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By Ulysses Torres Sabuco
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Variety News Staff
EASTER Sunday arrives in the Northern Mariana Islands the way it always has — first in the dawn or dark, then in the light.
Long before sunrise, the faithful of Saipan make their way up the winding road to Mount Tapochao, the highest peak on the island, where the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa traditionally hosts an Easter Sunrise Mass at 5 a.m. It is a custom that stretches back decades, with the island’s Catholic community gathering above the clouds and above the sea to mark the Resurrection.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Agaña, oversees multiple parishes across Saipan, Tinian and Rota, each holding its own schedule of Easter Sunday Masses in English, Chamorro and Tagalog. The commemoration reflects the Commonwealth’s layered, multicultural congregation.
For the island’s large Filipino community, Easter also carries the Salubong — a pre-dawn ritual reenacting the joyful meeting of the Risen Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary — observed in parishes and homes across Saipan, adding another layer of spiritual texture to the morning.
Once the church bells fall quiet, the island pivots to family.
Crowne Plaza
Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan’s The Terrace is hosting its Easter Brunch on April 5, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., priced at $55 for adults and $25 for children. The spread features honey-glazed ham, Angus striploin, fresh seafood and live kitchen performances, plus a kids’ waffle station, all building toward a 1 p.m. Easter egg hunt across the resort grounds, complete with an Easter Bunny appearance and live music by Project Vibe Duo.
Hidden among the grounds are golden eggs redeemable for dining prizes.
Marianas Beach Resort
Within the Garapan business district, Marianas Beach Resort is inviting families to celebrate Easter with a beachfront brunch, sweet treats and activities for children. Giovanni’s is offering a complimentary Easter egg hunt featuring more than 100 eggs and prizes, including brunch for two and pool passes for children accompanying any brunch purchase.
Kensington Hotel
Just a short drive away, Kensington Hotel is also offering an Easter spread that includes roasted prime rib, seafood, sashimi, snow crab legs and a variety of desserts. The buffet is priced at $65 for adults and $32.50 for children and includes access to the family pool. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the resort is also holding face painting, Easter coloring and egg decorating activities, followed by an Easter egg hunt at 2 p.m.
Laolao Bay Golf & Resort
At Laolao Bay Golf & Resort, Easter brunch comes with complimentary pool passes, with prices set at $40 for adults and $25 for children ages 4 to 11. In addition to the brunch, the resort is offering an Easter egg hunt for children and bingo games for adults, with prizes for winners.
On the other side of the island, Pacific Islands Club Saipan at Magellan’s Restaurant is offering a brunch spread that includes herbed roast beef, suckling pig, bourbon maple apricot-glazed ham and 30 types of sushi. The adult price is $50, paired with a waterpark pass, and $30 for children. There will be an age-staggered egg hunt from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. for guests ages 1 through 14.
Saipan World Resort
Saipan World Resort’s Buffet World, known for its panoramic windows overlooking the island’s tropical skyline, offers its own festive Sunday spread with live-station cooking.
Aqua Resort Club
Aqua Resort Club Saipan is also marking Easter weekend with a Sunday brunch priced at $55 for adults and $35 for children ages 5 to 11, with local ID discounts available. The resort will host an Easter egg hunt from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. in the lobby area, including a “Golden Egg” prize. It is also offering room packages starting at $189 per night, tax included, for the April 3-5 holiday weekend.
Easter Sunday celebrations in Saipan have always extended beyond the hotel grounds.
Easter in the Northern Marianas is not a single event; it is a sequence of them, layered from mountain summit to beachfront resort to church courtyard, each marking the same day in the particular way of these islands.
By late afternoon, the day softens into something quieter and more domestic: families gathering at home for barbecues, and the kind of unhurried togetherness that the islands’ multiethnic community — a blend of cultures — has long expressed through food and shared time.
