Festive German Easter table with painted eggs and spring flowers

Easter Sunday

Regional holiday Regional Falls on Sunday

Easter Sunday falls on 5 April in 2026. Brandenburg alone lists it as a separate statutory public holiday; all other states apply the nationwide Sunday rules without creating an additional public holiday.

Check bridge days Practical info
Author
Brückentage-Planer.de editorial team
Last checked
Source basis
official sources and editorial review
Overview

At a glance

What matters for Easter Sunday before you plan the days around it.

Date
Easter Sunday falls on Sunday in 2026.
Status
Regional
Public holiday in Brandenburg; elsewhere it is already Sunday.
Applies in
Brandenburg
Easter Sunday falls on 5 April 2026 and is a separate statutory holiday only in Brandenburg. Nationwide Easter Monday is not a substitute date.
Planning cue
Check surrounding days
Read the Easter block through Tuesday

5 April 2026 is Sunday throughout Germany. Brandenburg adds statutory public-holiday status to that Sunday; Easter Monday on 6 April remains a separate nationwide public holiday.

There is no additional day off and no substitute date. Rotas, opening hours and family calendars should record Sunday, Brandenburg's classification and Easter Monday separately.

Easter Sunday falls on Sunday, 5 April 2026. Brandenburg adds statutory public-holiday status, while the other states apply the ordinary Sunday rules; Easter Monday on 6 April is separate and nationwide.

Leave calculation

Bridge days and leave

Read the Easter weekend as one connected block

Good Friday and Easter Monday are nationwide statutory public holidays; Easter Sunday sits between them and is additionally listed as a public holiday only in Brandenburg.

In 2026, the core three-day block ends with Easter Monday on 6 April. Tuesday is a normal working day unless leave, a school break or another workplace arrangement says otherwise.

For families, the school location's break calendar matters more than a broad Easter assumption. Coordinate childcare, visits and booked activities with the actual school-break dates.

For a longer Easter block, Good Friday on 3 April, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday should be entered as separate dates. Only the Monday is the nationwide statutory public holiday in this sequence.

Tuesday, 7 April 2026, is the first regular work and school day after the holiday sequence unless the actual school location publishes continuing Easter break dates or leave has been approved.

Smart Vacation Planner

Maximize your free time around Easter Sunday:

Go to Holiday Planner This holiday does not create a classic bridge day. Open the planner for better alternatives in the year.
Practice

Everyday rules

How Sunday, Brandenburg and the separate Easter Monday holiday shape daily plans.

Work

Sunday; holiday only in BB

Nationwide Sunday rules apply on Sunday 5 April 2026; only Brandenburg additionally lists Easter Sunday as a statutory holiday. Easter Monday on 6 April is a separate nationwide holiday, not a substitute day.

School and family

Check Easter break

The school location's holiday calendar decides childcare, the return date and the first class day. Sunday itself does not extend the block beyond the independent Monday holiday.

Local service

Easter weekend

Return trips and outings span Sunday and the statutory Monday. Verify the 5 April connection and the destination's own opening times.

Published hours

Sunday first

Nationwide Sunday rules apply on 5 April; Brandenburg additionally lists Easter Sunday as a statutory holiday. Restaurants, cultural venues and transport publish their own hours.

Sunday opening is governed by the individual exception and business. A church service, brunch venue or museum programme cannot be used as evidence that ordinary shops are generally open.

Easter breakfast with painted eggs, bread and spring flowers
Legislation

Legal context

The legal question is narrow; the planning question around Easter Sunday is broader.

2026 status

Public holiday in Brandenburg; elsewhere it is already Sunday.

Pay and rota

A scheduled shift in Brandenburg also needs the Section 2 EFZG holiday check; elsewhere Sunday work and the Section 9 ArbZG framework are the relevant starting points.

Separate Sunday and public-holiday status

Brandenburg's public-holiday classification supplements nationwide Sunday protection. Any premium follows from the applicable collective agreement, works agreement or employment contract.

Brandenburg's additional classification does not turn Easter Sunday into a second nationwide holiday. For work, pay and permitted Sunday activity, the workplace and the applicable state rules remain decisive.

FAQ

Questions

Common questions about Easter Sunday

Is Easter Sunday a public holiday in Germany?

