what day does lent end

Lent ends on Holy Thursday evening , the day before Good Friday, in most Western Christian traditions.

Quick Scoop: When Does Lent End?

For most Roman Catholics and many other Western Christians, Lent:

• Starts on Ash Wednesday.
• Ends with the beginning of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday).

After that point, the Easter Triduum (Holy Thursday evening, Good Friday, Holy Saturday) is considered a distinct liturgical time.

However, there are some differences:

• Some Christians think of Lent as ending on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter), because their personal fasting or penance continues until then.

• In Eastern (Orthodox) churches, “Great Lent” ends even earlier, on the Friday before Palm Sunday , though other pre-Easter fasts continue afterward.

Example for 2026

To make it concrete:

• Lent 2026 begins: Wednesday 18 February 2026 (Ash Wednesday).

• Last day of Lent in most Western calendars: Thursday 2 April 2026 (Holy Thursday).

• Easter Sunday: 5 April 2026.

So if you’re asking “what day does Lent end?” and you’re following typical Catholic or mainline Protestant practice, the answer is: it ends on Holy Thursday, with the start of the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.