Anyone who’s ever planned a long weekend around Easter knows the frustration: the exact dates shift every year, and which days are actually public holidays depends entirely on where you live. In 2025, Easter Sunday falls on April 20, but the holiday calendar varies significantly between Ireland, the UK, Nigeria, and Ghana, and this guide lays out exactly when each jurisdiction observes Easter public holidays so you can plan with confidence.
Easter Sunday 2025: April 20 ·
Good Friday 2025: April 18 ·
Easter Monday 2025: April 21 ·
Easter date range (any year): March 22 – April 25 ·
Public holiday in Republic of Ireland: Easter Monday only ·
Public holiday in Northern Ireland: Good Friday and Easter Monday
Quick snapshot
- Easter Sunday 2025: April 20 (flair.hr (HR compliance resource))
- Good Friday 2025: April 18 (Good Tuesday (UK holiday tracker))
- Easter Monday 2025: April 21 (flair.hr (HR compliance resource))
- Republic of Ireland: Easter Monday is a public holiday; Good Friday is not official (flair.hr (HR compliance resource))
- Whether Scottish banks will close on Easter Monday (Scotland has no statutory Easter Monday holiday)
- Exact school holiday dates for 2025 vary by local authority
- Status of Easter holidays in countries beyond Ireland, UK, Nigeria, Ghana is not covered by this guide
- Easter Sunday 2025 is a week later than in 2024 (March 31) (Ireland.com (official tourism board))
- 2026 Easter Sunday falls on April 5 (Ireland.com (official tourism board))
- Expect government announcements in early 2025 confirming public holiday schedules for Nigeria and Ghana (U.S. Embassy in Nigeria (official diplomatic source))
What are the Easter dates in 2025?
Three key dates anchor the Easter weekend in Western Christianity. Here they are in plain numbers.
| Holiday | Date 2025 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Good Friday | April 18 | Good Tuesday (UK bank holiday calendar) |
| Easter Sunday | April 20 | flair.hr (HR compliance data) |
| Easter Monday | April 21 | Good Tuesday |
Easter Sunday 2025
- Easter Sunday is April 20, 2025.
Good Friday 2025
- Good Friday falls on April 18, 2025.
Easter Monday 2025
- Easter Monday is April 21, 2025.
The implication: travelers and cross-border workers face a patchwork of days off even though the liturgical dates are identical.
What are the Easter public holidays in Ireland?
Ireland’s island splits its holiday laws. The Republic and Northern Ireland handle Easter differently, creating a patchwork of days off.
| Region | Good Friday | Easter Monday | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland | Not an official public holiday (but widely observed) | Public holiday | flair.hr (Irish public holiday list) |
| Northern Ireland | Bank holiday | Bank holiday | Good Tuesday (NI bank holidays) |
Republic of Ireland public holidays
- Easter Monday is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland. The country has 10 public holidays in total in 2025.
Northern Ireland bank holidays
- In Northern Ireland, both Good Friday and Easter Monday are bank holidays.
Good Friday status in Ireland
- Good Friday is not an official public holiday in the Republic of Ireland. However, many schools and businesses close voluntarily.
The pattern: the Republic gives you Monday off, Northern Ireland gives you both Friday and Monday. If you work across the border, check your employer’s policy.
What date is Good Friday and Easter Monday in 2025?
Already covered above, but let’s repeat the hard numbers for clarity.
Good Friday date in 2025
- April 18, 2025.
Easter Monday date in 2025
- April 21, 2025.
No ambiguity: these dates are set and match across all four countries covered in this guide.
Which days are Easter holidays in 2025?
Beyond the core three days, the official public holiday calendar differs by country.
Full Easter weekend
- Easter weekend includes Good Friday (April 18), Easter Sunday (April 20), and Easter Monday (April 21).
Public holidays across different regions
- Many countries observe Easter Monday as a public holiday; Good Friday is also a holiday in some jurisdictions.
- England and Wales: both Good Friday and Easter Monday are bank holidays.
- Scotland: only Good Friday is a bank holiday; Easter Monday is not.
- Nigeria: both Good Friday and Easter Monday are national public holidays.
- Ghana: Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays (Office Holidays (public holiday aggregator)).
What’s a bank holiday in one country is just a normal Friday in another. Scotland’s workers get only Good Friday off, while their English counterparts enjoy a four-day weekend. If you’re planning travel or cross-border work, check the local schedule before booking.
