ash wednesday 2026: Churches and communities mark the start of Lent across the North West
Ash Wednesday on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 (ET) begins the 40-day season of Lent for many Christians, a period of prayer, fasting and reflection that culminates in Holy Week and Easter. Communities across the North West are staging a range of observances this year, from street-side ashes and Stations of the Cross to charity walks and theatrical passion plays.
What Ash Wednesday and Lent mean this year
Ash Wednesday marks the start of the Lenten season. Traditionally, ashes made from the previous year’s burned palm branches are placed on parishioners’ foreheads in the shape of a cross as a symbol of penitence and mortality. Lent itself is a time intended to recall the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness, and many Christians observe it by giving something up, taking on extra spiritual practices, or increasing acts of charity.
For 2026 the key liturgical span runs from Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, through Thursday, April 2, 2026 (ET), with Easter falling on Sunday, April 5. Good Friday is observed on Friday, April 3, 2026 (ET). These dates define a season of preparation that includes special services, community outreach and public displays of devotion in towns and cities across the region.
Community services, outreach and events across the North West
Clergy and congregations are taking worship beyond church walls this Lent. In Bolton, Bishop Matthew Porter and local clergy will offer "Ashes to Go" in the town centre, enabling passersby to receive ashes without attending a full service. City centres will host a variety of activities aimed at connecting with the public, from early-morning ashes to lunchtime reflections.
Manchester congregations will mark Fridays in Lent with Stations of the Cross after the evening Mass at St Marys in the city centre, tracing the traditional route to Calvary. Later in the season, some Anglican clergy plan a more light-hearted act of service by shining shoes in central Manchester during the week before Easter.
In Liverpool, cathedral communities are taking part in a long-distance charity initiative: volunteers are committing to walk, run or stroll a combined 200 kilometres over the 40 days of Lent to raise funds for clean-water projects overseas. Other towns are staging creative Lenten programmes, including a new passion play titled Night Falls, presented by a local theatre company in Birkenhead on March 6 at 7: 00 p. m. ET, and a Lent study course inspired by the musical Wicked running weekly in Liverpool from March 5 through April 2 (ET).
Blackburn Cathedral will display a replica of the Shroud of Turin alongside a supporting exhibition from March 23 through April 12, giving visitors an opportunity for reflection and study in the lead-up to Holy Week. In Lancaster, Christians will gather for a Good Friday Walk of Witness beginning in Dalton Square to mark the solemnity of the day.
How people are observing Lent locally
Many local churches will run discussion and study groups during the season to encourage deeper engagement. Parishes are promoting both traditional forms of observance—fasting, prayer and almsgiving—and contemporary initiatives focused on outreach and social justice. From shoe-shining to fundraising walks, the mix of contemplative and practical activities reflects an emphasis on both personal renewal and communal care.
As churches and communities launch these programmes, clergy urge participants to tailor observance to personal conviction and capacity: some will fast or give up particular luxuries, others will commit to additional acts of service or study. For those tracking the season on calendars, remember the primary dates: Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 (ET); the Lenten period through April 2, 2026 (ET); Good Friday, April 3, 2026 (ET); and Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026 (ET).
This year’s Lenten offerings in the North West combine longstanding liturgical practice with community-facing events, aiming to make the season accessible to both churchgoers and the wider public.
