Holy Week and Easter at Salisbury Cathedral

Wednesday, 11 March 2026 10:31

Holy Week and Easter are an incredibly busy period for Salisbury Cathedral, with services and events in the run-up to Easter Sunday.

At Salisbury Cathedral, more than thirty services will be held across just eight days, running from Palm Sunday on 29 March through to Easter Day on 5 April. In the run-up to Holy Week, St John’s Singers will perform Stainer’s ‘The Crucifixion’ on Saturday 28 March in a special service.

A particular highlight is the dramatic and evocative Sarum Tenebrae: A Service of Shadows at 7.30 pm on Wednesday 1 April. Drawing on the traditional processions of the Sarum Rite developed at Old Sarum, the service is lit solely by candles, which are gradually extinguished until a single light remains, representing Christ, which is extinguished with a symbolic ‘thunderclap’ echoing the earthquake that followed Jesus’ death.

The Cathedral Choir will premiere a new work of nine liturgical pieces by Piers Kennedy during this service. Another highlight will be Voices from the Foot of the Cross on Tuesday, 31 March, a youth‑led service featuring readings, reflections, and prayers inspired by the crucifixion.

Easter

Easter Day services will begin at 4.30 am with the Easter Vigil and Readings, followed at 5.30 am by the Easter Liturgy, which starts outside for the ‘sun arising in the East’, when a fire will be lit, and a single candle will be lit from it. The 10.30 am service will see the Easter Garden blessed and the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus and the empty tomb. Services on Easter Day conclude with Festal Evensong at 3 pm.

You can also enjoy Easter congregational carols and anthems on Sunday, 26 April, with the return of Alleluia! Christ is Risen: An Easter Carol Service, with music from Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs, settings of poems by the 17th-century Salisbury poet George Herbert. The preacher will be Canon Professor James Woodward, Principal of Sarum College.

Bach Easter Oratorio and Ascension Oratorio

For those wanting to enjoy more of the music of Bach, Salisbury Cathedral Choir will be joined by Florilegium, one of Britain’s most outstanding period instrument ensembles, to perform Bach’s majestic Easter and Ascension Oratorios on Saturday, 9 May. Tickets for this concert are available on the Cathedral website.

The Revd Anna Macham, Canon Precentor, said, “The services and events of Holy Week and Easter are at the very centre of our faith, shaping not only the Christian story but the story of humanity itself. In this most sacred week, the Church invites us to step into these moments and allow them to transform us. With a full programme of services, special events, and activities for all ages, both during Holy Week and in the days leading up to it, there are many ways to take part. All are welcome to join us.”

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