Brandenburg alone expressly lists Easter Sunday as a statutory public holiday.

Are shops open on Easter Sunday?

Sunday-opening rules apply nationwide, with additional statutory public-holiday status in Brandenburg. Check local exceptions and the provider's published hours.

Is Easter Monday a substitute for Easter Sunday?

No. Easter Monday on 6 April 2026 is a separate nationwide public holiday, not a substitute date.

Why does the date of Easter Sunday change?

Easter Sunday is a movable feast. Its annual date also determines several other spring holidays.

Church centre

Resurrection and the Easter Vigil

Resurrection, the Easter Vigil and the movable Easter date

Easter Sunday commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and stands at the centre of the Christian Easter festival. Many services begin during the Easter Vigil, moving from Holy Saturday into the celebration of Sunday.

Unlike holidays with a fixed date, Easter Sunday moves through the calendar. Its date also determines Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day and Pentecost.

Church significance and statutory status are separate questions: the feast is observed throughout Germany, but Sunday is listed as a public holiday in its own right only under Brandenburg law.

The Easter Vigil and the celebration of the resurrection form the religious centre of the day. Their times and formats come from the individual congregation, not from the statutory calendar entry.

Family practice

Easter table, egg hunts and a shared Sunday

Customs shape the Sunday without creating another public holiday

Easter breakfast, painted eggs, egg hunts and family visits shape the day in many homes. These traditions can be planned around a service or the Easter Vigil, but they do not depend on Brandenburg's statutory classification.

Anyone celebrating away from home should confirm the reservation and published hours of the specific restaurant, museum or destination. An Easter Sunday offer is not a general statement about retail opening.

For families with school-age children, the school location's break calendar remains the reliable planning layer. It shows whether the break continues after Easter Monday or classes resume on Tuesday.

Easter Sunday traditions vary from household to household: breakfast, decorated eggs, visits and a service can all belong to the day without changing its legal scope.

Legal exception

Brandenburg and nationwide Sunday protection

Public-holiday status in Brandenburg, Sunday protection in every state

On 5 April 2026, Sunday rules apply throughout Germany. Brandenburg additionally and expressly lists Easter Sunday as a statutory public holiday.

In the other 15 states, nationwide Sunday protection remains the relevant legal layer, while the date has no separate public-holiday status.

For a scheduled shift, a premium follows neither from the word holiday nor from Sunday alone. The applicable collective agreement, works agreement or employment contract determines the entitlement within the statutory framework.

When a family crosses into or out of Brandenburg, keep the state-specific public-holiday status separate from the nationwide Sunday protection and from the destination's opening hours.

Next steps

Plan next

Finish planning the Easter block through the first normal work or school day.

Record Easter Sunday as Sunday everywhere and additionally as a statutory public holiday in Brandenburg. Easter Monday remains a separate nationwide public holiday, with no further substitute date.

For annual leave, Good Friday, Easter Monday and the actual Easter school break matter more than Sunday alone. Also check whether Tuesday is already a normal work or school day.

Use the bridge-day planner, school-break comparison and the calendar-week overview in the next actions before fixing visits or family activities.

Before booking, compare the school location, the workplace and the opening hours of the actual destination. This keeps a Sunday tradition, a Brandenburg legal distinction and the Easter Monday holiday from being merged into one assumption.

For repeat planning, save Easter Sunday, Easter Monday and any selected leave days as separate calendar entries and review the school-break dates again for the next year.

Sources & further reading

  1. Brandenburg Holiday Act section 2 : State holiday list; Brandenburg also lists Easter Sunday and Whit Sunday.
  2. KMK school-holiday rules : State school calendars for travel and childcare timing.
  3. EKD on Holy Week : Protestant context for Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter.
  4. katholisch.de on Easter : Church context for Holy Week, Easter and the movable date.
  5. Good Friday : The quiet Friday before Easter and the start of the long Easter weekend.
  6. Easter Monday : The nationwide public holiday that extends the Easter weekend.
  7. Whit Sunday : Whit Sunday with its special Brandenburg public-holiday status.
  8. Working Time Act section 9 : Federal rule for Sunday and public-holiday work exceptions.
  9. Continued Remuneration Act section 2 : Pay rule after statutory scope is established.