Public holidays · 2026
Good Friday falls on Friday, April 3, 2026 in Canada in 2026.
A public holiday across Canada: most employees have the day off.
In 2026 it falls on a Friday, a working day.
The date changes from year to year.
Saturday and Sunday · A public holiday does not always close every business. Essential services, shops and some industries keep working, and pay rules differ by country and contract.
Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus at Calvary and his death. It is the most sombre day in the Christian calendar and the centre of Holy Week, between Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday. Catholic and Protestant churches hold services of readings, prayers and veneration of the cross, often at three in the afternoon, and many believers fast or abstain from meat. In the Orthodox churches it is called Great and Holy Friday, and the evening service features the procession of the epitaphios, a cloth icon that represents Christ's burial. Whatever the denomination, the day's mood is subdued.
The origin of the name is debated, and the word good here may refer to holy or to the good outcome of the Passion. Customs include processions in Spain, Italy, Malta and Portugal, hot cross buns in Britain, fish dishes in many countries, and in some Protestant countries a strong tradition of quiet, with restrictions on public entertainment. In the English-speaking world the day is also linked to hot cross buns, marked with a cross and traditionally eaten on the morning of the day, and to quiet public life, since many pubs, theatres and cinemas used to close. In Spain, Italy, Malta and the Philippines the processions with hooded penitents are the best-known sight, and in Jerusalem pilgrims walk the Via Dolorosa.
Everywhere in Canada.
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Questions
A public holiday across Canada: most employees have the day off.
Friday, April 3, 2026.