The pattern: the UK is internally inconsistent, while Nigeria and Ghana grant both days nationally.
What are the dates for Easter weekend in 2025?
Start and end of Easter weekend
- Easter weekend runs from Friday April 18 to Monday April 21, 2025.
Comparison with other years
- Easter Sunday is the central day, but public holidays often extend the weekend. In 2025 the weekend is relatively late — Easter Sunday falls on April 20, compared to March 31 in 2024.
Why it matters: later Easters usually mean better weather for outdoor celebrations — but also more competition for holiday accommodation.
Timeline: Easter Sunday 2020–2028
Nine years of Easter dates show how the holiday roams between March 22 and April 25.
| Year | Easter Sunday | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | April 12 | Good Tuesday |
| 2021 | April 4 | Good Tuesday |
| 2022 | April 17 | Good Tuesday |
| 2023 | April 9 | Good Tuesday |
| 2024 | March 31 | Good Tuesday |
| 2025 | April 20 | Good Tuesday |
| 2026 | April 5 | Ireland.com (official tourism board) |
| 2027 | March 28 | Ireland.com |
| 2028 | April 16 | Ireland.com |
The implication: if you’re trying to predict Easter beyond 2025, the formula (first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox) keeps it dancing between late March and late April.
Confirmed facts
- Easter Sunday 2025 is April 20 (Western Christianity)
- Good Friday 2025 is April 18
- Easter Monday 2025 is April 21
- Republic of Ireland: Easter Monday is a public holiday; Good Friday is not official
- Northern Ireland: Good Friday and Easter Monday are bank holidays
What’s unclear
- Whether Good Friday will be observed as a public holiday in all parts of the UK (Scotland does not have Easter Monday bank holiday)
- Exact school holiday dates for 2025 vary by local authority; not covered in this guide
- Status of Easter holidays in countries beyond Ireland, UK, Nigeria, and Ghana not confirmed
- Whether Easter Monday is a public holiday in Scotland is clearly not a holiday per sources, but local variations may exist
- The specific public holiday schedule for Easter 2025 in other Commonwealth countries remains unconfirmed
“Easter Monday is the only official public holiday around Easter in the Republic of Ireland. Good Friday is not a public holiday, though many businesses choose to close.”
Citizens Information (Irish government information service)
“The Federal Government of Nigeria declares Friday, April 18 and Monday, April 21, 2025 as public holidays to mark Easter celebrations.”
U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria (official diplomatic source)
The contrast is telling: Ireland’s government gives workers Monday but not Friday; Nigeria’s federal government gives both. For anyone planning a cross-border trip, these differences matter.
For a detailed breakdown of school and public holiday dates in Ireland, see the guide on Easter 2025 Ireland public holidays.
Frequently asked questions
When is Easter 2026?
Easter Sunday in 2026 falls on April 5, with Good Friday on April 3 and Easter Monday on April 6.
How is the date of Easter determined?
Western Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox (March 21). This means Easter can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25.
Is Easter Monday a public holiday in Scotland?
No. Scotland’s bank holiday calendar includes Good Friday but not Easter Monday.
Are there any Easter public holidays in the United States?
Easter is not a federal public holiday in the United States. However, many schools and businesses close on Good Friday, and Easter Sunday is widely observed as a cultural holiday.
What is the difference between bank holidays and public holidays?
In the UK and Ireland, bank holidays are statutory days off for most workers, while public holidays may have different legal status. In practice, they are often used interchangeably, but bank holidays are set by legislation and public holidays may be designated by government decree (as in Nigeria).
Do schools close for Good Friday in the Republic of Ireland?
Good Friday is not a listed public holiday, but most schools close for the Easter break which typically includes Good Friday as well as Easter Monday.
What are the Easter public holidays in Nigeria in 2025?
Nigeria celebrates Good Friday (April 18) and Easter Monday (April 21) as national public holidays.
What are the Easter public holidays in Ghana in 2025?
Ghana observes Good Friday and Easter Monday as public holidays in 2025.
For anyone planning a trip or coordinating team time off across borders, the choice is clear: check the local holiday calendar before booking. In the Republic of Ireland, Easter Monday is your guaranteed day off; in Northern Ireland, you get both Friday and Monday. In Nigeria and Ghana, the full two-day package applies. The dates themselves are fixed — it’s the public holiday status that demands attention.