Easter 2026 Complete Planner: Bank Holiday Dates, Egg Hunt Clues & Family Activities
Easter 2026 is almost here — and whether you're coordinating school holidays, planning a family egg hunt, booking a weekend away, or just trying to understand when Easter Monday is, this is the only guide you'll need.
According to Google Trends, "Easter 2026" is currently the #1 searched Easter query worldwide. In Ireland, "Easter Ireland 2026" is a top-5 query. In New Zealand, "easter 2026 nz" is a dominant search. In Australia and the UK, "easter bank holiday 2026" and "easter public holidays 2026" are rising fast.
This guide answers every single variant.
When Is Easter 2026? All Key Dates at a Glance
| Day | Date | Day of Week |
|---|---|---|
| Good Friday | 3 April 2026 | Friday |
| Easter Sunday | 5 April 2026 | Sunday |
| Easter Monday | 6 April 2026 | Monday |
| Easter Weekend (Full) | 3–6 April 2026 | Fri–Mon |
Easter Sunday 2026 falls on April 5th — earlier than the 2025 date. This means school holidays began in late March for most regions.
Easter 2026 Bank Holiday & Public Holiday Dates by Country
This is the most-searched "Easter 2026" question across Google Trends in all five key regions.
🇦🇺 Australia — Easter Public Holidays 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 3 April 2026 | Friday | Good Friday (Public Holiday) |
| 4 April 2026 | Saturday | Easter Saturday (Public Holiday in some states) |
| 5 April 2026 | Sunday | Easter Sunday |
| 6 April 2026 | Monday | Easter Monday (Public Holiday) |
States that observe a Saturday public holiday: ACT, NSW, QLD (varies). Check your state government website for regional specifics.
🇮🇪 Ireland — Easter Bank Holidays 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 3 April 2026 | Friday | Good Friday (not a national holiday, but widely observed) |
| 5 April 2026 | Sunday | Easter Sunday |
| 6 April 2026 | Monday | Easter Monday (Public Holiday) |
Note: Easter 2026 also coincides with the Easter Rising anniversary (1916), making it a significant cultural weekend in Ireland.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom — Easter Bank Holidays 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 3 April 2026 | Friday | Good Friday (Bank Holiday) |
| 6 April 2026 | Monday | Easter Monday (Bank Holiday, England & Wales) |
Scotland and Northern Ireland have slightly different arrangements. Check gov.uk for official confirmed dates.
🇳🇿 New Zealand — Easter Public Holidays 2026
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 3 April 2026 | Friday | Good Friday |
| 5 April 2026 | Sunday | Easter Sunday |
| 6 April 2026 | Monday | Easter Monday |
| 7 April 2026 | Tuesday | Day after Easter Monday (public holiday) |
🇺🇸 United States — Easter 2026
Easter Sunday is not a federal public holiday in the US. However, many schools and businesses close for the "Spring Break" week surrounding Easter.
- Easter Sunday: April 5, 2026
- Spring Break in most US states: Late March to early April.
Easter School Holidays 2026 by Region
| Region | Easter School Holiday Estimate |
|---|---|
| England & Wales | 30 March – 14 April 2026 |
| Scotland | 1 April – 17 April 2026 |
| Ireland | 30 March – 14 April 2026 |
| New South Wales, Australia | 2 April – 17 April 2026 |
| Queensland, Australia | 27 March – 17 April 2026 |
| New Zealand | 3 April – 17 April 2026 |
Note: Dates vary by individual school. Always confirm with your school's calendar.
The Easter 2026 Family Activity Planner
Once you know the dates, you need to fill the 4-day bank holiday weekend with a plan that keeps everyone from toddlers to teenagers happy. Here's a complete day-by-day framework:
Good Friday (3 April) — "The Warm-Up"
Goal: Set the tone for the weekend with creative energy.
- Morning: Run a craft station — Easter bunny art, egg templates, and colouring pages. See our full Easter Bunny Art Guide.
- Afternoon: Prep your egg hunt supplies. Dye and decorate the plastic eggs you'll hide over the weekend.
- Evening: Watch an Easter film as a family (Hop, Peter Rabbit, It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown).
Easter Saturday (4 April) — "The Build-Up"
Goal: Create anticipation for the big Sunday hunt.
- Morning: Easter Bonnet making session. See our 25 Easter Bonnet Ideas for age-appropriate designs.
- Afternoon: Pre-hide the hardest eggs (rooftop gutters, locked boxes, GPS coordinates) for teens.
- Evening: Easter activity packs for younger kids — puzzles, Easter-themed books.
Easter Sunday (5 April) — "The Main Event"
Goal: Create the core memory of Easter 2026.
- 8:00 AM: The "Bunny arrived" setup. Scatter a trail of chocolate eggs from the front door to the garden or living room.
- 9:00 AM: The Hunt begins.
- 11:00 AM: Easter Brunch — pancakes, hot cross buns, lemon curd pastries.
- 2:00 PM: Easter Bonnet Parade in the garden (or to grandparents' house).
- 4:00 PM: Family sport — egg and spoon race, rolling eggs down a hill (traditional!).
