Holy Week 2026 runs from Palm Sunday on March 29 through Holy Saturday on April 4, with Easter Sunday falling on April 5. That gives you less than two weeks to build the playlist that will carry you through the most sacred days of the Christian calendar - and this year, Christian artists have given you more to work with than ever.
What follows is not a list of the same songs churches have been singing for the last decade. This is a playlist built specifically around what is new, what is trending, and what worship leaders are actually choosing right now for their Holy Week services in 2026 - organized day by day so you always have the right song for the right moment.
Palm Sunday, March 29 - Start with Celebration
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, commemorating Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem as crowds lined the streets, waving palm branches and crying "Hosanna to the Son of David." The tone is jubilant, royal, and expectant - and these songs match it perfectly.
"He Arose" - Tommee Profitt & Phil Wickham Currently sitting at No. 4 on the top Easter songs chart for 2026, this is one of the most powerful new releases of the season - cinematic production from Profitt meeting Wickham's signature soaring vocal. It opens the week the way Palm Sunday should: with a declaration that what begins today ends in an empty tomb.
"The King Is in the Room" - Phil Wickham Written to set the table for the Church as it gathers in worship, Wickham describes the song as declaring the truth that Jesus - the Holy Spirit - is present with us, ready to set people free as we focus on Him. For a Palm Sunday service, there is no better opening anthem.
Holy Monday & Tuesday - Songs of Reflection
The early days of Holy Week carry a quiet weight. Jesus is teaching in the temple, cleansing it, answering the questions of those trying to trap Him. The music for these days should slow you down and draw you inward.
"How Deep the Father's Love for Us" - Church of the City & Austin Stone Worship Featured on multiple 2026 Holy Week worship leader guides, this fresh recording of the Stuart Townend classic carries the journey from Jerusalem to the cross with emotional depth and congregational accessibility. It is a song that reminds you what is coming before it arrives.
"Love of God" - Phil Wickham & Brandon Lake One of the most celebrated worship songs of the past two years, this collaboration captures the overwhelming nature of divine love - a love that sent Christ to the cross and raised Him from the dead. The lyric about the God who set the galaxies in motion descending to give His life for humanity distills the entire Easter narrative into a single devotional statement.
Maundy Thursday, April 2 - The Weight of the Upper Room
Maundy Thursday marks the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist. In John's Gospel, this is also the occasion of Jesus washing His disciples' feet - the word "Maundy" derives from the Latin mandatum, referring to the commandment Jesus gives His disciples to love one another. The music tonight should feel intimate, heavy, and grateful.
"I Know a Name" - Elevation Worship, Chris Brown & Brandon Lake Released on February 14, 2025, this resurrection-connected anthem centers on the supremacy of the name of Jesus - a name that can silence the roaring waves and empty out a grave. On Maundy Thursday, singing about that name carries double weight.
"You've Already Won" - Shane & Shane Consistently listed among the top worship songs for Holy Week 2026 by worship leaders across the country, this song speaks directly to the tension of Maundy Thursday - sitting with Jesus in the garden, knowing the cross is coming, trusting the outcome anyway.
Good Friday, April 3 - Songs for the Cross
Good Friday is the most solemn day of the week. The music should not rush past the weight of what happened at Calvary. These songs don't.
"Thank You Jesus for the Blood" - Charity Gayle Ranked No. 2 on the CCLI top Easter songs chart for 2026, this song has become one of the defining worship anthems of this generation precisely because it refuses to make the cross comfortable. It makes you feel the cost before it lets you celebrate the victory.
"Nothing But the Blood" - Tommee Profitt & Jeremy Rosado The song that almost didn't make Profitt's Easter album is the one that belongs most on Good Friday. Rebuilt from a 150-year-old hymn into a cinematic, orchestral anthem, it lands with the full weight the day demands.
"Son of Suffering" - Bethel Music Widely recommended by worship leaders for Good Friday services in 2026, this song sits in the darkness of the crucifixion with honesty and reverence - the kind of song that makes silence feel sacred.
Holy Saturday, April 4 - The In-Between
Holy Saturday is the day the disciples didn't know what we know. The day the tomb was sealed and everything felt finished. It is the hardest day to find music for - and the most important to get right.
"Firm Foundation (He Won't)" - Cody Carnes & Maverick City Music Featured on multiple 2026 Holy Week playlists curated by worship leaders, this song speaks directly to the experience of Holy Saturday - holding on to faith in the silence between the cross and the resurrection.
"The Blood" - Bethel Music Ranked No. 10 on the CCLI top Easter songs chart for 2026, this song is a meditation on what the cross accomplished - perfect for the quiet, anticipatory stillness of Holy Saturday.
Easter Sunday, April 5 - He Is Risen
Easter Sunday is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ - the most theologically significant date in the Christian liturgical calendar. Nothing held back. Everything wide open.
"Holy Forever" - Chris Tomlin Ranked No. 1 on the CCLI top Easter songs chart for 2026 and a staple in churches worldwide, this anthem of God's holiness has become the defining Easter Sunday opener of this generation. If there is one song every church will be singing on April 5, this is it.
"Praise" - Elevation Worship Ranked consistently among the top worship songs for Easter Sunday 2026, this song moves from the cross to the empty tomb with unstoppable momentum. It is built for the moment the church declares together that death did not win.
"Resurrection of a King" - Tommee Profitt, Phil Wickham & CeCe Winans The title track of Profitt's new Easter album releases March 27 - just nine days before Easter Sunday - featuring two of the most powerful voices in Christian music. Cinematic, choir-driven, and built for a congregation that knows what day it is.
"Living Hope" - Phil Wickham A perennial top Easter worship song that has remained in the upper tier of church playlists for multiple consecutive years, "Living Hope" is the song that captures the sunrise feeling of Easter morning better than almost anything written in the past decade. End the playlist here.
This playlist moves the way Holy Week moves - from celebration to reflection to grief to silence to resurrection. Start it Sunday. Let it carry you all the way to April 5.
Every song listed is available now on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.
