looking back, Good Friday 2026 was Friday, April 3.

Good Friday 2027 at a glance

The Britannica entry on Good Friday says Good Friday 2027 falls on March 26. It was on April 3 in 2026. Easter falls two days after Good Friday, so Easter 2027 is March 28. Maundy Thursday, which Britannica notes commemorates the Last Supper, is the day before Good Friday.

Good Friday 2026: Friday, April 3

Good Friday 2026 was Friday, April 3, 2026, and Easter Sunday followed on April 5. That made the 2026 Holy Week dates:

In 2027, Good Friday comes eight days earlier on the calendar, on March 26, because Easter itself moves from April 5 to March 28. Good Friday was not a federal holiday in 2026 and is not one in 2027.

Why Good Friday moves every year

Good Friday has no fixed date. Britannica explains that it varies because it follows the date of Easter, which is tied to the Jewish lunisolar calendar for Passover rather than to a set day on our calendar. As a result, Good Friday can fall anywhere from March 20 to April 23. In 2027 it lands near the early end of that window.

That's worth knowing if you plan around it. An early Good Friday can come before many school spring breaks, and it means Easter shopping and cooking happen in March rather than April.

Is Good Friday a federal holiday?

No. Good Friday isn't on the Office of Personnel Management's list of federal holidays. In 2027 the federal list has Washington's Birthday on Monday, February 15, and then Memorial Day on Monday, May 31, with no federal holiday in March or April. Federal offices keep normal hours on Friday, March 26.

Is Good Friday a bank holiday?

Not for the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve's list of holidays it observes for 2026 to 2030 doesn't include Good Friday, so the Fed's payment systems run on a normal Friday schedule. Each bank sets its own hours, though, so if you need a branch on March 26, check its holiday notice first.

What's open and what may be closed

Because it isn't a federal holiday, most things run as usual:

• Federal offices: open.
• Federal Reserve Banks: open.
• Your bank: check its holiday notice.
• Schools: set by your district; some close.
• Private employers: set their own schedules; some give the day off.
• Churches: often hold special services, sometimes at midday or in the evening.

If your family has a mix of schedules, write each person's plan for March 26 on the calendar.

What Good Friday means

Britannica describes Good Friday as the Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. It's observed during Holy Week, on the Friday before Easter, as a solemn day marked by prayer, penance, fasting and reflection. It forms part of the Easter Triduum, along with Holy Saturday and Easter.

Britannica notes that from the early days of Christianity, Good Friday was a day of sorrow, penance and fasting. The German name, Karfreitag, means "Sorrowful Friday." It also says that until the 4th century, the Last Supper, the death and the Resurrection were remembered in one single observance on the evening before Easter.

How Good Friday is observed

Britannica describes several traditions:

1. A Good Friday liturgy. In the Roman Catholic Church, mass isn't celebrated on Good Friday, but a liturgy is held with the reading of the Passion, the adoration of the cross and Communion.
2. The Three Hour Service. A meditation on Jesus' "Seven Last Words on the Cross," held from noon to 3 pm. Britannica says it was introduced by the Jesuits in the 17th century and has become common in North American churches.
3. Orthodox services. Similar services occur in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, where no Communion is celebrated on Good Friday.
4. Fasting and prayer as part of a solemn, quiet day.

Unlike Christmas and Easter, Britannica notes, Good Friday hasn't picked up a layer of secular customs because of its strong religious meaning. For many families it's a quiet day before the celebration of Easter.

How to plan Good Friday and Easter weekend 2027

A short plan keeps the weekend calm:

• Check service times at your church for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter.
• Decide who's working on Friday, March 26, and arrange child care if school is closed.
• Plan the meals for Friday through Sunday, including a simple Friday supper if you fast or skip meat.
• Shop by Thursday, March 25, so Saturday is free for cooking and decorating.
• Set the Easter budget for food, clothes, baskets and any travel.

For the Sunday meal, our Easter dinner ideas list 60 mains, sides and desserts with three menus for 8.

The Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99) has weekly meal pages and a grocery list sorted by aisle, so you can plan Friday through Sunday and shop once. The Budget Planner Printable ($5.99) has room for the Easter budget if you plan on paper.

Plan a simple Good Friday supper

Britannica notes that Good Friday has long been a day of fasting, so many families keep supper simple. If your tradition is a meatless meal, these work for a family:

• Baked fish with potatoes and a green vegetable.
• Pasta with vegetables or a simple tomato sauce.
• Bean soup or lentil soup with bread.
• Egg dishes like a frittata or quiche.
• Grilled cheese and tomato soup for a quick, kid-friendly night.

Keep Friday's cooking light so you have time and energy for Easter dinner on Sunday.

If you work on Good Friday

Since most employers stay open, many people work on March 26. A few ways to make room for the day:

• Ask early if you'd like the day or a half day off, especially if you want to attend a midday service.
• Use a long lunch for the noon to 3 pm service if your schedule allows.
• Plan an evening service instead, since many churches hold one.
• Keep the evening quiet with a simple supper at home.
• Prep Easter food on Thursday night so Saturday isn't a rush.

Plan around spring break

With Good Friday on March 26, Easter weekend may fall before, during or after your district's spring break. Check the school calendar now:

1. If spring break includes Easter, plan any trip so you're home for services and dinner, or find a church near where you'll be.
2. If school is open on Good Friday, decide whether kids attend or stay home for a service.
3. If spring break is in April, you'll have two separate breaks to plan, so set aside time and money for both.

Set an Easter weekend budget

Easter can add up: groceries for a big dinner, new clothes, baskets, flowers and travel to see family. Write a simple budget before you shop:

• Easter dinner groceries and any dish you're bringing.
• Baskets and treats per child.
• Clothes or shoes if you buy new outfits.
• Flowers or church offerings.
• Travel for gas, flights or a hotel.

Set a total first and fill in the lines from there.

Save your Easter recipes

Easter dinner is often a family recipe meal: a ham, a lamb, a favorite side or a dessert someone's grandmother made. Write those recipes down while you're cooking, with the real amounts, oven temperatures and timing. The Family Recipe Binder ($6.99) gives each recipe its own page so they're easy to find next spring. Our guide to the family recipe binder printable shows how to set one up. If your family's Easter dessert is a spiced carrot cake, our recipe covers layers, a sheet cake and cupcakes.

Getting kids involved

Holy Week is a chance to include kids in the plans:

• Read the Easter story together in a children's Bible or picture book.
• Make a simple cross craft together during Holy Week.
• Let them help set the Easter table or decorate eggs on Saturday.
• Give them a few jobs for the weekend. The Kids Chore Chart ($3.49) has a weekly chart for chores.

Good Friday 2027 on your calendar

Write these on your March 2027 calendar now:

• Thursday, March 25: Maundy Thursday; finish grocery shopping.
• Friday, March 26: Good Friday; check school and work schedules.
• Saturday, March 27: Holy Saturday; cook and prepare.
• Sunday, March 28: Easter.

Our free 2027 calendar has every month in one download, and the April 2027 calendar covers the weeks after Easter, including Tax Day on April 15.

Other spring dates to know

After Easter, the next big dates are Tax Day on Thursday, April 15, 2027, and Mother's Day on Sunday, May 9, 2027. The next federal holiday is Memorial Day on Monday, May 31. Our Mother's Day 2027 guide and May 2027 calendar help you plan ahead.

See the whole month on our free March 2027 calendar, with Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter marked.

Need the full Easter calendar? See when is Easter 2027 for Easter dates through 2035, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Orthodox Easter.