- Evening: A special Easter dinner.
Easter Monday (6 April) — "The Wind-Down"
Goal: Relaxed and satisfying end to the weekend.
- Family walk or nature scavenger hunt.
- Finish any incomplete art projects.
- "Golden Leftover Egg" hunt — hide any remaining eggs for a final morning bonus.
Easter Egg Hunt Guide 2026
No Easter planner is complete without a proper egg hunt section. Here's a condensed guide for every age group.
For Toddlers (Ages 2–5):
- Hide eggs at eye level or lower.
- Use colour-coded baskets: each toddler only finds eggs matching their basket colour. This prevents "the fastest child wins everything."
- Aim for 6–10 eggs per child.
- Full guide: 11 Tear-Free Easter Egg Hunt Ideas for Toddlers.
For Primary Age Kids (Ages 5–11):
- Use text-based clues — even simple rhyming clues are thrilling at this age.
- Add a "Golden Egg" with a slightly larger prize.
- Try the "puzzle piece" hunt: each egg contains one piece of a jigsaw they must assemble at the end to claim their prize.
For Teens (Ages 12+):
- Riddle clues only — the location of each egg is the answer to a riddle.
- Cash or gift card eggs dramatically increase participation.
- GPS Geocaching hunts work for older teenagers.
- Full guide: 15 Genius Easter Egg Hunt Clues for Teens.
For Adults:
- "Easter Brunch Hunt" — hide prosecco miniatures, luxury chocolates, and self-care items around the garden.
- "Team Hunt" — divide adults into two teams with 15 minutes on the clock each.
- "The Golden Ticket" — one egg contains a "Golden Ticket" for a weekend experience (spa day, dinner out).
Easter Recipes & Food Trends for 2026
Based on our Trends analysis, these are the most searched Easter food queries right now:
| Recipe | Trend |
|---|---|
| Easy Easter desserts | #1 Stable Query |
| Lemon Easter desserts | +416% Rising |
| Chocolate Easter desserts | Stable |
| Gluten free Easter desserts | +278% Rising |
| No bake Easter desserts | +223% Rising |
| Easter leg of lamb | Stable |
| Hot cross buns recipe | Classic stable |
The 2026 Food Trend = Lemon. Replace your standard chocolate centrepiece with:
- Lemon drizzle "nest" cakes
- Lemon curd Easter eggs (gifted instead of chocolate)
- Lemon meringue "chick" desserts (the meringue peaks become the chick feathers)
Easter 2026 Wreath & Home Decor Trends
"Easter Wreath" is rising +70% in Ireland. "Easter Colouring Pages" is up +50% in New Zealand. Here's the fast home decor checklist for 2026:
- Easter Wreath: A willow or grapevine wreath base with speckled eggs, moss, and faux spring blooms.
- Easter Bunny Art prints: Frame your children's egg template art as seasonal gallery wall pieces.
- Egg Nest Decoration: A shallow bowl filled with moss, three decorative eggs, and a small ceramic bunny.
- Pastel Table Runner: Replace your regular tablecloth runner with a pastel linen strip for Easter Brunch.
- Easter Colouring Station: A dedicated corner of the kitchen table with templates, pencils, and paints. Leave it set up for the entire bank holiday weekend.
Easter 2026 FAQs
Q: When is Easter 2026?
A: Easter Sunday 2026 is on April 5, 2026. Good Friday is April 3 and Easter Monday is April 6, making it a 4-day bank holiday weekend in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.
Q: What date is Easter Monday 2026?
A: Easter Monday 2026 is Monday, 6 April 2026. It is a public holiday in England, Wales, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand (and most of their respective states/provinces).
Q: Is Easter 2026 earlier or later than 2025?
A: Easter 2026 is earlier than 2025. Easter Sunday 2025 was on April 20. Easter Sunday 2026 is April 5 — a full 15 days earlier.
Q: What are the Easter school holidays in 2026?
A: Most regions have approximately 2 weeks off school around Easter. In England and Wales, the break is approximately 30 March – 14 April 2026. In Australia (NSW) it runs approximately 2–17 April 2026.
Q: Is Good Friday 2026 a bank holiday?
A: Yes, Good Friday (3 April 2026) is a public holiday in Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, England, and Wales. In Ireland, it is not a statutory public holiday but is widely observed by businesses.
Q: What is a good Easter Monday activity?
A: A "Golden Leftover Egg" hunt in the morning is a beloved Easter Monday tradition. A family walk to the park with an egg-and-spoon race, or completing a board game together, makes for a perfect wind-down day.
Internal Resources
- 🎨 Craft Guide: 10 Easy Easter Bunny Art Ideas & Egg Templates 2026
- 🎩 Bonnet Guide: 25 Creative Easter Bonnet Ideas for Boys & Girls 2026
- 🐰 Toddler Hunts: 11 Tear-Free Easter Egg Hunt Ideas
- 🕵️ Teen Hunts: 15 Genius Easter Egg Hunt Clues for Teens
- 👗 Easter Style: 25 Stunning Easter Outfit Ideas for Women 2026
