China uses the Gregorian calendar for civil purposes and the traditional lunisolar calendar for festivals. That is why Chinese New Year moves between late January and late February, and why Mid-Autumn wanders across September and October.
The State Council publishes the official holiday arrangement — including the compensating working weekends that surround each break — in the autumn of the preceding year. Check it before finalising travel dates.
The major festivals#
Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) — 春节#
When: first day of the first lunar month, between 21 January and 20 February. 17 February 2026; 6 February 2027; 26 January 2028.
The most important festival in the Chinese year, and a family holiday rather than a public one. People return to their home towns, eat a reunion dinner on New Year's Eve, give red envelopes (hongbao) of money to children, set off fireworks where permitted, and visit relatives for days.
Travel impact: extreme. The 40-day chunyun travel period around it involves billions of individual trips and is the largest annual human migration on earth. Rail tickets sell out the moment they are released, flight prices spike, and many small restaurants and shops close for one to two weeks. Major sights stay open and are extremely busy.
If you are there anyway: base yourself in one big city rather than moving. Temple fairs (miaohui) in Beijing, lantern displays, and the Lantern Festival fifteen days later are genuine spectacles. Book everything months in advance.
Lantern Festival — 元宵节#
When: fifteenth day of the first lunar month, ending the New Year period.
Lanterns, riddles written on them, and tangyuan — glutinous rice balls in sweet soup. Not a public holiday, but visually the prettiest night of the New Year period. Pingyao, Xi'an and Nanjing do it especially well.
Qingming (Tomb Sweeping Day) — 清明节#
When: around 4–6 April. Public holiday, usually three days.
Families visit ancestral graves, clean them, and burn paper offerings — including elaborate paper versions of houses, cars and money. It coincides with spring outings, and parks are full.
Travel impact: moderate. A three-day weekend, so domestic sights are busy.
Dragon Boat Festival — 端午节#
When: fifth day of the fifth lunar month, usually June. Public holiday, three days.
Commemorates the poet-official Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in 278 BCE. Dragon boat races on rivers and lakes, and zongzi — sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, sweet in the north and savoury in the south, and the subject of a long-running national argument about which is correct.
Best watched in Hunan, Guangdong or Hong Kong, where the racing is serious.
Mid-Autumn Festival — 中秋节#
When: fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, September or October. Public holiday, usually three days.
The second most important family festival: reunion under the full moon, mooncakes exchanged as gifts, lanterns. Mooncakes are dense pastries filled with lotus seed paste and salted egg yolk, and opinions about them are strong in both directions.
Some years Mid-Autumn falls adjacent to National Day, producing a very long combined holiday and a corresponding travel surge.
National Day Golden Week — 国庆节#
When: 1–7 October (sometimes eight days). Public holiday.
Marks the founding of the People's Republic in 1949. Flag-raising ceremonies, and — from a traveller's perspective — the single busiest domestic tourism week of the year.
Travel impact: extreme. Major sights reach their daily visitor caps within minutes of opening. Hotel prices double or triple. Rail and flights sell out weeks ahead. Avoid if at all possible; if not, book everything the moment booking opens and favour cities over scenic areas.
Labour Day — 劳动节#
When: roughly 1–5 May. Public holiday.
Shorter than the October break, with the same dynamics on a slightly smaller scale.
Regional and minority festivals#
| Festival | Where | When | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harbin Ice & Snow Festival | Harbin | Late Dec–late Feb | Illuminated ice architecture at −20°C |
| Water Splashing Festival | Xishuangbanna, Yunnan | Mid-April | Dai new year; you will get soaked |
| Tibetan New Year (Losar) | Tibetan areas | Feb–Mar | Monastery ceremonies; note Tibet often closes to foreigners in March |
| Third Month Fair | Dali, Yunnan | Lunar 3rd month | Bai trading fair and horse racing |
| Torch Festival | Yi areas, Sichuan & Yunnan | Lunar 6th month | Bonfires, wrestling, bullfighting |
| Nadam | Inner Mongolia | July–August | Wrestling, archery, horse racing |
| Qingdao Beer Festival | Qingdao | August | Two weeks, very large |
| Double Ninth (Chongyang) | Nationwide | Lunar 9/9 | Climbing hills, honouring the elderly |
| Qixi | Nationwide | Lunar 7/7 | The "Chinese Valentine's Day" |
Planning around them#
Frequently asked questions#
When is Chinese New Year?#
It follows the lunisolar calendar and falls between 21 January and 20 February. It was 17 February in 2026, and falls on 6 February in 2027 and 26 January in 2028. The official holiday is about eight days but the travel surge lasts around forty.
Should I avoid travelling to China during Chinese New Year?#
For a first trip, yes. Transport is booked solid, prices rise and many small businesses close for one to two weeks. If you are there, stay in one large city rather than moving between them, and book everything months in advance.
What is Golden Week in China?#
The National Day holiday from 1 to 7 October, marking the founding of the People's Republic. It is the busiest domestic travel week of the year: sights hit visitor caps within minutes, hotel rates double or triple, and transport sells out weeks ahead.
What is the Mid-Autumn Festival?#
A family reunion festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, celebrated with mooncakes, lanterns and gatherings under the full moon. It is a three-day public holiday and occasionally falls adjacent to National Day, creating an unusually long break.
Are there Chinese festivals worth planning a trip around?#
Yes — the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival from late December to February, the Water Splashing Festival in Xishuangbanna in mid-April, the Torch Festival in Yi areas of Yunnan and Sichuan, and Nadam in Inner Mongolia in summer are all genuine spectacles rather than tourist events.