Cathedrals are inviting people to journey with them to celebrate the passion, the death and the resurrection this Holy Week and Easter, the most important time in the Christian calendar.
Holy Week and Easter in our Cathedrals
All our cathedrals have a programme of special services and events for everyone, including family trails, Easter crafts, donkeys for Palm Sunday processions to the solemnity of Good Friday and Holy Saturday and celebrating the risen Christ on Easter Sunday.
Do check your local cathedral for up-to-date information on services and events this Eastertide.
Televised Easter morning sung eucharist will come from Ripon Cathedral this year. Starting at 10am the Festal Eucharist will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Over on Radio 4 Sunday Worship on Easter morning will be broadcast live from Canterbury Cathedral, with a sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury and a Mass specially composed, Matthew King’s Canterbury Missa brevis.
Durham Cathedral is inviting people to come together to journey through the Easter story.
The Very Reverend Dr Philip Plyming, Dean of Durham said,
“This Holy Week takes place against a backdrop of a deeply troubled world, and yet a world which is greatly loved by God. In the days to come will be entering again into the story of God’s love seen in the last week of Jesus’ earthly life, a story which has been commemorated in Durham Cathedral for over 900 years. Holy Week at Durham Cathedral is an extraordinary experience, and we invite all people to join us, especially if this is their first experience of Holy Week here.”
Services begin on Palm Sunday with a Sung Eucharist, Procession of the Palms and the Reading of Passion followed later that evening by a free, non-ticketed performance of Bach’s St John Passion performed by Durham Cathedral Choir and the Avison Ensemble, conducted by Daniel Cook.
The Liturgy of Maundy Thursday recalls the Last Supper Jesus shared with his followers, during which he washed the disciples’ feet. During the service the ancient Judas Cup ceremony takes place, retelling Jesus’ betrayal at the hands of others. At the conclusion of the service the Galilee Chapel is set aside for silent prayer, in memory of Jesus’ watching and waiting in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Good Friday sees two services which make up The Three Hours. The Commemoration of the Passion starts at midday and the Liturgy of Good Friday at 1.45pm with readings, music and silence to reflect on the meaning of the events of the first Good Friday.
On Holy Saturday people are invited to commemorate the burial of Jesus and watch and wait for his resurrection, and Holy Week culminates on Easter Day as we celebrate Jesus rising from the dead with a Dawn Eucharist with Baptism and Confirmation.
This service begins around a fire in the cloisters, making the journey from darkness to light and sees young people and adults making their confessions of faith in Christ as they are baptised and confirmed. The Easter celebrations continue throughout the day.
Andrew Usher, Chief Officer: Visitor Experience & Enterprise said,
“We are looking forward to welcoming lots of visitors to Durham Cathedral over the Easter period. As we enter Holy Week, the most significant week in the Christian calendar, visitors will notice that the tone of the cathedral feels very different. We will have additional services during the week, which everyone is welcome to come and join, however, this means some of our opening times for visitors will be different during this week. From Easter Monday onwards the cathedral will have lots of family friendly activities taking place which touch on the Easter story.”
Throughout the Easter holidays, there will be family activities including decorating a pebble to reflect on the Easter message of the empty tomb, puzzle packs, easter activity leaflets and a ‘Kid’s Eat Free’ offer in the Undercroft Cafe.
For more information on services and events visit: www.durhamcathedral.co.uk
Chichester Cathedral’s special services for Holy Week and Easter Day can be found here: https://www.chichestercathedral.org.uk/holy-week-easter-day-2026
They include the procession of palms on Palm Sunday, the quiet of Compline on Holy Monday and Tuesday with simple music and a short reflection, Maundy Thursday service and Three Hours devotion on Good Friday ahead of the Easter Vigil on Easter Saturday.
There are also more relaxed services aimed at families, children and carers throughout the week.
Many of the services are available to watch online.
Remembrance Easter Lilies are available this year too. An opportunity for people to remember someone cherished by sponsoring a lily. These will be on display in the Chapel of St Clement and you can find out how to sponsor a lily on the web link above.
Ashes to Fire – a new exhibition of seven large oil paintings by British artist Alice Carter can be found in the south transept of the cathedral. The artist offers a painterly meditation on key moments in the Easter Cycle. Her carefully considered compositions trace the emotional arc of the Easter story – from the solemnity of Ash Wednesday to the blazing energy of Pentecost. Through bold colour, layered symbolism, and moments of quiet intensity, she reflects on themes of grief, hope, and transformation, capturing the journey from ashes to fire in a contemporary visual language.
Hereford Cathedral will perform JS Bach’s St John Passion -a mainstay of its Holy Week programme of services and events.
The St John Passion depicts the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus as told in St John’s Gospel and the performance will be conducted by Peter Dyke, interim director of music, who stepped into the role following the retirement of Geraint Bowen in February and performed by the cathedral choir, Marches Baroque and a distinguished line-up of soloists.
Mr Dyke said: “The St John Passion is a very special work for me.
“It’s the first great choral work I got to know as a singer, an eleven-year-old treble.
“I remember being captivated by Bach’s beautifully expressive chorale harmonies and the drama of the opening chorus.
“I’m hugely looking forward to working with the cathedral choir, Marches Baroque and our wonderful soloists to present this great music to our Hereford audience.
Throughout Holy Week there are special informal services for families as well as arts and crafts.
On Maundy Thursday there is a Mass of the Lord’s Supper with washing of feet. This service is sung by Hereford Cathedral Voluntary Choir and concludes with a procession to the altar
There’s Preaching of the Passion on Good Friday and a blessing of the Easter Garden on Holy Saturday morning followed later in the evening with the
Paschal Vigil and First Eucharist of Easter which begins at St Francis Xavier Church at 8pm and concludes in the cathedral.
https://www.herefordcathedral.org/news/lent-easter-2026
