Lent in 2026 began on Ash Wednesday, 18 February 2026, and runs through the days leading up to Easter in early April.

Quick Scoop

  • For most Western Christian churches, Lent starts on Ash Wednesday: 18 February 2026.
  • Many Roman Catholic and other Western traditions say Lent ends with the start of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, 2 April 2026.
  • Some traditions count Lent all the way through Holy Saturday, 4 April 2026 , the day before Easter.
  • Easter Sunday in 2026 is on 5 April 2026 , which is why Lent falls in late winter and early spring that year.

Here’s the core date range in simple form:

  • Start of Lent 2026: Wednesday, 18 February 2026 (Ash Wednesday)
  • Common end (many churches): Evening of Thursday, 2 April 2026 (Holy Thursday/Mass of the Lord’s Supper)
  • Alternate end (other traditions): Saturday, 4 April 2026 (Holy Saturday)

Short story-style snapshot

Think of Lent 2026 as a 40‑day spiritual “training season” that kicks off while it’s still winter. On the morning of 18 February, people head to churches, receive ashes in the sign of the cross, and hear words calling them to repent and re‑focus. Over the following weeks, many give something up (like sweets or social media) or take something on (charity, prayer, volunteering) as a way of preparing for the joy of Easter on 5 April.

Simple HTML table of key Lent 2026 dates

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Event</th>
      <th>2026 Date</th>
      <th>Notes</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Ash Wednesday (start of Lent)</td>
      <td>18 February 2026</td>
      <td>First day of Lent in Western churches; begins the penitential season.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Holy Thursday</td>
      <td>2 April 2026</td>
      <td>For many, Lent ends with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Holy Saturday</td>
      <td>4 April 2026</td>
      <td>Some traditions regard this as the final day of Lent.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Easter Sunday</td>
      <td>5 April 2026</td>
      <td>Celebration of the Resurrection; follows the Lenten season.</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

TL;DR: Lent 2026 runs from 18 February 2026 (Ash Wednesday) until either 2 April (Holy Thursday evening) or 4 April (Holy Saturday), depending on church tradition, with Easter on 5 April 2026.

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