Ash Wednesday Countdown
As of October 17, 2026 there are 116 days until Ash Wednesday: Wednesday, February 10, 2027.
Wednesday, February 10, 2027
How many days until Ash Wednesday?
As of October 17, 2026, Ash Wednesday is 116 days away. That is 16 weeks and 4 days, or 32% of a year; the timer above has the exact figure for today in your time zone.
Ash Wednesday dates, 2027 to 2032
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Wednesday | |
| 2028 | Wednesday | |
| 2029 | Wednesday | |
| 2030 | Wednesday | |
| 2031 | Wednesday | |
| 2032 | Wednesday |
When is Ash Wednesday 2027? Dates through 2036
How the date of Ash Wednesday is set
Ash Wednesday is 46 days before Easter Sunday. It can fall anywhere from February 4 to March 10.
As the US Naval Observatory explains, the church fixes the equinox at March 21 and takes its full moons from tables, so Easter can differ from a date worked out from the real Moon.
Also coming up: Mardi Gras on Tuesday, February 9, 2027, Good Friday on Friday, March 26, 2027, and Easter on Sunday, March 28, 2027.
Ash Wednesday facts and traditions
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in Western Christian churches. Lent is counted as 40 days of fasting; the six Sundays before Easter are not counted, which is why Ash Wednesday is 46 days before Easter.
On Ash Wednesday many churchgoers receive a cross of ash on the forehead as a sign of repentance. The ashes are made by burning the palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday.
- It is always a Wednesday.
- The day before is Mardi Gras, or Shrove Tuesday.
- Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and many other Western churches keep it with fasting.
How the Ash Wednesday countdown counts
The timer runs to midnight at the start of Ash Wednesday in your own time zone: the hours, minutes and seconds left today, plus the full days after that. "Days until" counts calendar days, so tomorrow is always 1 day away and the count at the top is one more than the timer's full days. After the day has passed, the countdown moves on to next year by itself.
For a span between any two dates, with weeks and working days, use the days between dates calculator. To count down to a date of your own, create a countdown with its own link.
Put the Ash Wednesday countdown on your site
Copy this code into any web page. It shows a small live countdown that links back here.
Questions about the Ash Wednesday countdown
How many weeks until Ash Wednesday?
16 weeks and 4 days as of October 17, 2026, or 116 days in all. The countdown at the top of this page updates to today's number in your own time zone.
When does the Ash Wednesday countdown reach zero?
At midnight at the start of Wednesday, February 10, 2027, in your own time zone, so it reaches zero earlier in London than in New York.
Can I add Ash Wednesday to my calendar?
Yes. "Add to calendar" downloads an .ics file for February 10, 2027 that calendar apps such as Apple Calendar, Google Calendar and Outlook can import.
When is Ash Wednesday in 2028?
Wednesday, March 1, 2028. The Ash Wednesday dates page lists every year through 2036.
Is Ash Wednesday a federal holiday?
No. Ash Wednesday is not a US federal holiday, so banks, post offices and federal offices keep their normal hours unless it coincides with one.
Sources
- US Naval Observatory: The Date of Easter — the church rules for Easter and its earliest and latest dates (checked October 16, 2026)
- Wikipedia: Ash Wednesday — history and traditions (checked October 16, 2026)