The Holy Week 2026 festivities will officially begin on March 29 with Palm Sunday, and will extend until Easter Monday, which falls on April 6. The central days of this holiday period will be Maundy Thursday (April 2), Good Friday (April 3), and Easter Sunday (April 5).

These dates are set according to the lunar calendar, with Easter Sunday being the Sunday following the first full moon after the start of spring. This rule also determines the start of Lent, which in 2026 will begin on Ash Wednesday (February 18), and Carnival, whose Saturday will be February 14.

The variability of the Easter date has a significant impact on economic activity, tourism, and the school calendar. For this reason, Pope Francis has promoted an initiative to fix the date of the holiday, possibly the second or third Sunday in April, aiming to unify it with the celebration of the Orthodox churches, separated from Rome since the 11th century.