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Easter Date 2025

PT Admin
February 1, 2023
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Jesus on a cross in a bloodied loincloth with a sign INRI above his head and a blue sky in the background.

We are often asked ‘when is Easter this year?’

Easter Sunday for 2025 is 20th April.

This is an important question because lots of people want to know when they can see a free Passion Play that tells the Gospel story of Jesus Christ’s life and death. The full list of plays taking place can be found on our website here.

Passion Plays take place every Easter, and the most popular day to see a free performance is Good Friday and Easter Saturday. They also take place on other days during Holy Week and sometimes on Easter Sunday. However, Easter Sunday is already a busy day with lots of church services happening around the country, so very few Passion Plays happen on this day.

In 2025 Good Friday is 18th

 April and Easter Saturday is 19th April.

 

We are also often asked ‘where can I see a Passion Play this coming Easter?’

Passion Plays are the best way to experience the Easter story! Free performances of the Easter story take place during Holy Week and most often on Good Friday because they focus on the events in last week of Christ’s life, including his betrayal, arrest, trial and crucifixion…and of course, resurrection.

Explore Passion Plays and find one near you on our website here.

Find out more about Easter dates in the future

As you know, Easter is a movable feast and the date changes every year. This is because the date is determined by the Paschal Full Moon, also known as the first full moon after the spring equinox date.

Easter Sunday is the Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon and Good Friday is the Friday following the Paschal Full Moon.

For thousands of years, mathematicians and astronomers have tried to maintain the same season of the year and the same relationship to the preceding astronomical full moon that occurred at the time of Jesus’s resurrection in 30 A.D. Both the Julian and the Gregorian calendars aimed to do this.

You can also use the tables below to find the date of Easter if you want to see free, live performances of Passion Plays in future years!

 

At the front of a big crowd of people walking through city streets two men carry part of a cross on Good Friday.You can see Easter dates 2020 to 2050 here:

Easter dates 2023 to 2030 are listed alongside Good Friday dates.

 

You can even see a list of Easter dates from 2000 to 2099 if you are interested!

 

Easter dates 2020 to 2050 are listed in four columns.

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Is fundraising like online dating?

Online dating is trying to find the right match among many differnet people. Fundraising for Passion Plays is similar to online dating in one respect: trying to find the right match for your Play among different trusts and funding charities. Finding this perfect match is the key to raising funds to tell the Easter story!

Once you find trusts and funders who are of a similar mindset and value the things you value, you are well on the way to a perfect match.

 

How do we find potential funders?

The Charity Commission’s Register of Charities allows you to search for free by using filters to narrow your search. (Remember, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate registers.)
Funding Central is another register that is free to access.
For a more expensive option, you can try the Directory of Social Change’s Funds Online website which is regularly updated.
Since Passion Plays bring many churches of all denominations together, your diocese can be a good source of information and signposting. For example, see the Diocese of Bristol and their list of funders here.  www.bristol.anglican.org/documents/diocesan-funding-guide/
The Christian Funders’ Forum is also a useful source.

 

How do we let funders know our project is a good match for them?

Now is the time to do some research and really think about compatibility with the funders you are researching.

You can research their online content, websites, and also Further information will be inread through their annual reports published on the Charity Commissions website (click ‘Documents’ tab). These annual reports will give useful imformation about projects they have previously funded.

A quick phone call can also be helpful in establishing contact and goodwill as you will be able to find out more about them and let them know what you do.

Remember here that one of the key elements is timing! Some funders have a set application process that requires you to apply before a deadline. Other funders have trustees’ meetings at set times during the year and those times are good to work with.

The timing of your project also matters. Some funders like to fund projects in the early stage of development, while others like to give funding when they see other funders have already contributed.

There is a lot to think about with fundraising! But Passion Plays are such unique projects that it can also be an enjoyable process. Many funders like to hear about large community arts events that tell the Easter story in fresh and inspiring ways. Not only do Passion Plays have large outdoor audiences across the UK each Easter, they are also unique spaces of community, skill-sharing, mentoring and investing in the lives of volunteers across all sections of society. They are more than a one-off performance and the impact spreads across the whole community for many months.

 

Where can I find more help with fundraising?

If you want more help with fundraising, we have plenty more tips and advice on our website here.

We have recorded sessions from previous Passion Trust Conferences including sessions looking at Finance & Fundraising, Administration and Practical Considerations, and Q&A sessions. You can see more information and watch short helpful videos on our website here.

You can also find lots of helpful tips and advice at The Benefact Trust here or click on the image below.

three bullet points with rows of text and images in blue bubbles with white icons for help with fundraising

 

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