Lent 2027 starts on Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2027, and ends on the evening of Holy Thursday, March 25, 2027. Easter Sunday follows on March 28, 2027.
Lent is the season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that Western Christians keep before Easter. Because it’s tied to Easter, it starts on a different date every year, and in 2027 it starts early. This guide lists the key Lent dates for 2027, explains how the 40 days are counted, covers the Catholic fasting days, compares Orthodox Great Lent, and gives the dates through 2031.
When does Lent start in 2027?
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. With Easter on March 28, 2027, Ash Wednesday falls on February 10. The day before is Mardi Gras, Tuesday, February 9.
| Day | Date |
|---|---|
| Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday) | Tuesday, February 9, 2027 |
| Ash Wednesday, Lent begins | Wednesday, February 10, 2027 |
| First Sunday of Lent | Sunday, February 14, 2027 |
| Palm Sunday | Sunday, March 21, 2027 |
| Holy (Maundy) Thursday, Lent ends at evening | Thursday, March 25, 2027 |
| Good Friday | Friday, March 26, 2027 |
| Holy Saturday | Saturday, March 27, 2027 |
| Easter Sunday | Sunday, March 28, 2027 |
Count down with our Ash Wednesday countdown and the Easter countdown. The first Sunday of Lent in 2027 is also Valentine’s Day, February 14.
How the 40 days of Lent are counted
If you count every day from Ash Wednesday, February 10, through Holy Saturday, March 27, 2027, you get 46 days, not 40. The difference is the six Sundays in that stretch:
- February 14, 21 and 28
- March 7 and 14
- March 21 (Palm Sunday)
Sundays celebrate the Resurrection, so they aren’t counted as fast days. Take them out and 46 days becomes 40, the traditional length that recalls Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the desert. As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops puts it, the Sundays are part of the season of Lent but aren’t prescribed days of fast and abstinence.
There’s a second way of describing the season. In the Catholic calendar, Lent itself runs from Ash Wednesday until the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday; the USCCB describes it as ending at sundown on Holy Thursday. The three days that follow, from Holy Thursday evening to Easter Sunday evening, form the Easter Triduum. Counted that way, Lent 2027 runs from February 10 to March 25, 44 days including both ends. Both descriptions are common, and both keep the “40 days” as a fasting count rather than a calendar count.
To check other spans yourself, our date duration calculator counts the days between any two dates, with or without the end date.
Fasting and abstinence days in Lent 2027
For Catholics in the United States, the USCCB sets out these rules:
- Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting and abstinence. In 2027 those are February 10 and March 26.
- Fasting applies from age 18 to 59: one full meal and two smaller meals.
- Abstinence from meat applies from age 14 on.
- Every Friday of Lent is a day of abstinence.
| Friday | Date |
|---|---|
| First Friday of Lent | February 12, 2027 |
| Second | February 19, 2027 |
| Third | February 26, 2027 |
| Fourth | March 5, 2027 |
| Fifth | March 12, 2027 |
| Sixth | March 19, 2027 |
| Good Friday | March 26, 2027 |
Other churches keep Lent differently. Many Protestant churches observe the season without set fasting rules, and practices vary by denomination and parish, so check with your own church.
Orthodox Great Lent 2027
Orthodox churches calculate Easter (Pascha) with the older Julian calendar tables, so their Lent usually comes later. In 2027 the gap is large. According to the movable-feast calendar of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese, Great Lent begins on Monday, March 15, 2027 (Clean Monday) and Pascha is Sunday, May 2, 2027.
Orthodox Great Lent starts on a Monday rather than a Wednesday. In 2027, Western Lent is already over and Western Easter has passed before Orthodox Holy Week begins. Our Easter 2027 guide explains why the two Easters are five weeks apart this year.
Lent dates, 2027 to 2031
| Year | Ash Wednesday | Holy Thursday | Easter Sunday | Orthodox Great Lent begins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | February 10 | March 25 | March 28 | March 15 |
| 2028 | March 1 | April 13 | April 16 | February 28 |
| 2029 | February 14 | March 29 | April 1 | February 19 |
| 2030 | March 6 | April 18 | April 21 | Check your parish calendar |
| 2031 | February 26 | April 10 | April 13 | Check your parish calendar |
Two details stand out. In 2028 Western and Orthodox Easter fall on the same day, April 16, but Orthodox Great Lent starts two days before Ash Wednesday because it begins on a Monday. In 2029 Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day, February 14.
Planning around Lent 2027
- Ramadan overlaps Lent. Ramadan is expected to begin around February 8, 2027, depending on the moon sighting, with Eid al-Fitr around March 9. For about a month, Christians and Muslims are fasting in the same weeks. See our Ramadan 2027 guide.
- St. Patrick’s Day falls in Lent. March 17, 2027 is a Wednesday, not a Friday, so it doesn’t clash with Friday abstinence this year.
- Clocks change mid-Lent. U.S. daylight saving time starts on Sunday, March 14, 2027, the fifth Sunday of Lent.
- Is Ash Wednesday a day off? No. It isn’t a federal holiday, so schools, banks and offices are open on February 10, 2027.
Frequently asked questions
When does Lent start 2027?
Lent 2027 starts on Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2027. For Orthodox Christians, Great Lent begins on Monday, March 15, 2027.
When does Lent end in 2027?
Lent ends on the evening of Holy Thursday, March 25, 2027. The Easter Triduum follows, and Easter Sunday is March 28.
Why is Lent 40 days if it’s 46 days long?
The six Sundays between Ash Wednesday and Easter aren’t counted as fast days. Remove them from the 46 days and you get 40.
Do you have to fast on Sundays during Lent?
No. The USCCB notes that the Sundays of Lent are part of the season but aren’t prescribed days of fast and abstinence.
What are the Fridays of Lent in 2027?
February 12, 19 and 26, March 5, 12 and 19, and Good Friday, March 26, 2027. Catholics abstain from meat on all of them.