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Good Friday 2026 falls on Friday 3 April 2026. It is a UK-wide bank holiday — observed in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — and marks the start of the Easter long weekend. This page covers the date, the religious origin, what is open and closed, and how the dates have moved over recent years.
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Good Friday 2026 — exact date and timing
Good Friday in 2026 lands on Friday 3 April. It is the final Friday before Easter Sunday (5 April) and the first day of a four-day Easter weekend that ends on Easter Monday (6 April).
The date moves each year because Easter is a moveable feast. By the rule defined at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD and re-codified by the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750, Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March. Good Friday is then two days before Easter Sunday — so it can fall anywhere between 20 March and 23 April. The 3 April 2026 date is roughly central in that window.
Is Good Friday a bank holiday in the UK?
Yes — Good Friday is a bank holiday across the entire United Kingdom: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is also a bank holiday in the Crown Dependencies (Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man).
Strictly speaking, however, Good Friday is a common-law bank holiday rather than a statutory one. It was already widely observed before the Bank Holidays Act 1871 was passed, so the Act simply preserved its existing status. Christmas Day shares the same legal classification. In practical terms there is no difference: banks close, government offices shut, payroll is run as if for any other bank holiday.
| Region | Is Good Friday a bank holiday? |
|---|---|
| England | Yes |
| Wales | Yes |
| Scotland | Yes (statutory in this case, since 1996) |
| Northern Ireland | Yes |
| Isle of Man / Jersey / Guernsey | Yes |
Why is it called “Good” Friday?
The “good” in Good Friday is a relic of older English usage where good meant holy. The Oxford English Dictionary records the term in a 1290 manuscript — guode Friday, the holy Friday — and the spelling drifted to Good Friday by the late 1500s. In other languages the day is called the “Friday of Sorrow” (German: Karfreitag) or simply “Holy Friday” (Greek: Μεγάλη Παρασκευή, French: Vendredi Saint) — the English usage is unusual.
For Christians, Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the day before Passover Sabbath. Combined with Easter Sunday’s celebration of the resurrection, it forms the centrepiece of the Christian liturgical year — older and more theologically central in church terms than Christmas itself.
Good Friday dates 2025 to 2030
| Year | Good Friday | Easter Sunday | Easter Monday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Fri 18 April 2025 | Sun 20 April 2025 | Mon 21 April 2025 |
| 2026 | Fri 3 April 2026 | Sun 5 April 2026 | Mon 6 April 2026 |
| 2027 | Fri 26 March 2027 | Sun 28 March 2027 | Mon 29 March 2027 |
| 2028 | Fri 14 April 2028 | Sun 16 April 2028 | Mon 17 April 2028 |
| 2029 | Fri 30 March 2029 | Sun 1 April 2029 | Mon 2 April 2029 |
| 2030 | Fri 19 April 2030 | Sun 21 April 2030 | Mon 22 April 2030 |
What is open and closed on Good Friday 2026?
Closed or running reduced services
| Service | Status on Good Friday |
|---|---|
| High-street bank branches | Closed |
| Royal Mail post collections and deliveries | None |
| State schools | Closed (already in Easter break in most areas) |
| Most council household waste & recycling | No collection — typically rolled forward by one working day |
| NHS GP surgeries | Closed — A&E open as normal |
| Government offices, courts, DVLA telephone lines | Closed |
Open as normal or with adjusted hours
| Service | Status on Good Friday |
|---|---|
| Online banking, ATMs, Faster Payments | Available 24/7 |
| Supermarkets and large shops (England & Wales) | Open — Sunday Trading Act limits stores over 280 m² to 6 hours |
| Pubs, restaurants, cinemas | Open — typically very busy |
| National Rail and London Underground | Sunday/holiday timetable |
| Petrol stations, convenience stores | Normal hours |
UK Good Friday traditions
Religious observance on Good Friday is no longer the dominant force it once was, but several traditions remain widespread:
| Tradition | Where |
|---|---|
| Hot cross buns | Across the UK — spiced sweet buns marked with a cross, eaten warm with butter |
| Three-hour Liturgy services (12:00–15:00) | Anglican and Catholic churches |
| The Royal Maundy (Maundy Thursday — day before) | Westminster Abbey and rotating cathedrals; the Sovereign distributes Maundy money |
| Good Friday Marbles | Battle of Britain Memorial Trust events; long-running tournament at the Greyhound pub, Tinsley Green, West Sussex |
| Walks of Witness / outdoor processions | Many town centres, organised by local churches |
| Premier League and EFL football | Traditional fixture day — historically prohibited, allowed since 1957 |
Good Friday and the Easter long weekend 2026
Good Friday is the bookend that opens the four-day Easter weekend. In 2026 the layout is:
| Day | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Good Friday | Fri 3 April 2026 | Bank holiday — all UK |
| Holy Saturday | Sat 4 April 2026 | Normal Saturday — not a bank holiday |
| Easter Sunday | Sun 5 April 2026 | Christian holy day, not a bank holiday |
| Easter Monday | Mon 6 April 2026 | Bank holiday — England, Wales, NI (not Scotland) |
For employed workers in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, this gives four consecutive non-working days with zero annual leave used. Add Tuesday 7 April off and you stretch to a five-day break. Add the whole of the following week (7–10 April) and you have a nine-day Easter holiday for four days of leave. See our full Easter bank holiday 2026 guide.
Frequently asked questions
When is Good Friday 2026?
Good Friday in 2026 falls on Friday 3 April. Easter Sunday is two days later, on Sunday 5 April 2026.
Is Good Friday a bank holiday in Scotland?
Yes. Good Friday has been a statutory bank holiday in Scotland since 1996; before that date it was widely observed but not formally listed under the 1971 Banking and Financial Dealings Act. It is the only Easter-related bank holiday Scotland recognises — Easter Monday is not a bank holiday north of the border.
Why does the date of Good Friday change every year?
Because Easter Sunday is calculated as the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon falling on or after 21 March (the rule set at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD). Good Friday is then two days before Easter Sunday, so it moves with Easter. The earliest possible Good Friday is 20 March, the latest is 23 April.
Are shops open on Good Friday 2026?
Yes. Unlike Easter Sunday, Good Friday is not restricted under the Sunday Trading Act 1994 — large supermarkets can technically open all day. In practice most chains run shorter “bank holiday” hours, typically 8:00 to 20:00.
Will I get paid extra for working on Good Friday?
Only if your contract says so. There is no UK statutory right to enhanced pay on a bank holiday. Many large employers do offer 1.5x or double time on Good Friday — particularly retail, hospitality and emergency services — but the obligation comes from the contract, not the law. See our bank holiday pay guide.
Is Good Friday the same date as in other countries?
For most Western Christian countries — Catholic and Protestant — yes. The Eastern Orthodox churches (Greece, Russia, Serbia and others) follow a different calculation method and usually observe Good Friday one to five weeks later. In 2026 Orthodox Good Friday is on 10 April.
When was the last time Good Friday fell on 3 April?
2015 was the most recent occurrence of Good Friday on 3 April. Before that, you have to go back to 1953. The next time will be 2037.