--- title: "When Does Lent Start in 2026? Date, Day & Countdown" description: "Lent 2026 is on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. See the countdown, how the date is set, and Lent dates through 2031." canonical_url: "https://calendarbest.com/holidays/lent/2026" locale: en meta: "og:description": "Lent 2026 is on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. See the countdown, how the date is set, and Lent dates through 2031." "og:image": "https://calendarbest.com/og-image-calendar.png" "og:title": "When Does Lent Start in 2026? Date, Day & Countdown | CalendarBest" "twitter:description": "Lent 2026 is on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. See the countdown, how the date is set, and Lent dates through 2031." "twitter:image": "https://calendarbest.com/og-image-calendar.png" "twitter:title": "When Does Lent Start in 2026? Date, Day & Countdown | CalendarBest" --- > Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://calendarbest.com/llms.txt) ## Day of the week **Wednesday** ## Day off **Not a federal holiday** ## Countdown **Day 49 of 2026** 48 days after January 1. ## **How the Date of Lent Is Determined** Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, 46 days before Easter, and lasts 40 days not counting Sundays. It ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter (in the Catholic Church, formally at the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday). ## **Lent Dates 2026–2031** | Year | Date | Weekday | | --- | --- | --- | | 2026 | February 18 | Wednesday | | [2027](https://calendarbest.com/holidays/lent/2027) | February 10 | Wednesday | | [2028](https://calendarbest.com/holidays/lent/2028) | March 1 | Wednesday | | [2029](https://calendarbest.com/holidays/lent/2029) | February 14 | Wednesday | | [2030](https://calendarbest.com/holidays/lent/2030) | March 6 | Wednesday | | [2031](https://calendarbest.com/holidays/lent/2031) | February 26 | Wednesday | ## **Lent 2026 FAQ** ### **When Does Lent Start in 2026?** Lent 2026 is on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 and ends on Saturday, April 4, 2026. ### **Is Lent a federal holiday?** No. Lent is not one of the 11 US federal holidays, so it is not a paid day off by law; employers decide whether to give time off. ### **How is the date of Lent determined?** Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, 46 days before Easter, and lasts 40 days not counting Sundays. It ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter (in the Catholic Church, formally at the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday). ### **When Does Lent Start in 2027?** Lent 2027 is on Wednesday, February 10, 2027. ## **Print February 2026 with Lent** Open February 2026 in the builder, add your plans around Lent, and export a PDF. [Customize February 2026](https://calendarbest.com/builder?month=2026-02) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://calendarbest.com"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Holidays","item":"https://calendarbest.com/holidays"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Lent 2026","item":"https://calendarbest.com/holidays/lent/2026"}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"When Does Lent Start in 2026?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Lent 2026 is on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 and ends on Saturday, April 4, 2026."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Is Lent a federal holiday?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No. Lent is not one of the 11 US federal holidays, so it is not a paid day off by law; employers decide whether to give time off."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How is the date of Lent determined?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, 46 days before Easter, and lasts 40 days not counting Sundays. 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