Easter 2027
A week of processions in the dark, and a Sunday of bells.
Countdown to Easter 2027
Dates
When is Easter?
Easter 2027 falls from Sunday, 21 March 2027 to Sunday, 28 March 2027.
Easter Sunday falls on 28 March 2027 under the same rule, with Holy Week starting on Palm Sunday, 21 March.
Date checked against en.wikipedia.org
| Year | Dates | Length | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 March – 5 April 2026Sun – Sun | 8 days | Past |
| 2027 | 21 – 28 March 2027Sun – Sun | 8 days | Confirmed |
See every festival by date in the 2026 festival calendar and 2027 festival calendar.
The story
What it is, and why it matters
- Type
- Parade & Carnival
- Tradition
- Christian
- Where
- Seville, Andalusia
- Crowd
- Celebrated worldwide; Seville's Holy Week fills the city for eight days
- UNESCO
- Not inscribed
Easter is the central feast of the Christian year and is celebrated around the world. Seville's Semana Santa is our host because it turns Holy Week into something the whole city takes part in, from Palm Sunday to Easter morning.
Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, and the week before it — Holy Week — retraces his entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, the crucifixion and the empty tomb. Western churches date Easter to the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon on or after 21 March, which is why it moves between late March and late April.
In Seville, dozens of lay brotherhoods (hermandades) carry heavy wooden floats called pasos from their home churches to the cathedral and back. Costaleros bear the weight underneath, out of sight, while robed and hooded penitents walk ahead with candles. The longest night is the Madrugá, between Holy Thursday and Good Friday, when some of the most revered images are on the streets until morning.
Culture
Traditions, food and music of Easter
Traditions
What actually happens
- Pasos — sculpted scenes of the Passion and statues of the Virgin, carried on the shoulders of costaleros.
- Nazarenos — penitents in robes and tall pointed hoods (capirotes), walking with candles or crosses.
- Saetas — unaccompanied flamenco-style laments sung from balconies as a float passes.
- The Carrera Oficial — the official route every brotherhood must walk on its way to the cathedral.
Food
The table, widened
- Torrijas, bread soaked in milk or wine, fried and sweetened with honey or sugar.
- Lenten dishes such as espinacas con garbanzos and salt-cod, since many avoid meat on Good Friday.
Music
Sound of the crowd
Marching bands accompany many pasos with processional marches written specifically for Holy Week — a repertoire Sevillanos know by heart. Other floats pass in near silence, broken only by the capataz knocking to lift and lower the load.
Religion
Why this date
For Christians, Easter is the heart of the faith: the belief that Jesus rose from the dead after his crucifixion. Holy Week is a time of penitence and remembrance, and Easter Sunday opens a fifty-day season of celebration that ends at Pentecost.
History
How it survived
Many of Seville's brotherhoods were founded between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, and several of the images they carry are Baroque masterpieces. The processions were shaped by the Counter-Reformation's emphasis on public, visual devotion and have been reorganised and expanded since the nineteenth century.
History
How it got here
Many of Seville's brotherhoods were founded between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, and several of the images they carry are Baroque masterpieces. The processions were shaped by the Counter-Reformation's emphasis on public, visual devotion and have been reorganised and expanded since the nineteenth century.
325
Council of Nicaea
Church leaders agree that Easter should be kept on a Sunday, on a shared date.
16th–17th c.
Brotherhoods grow
Many of Seville's hermandades take shape and commission their processional images.
19th c.
Modern routes
The processions settle into a citywide schedule converging on the cathedral.
Today
A city on the move
Each day of Holy Week has its own list of brotherhoods and published route times.
Travel & practical
Visiting Seville for Easter
Getting there
Seville airport is about 25 minutes from the centre by bus or taxi; AVE trains run from Madrid in around two and a half hours.
Seeing the processions
Pick up a day-by-day programme with routes and times. Most seats on the Carrera Oficial are held by long-term subscribers, so many visitors watch from the side streets.
Practical notes
Dress modestly, never cut through a procession, and expect road closures and full hotels for the entire week.
Plan the trip with free AltFTool tools
FAQ
Easter: common questions
Straight answers to what people ask most about Easter.
When is Easter in 2026 and 2027?
Easter Sunday is 5 April 2026 and 28 March 2027. Seville's Holy Week runs from Palm Sunday, 29 March 2026, and from Palm Sunday, 21 March 2027, through to Easter Sunday.
Why does the date of Easter change?
It is tied to the first full moon on or after the spring equinox, as defined by church tables, so it moves within a window of about five weeks.
Is Orthodox Easter on the same day?
Sometimes, but often not. Orthodox churches use the Julian calendar to calculate it, so it can fall up to five weeks later.
Can visitors join a procession?
Generally no — participants are brotherhood members. Visitors are welcome to watch respectfully from the street.
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