Updated 9 October 2026 · LocalKey consultant team
In 2027, the Lantern Festival falls on Saturday 20 February, Qingming on Monday 5 April, the Dragon Boat Festival on Wednesday 9 June and the Mid-Autumn Festival on Wednesday 15 September; Qingming, Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn are each one-day public holidays under China's holiday regulations, while the Lantern Festival is not a public holiday; the exact 2027 days off and make-up working days for those holidays are TBC until the State Council General Office publishes its 2027 holiday notice.
When are the Chinese festivals in 2027?
The Hong Kong Observatory's 2027 calendar table puts the Lantern Festival on Saturday 20 February, Qingming on Monday 5 April, the Dragon Boat Festival on Wednesday 9 June and the Mid-Autumn Festival on Wednesday 15 September. Lunar New Year's Day is Saturday 6 February, and Qingming is a solar term rather than a lunar date.
Chinese festival dates 2027, with dates from the Hong Kong Observatory table and holiday status from China's regulations:
| Festival | Lunar date | 2027 date | Public holiday? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Festival | Lunar New Year's Eve: 29th day of 12th month. Lunar New Year's Day: 1st day of 1st month | Eve: Friday 5 February. Day 1: Saturday 6 February | Yes, 4 statutory days (eve plus days 1 to 3). 2027 days off TBC | HKO table; State Council regulations |
| Lantern Festival | 15th day of 1st month | Saturday 20 February | No, not a statutory holiday | HKO table |
| Qingming | Solar term "Bright & Clear" (not a lunar date) | Monday 5 April | Yes, 1 day. 2027 days off TBC | HKO table; State Council regulations |
| Dragon Boat Festival | 5th day of 5th month | Wednesday 9 June | Yes, 1 day. 2027 days off TBC | HKO table; State Council regulations |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | 15th day of 8th month | Wednesday 15 September | Yes, 1 day. 2027 days off TBC | HKO table; State Council regulations |
Spring Festival dates are listed here only; for everything about Spring Festival travel, see Chinese New Year 2027 in China.
Which 2027 festivals are public holidays in China?
Under China's National Holidays and Memorial Days Regulations, as amended in November 2024 and in force from 1 January 2025, the Qingming, Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn festivals are each one-day statutory public holidays. The Lantern Festival is not on the statutory list.
Spring Festival is a four-day statutory holiday (the eve plus the first to third days of the first lunar month), and New Year's Day is a one-day holiday. Labour Day (1 and 2 May, 2 days) and National Day (1 to 3 October, 3 days) are also statutory holidays that are not festivals, but they shape travel plans too; 1 October 2027 is a Friday.
The regulations set how many days each holiday lasts, but the yearly State Council General Office notice decides which days off and make-up working days apply. The 2026 notice, published on gov.cn on 4 November 2025, is an example: it turned the one-day Qingming, Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn holidays into three-day breaks on 4 to 6 April, 19 to 21 June and 25 to 27 September 2026. Longer 2026 breaks were balanced by make-up working days: 14 and 28 February around Spring Festival, and Sunday 20 September and Saturday 10 October around National Day. Public holidays can also be combined with adjacent weekends or paid annual leave to form longer holiday periods, and except in rare cases, working days around national holidays generally won't exceed six consecutive days, according to english.gov.cn.
The 2027 notice had not been published as of 9 October 2026, so the 2027 days off and make-up working days are TBC.
How do festivals affect travel in China?
Public holidays in China can turn a single day off into a longer break, and the yearly State Council General Office notice decides how long that break is. Because the 2027 notice had not been published as of 9 October 2026, we suggest treating the holiday days off around each festival as provisional until the notice is published; the festival dates themselves are fixed by the calendar.
We suggest booking trains and hotels early for any festival break; we usually find seats and rooms tighter near a holiday. If your dates are flexible, we suggest visiting popular sights just before or after a festival break. 12306 train tickets for foreigners explains how to book trains, which is worth reading before any holiday trip.
For seasonal context, When to Visit China: Month by Month helps you compare festival dates with the seasons.
What happens at the Dragon Boat Festival?
UNESCO inscribed the Dragon Boat festival in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It begins on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, which is Wednesday 9 June 2027.
The festival is celebrated by people of several ethnic groups throughout China and the world, especially in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Festivities vary by region but usually combine a memorial ceremony for a local hero with sporting events such as dragon boat races, feasts of rice dumplings and folk entertainments. UNESCO notes that the poet Qu Yuan is venerated in Hubei and Hunan Provinces.
How should you plan a 2027 trip around Chinese festivals?
The four festival dates fall on Saturday 20 February, Monday 5 April, Wednesday 9 June and Wednesday 15 September 2027, and the 2027 days off around them are still TBC. We suggest fixing the festival dates first, then adding holiday days once the notice is out.
- Lantern Festival (20 February): It is not a statutory holiday, so we suggest treating it as an ordinary day for transport planning and keeping the evening free for a visit.
- Qingming (5 April): It is one statutory day. We suggest a short trip with one fixed day for the holiday and a buffer day in case the 2027 notice adds time off.
- Dragon Boat Festival (9 June): We suggest asking your consultant which cities hold dragon boat races that week before you choose a destination.
- Mid-Autumn Festival (15 September): In 2027 it falls 16 days before the start of National Day on 1 October. If you plan to travel for both, we suggest treating them as separate trips or one longer trip, and rechecking the TBC days.
We suggest rechecking this page once the State Council General Office publishes its 2027 holiday notice, because the days off and make-up working days will then be confirmed.
Plan your trip with LocalKey
LocalKey can arrange your own China trip around any of these dates, planned, booked and backed by a 1:1 specialist. Two options suit most festival trips, both described in our private China tours:
- Independent: You travel on your own with the LocalKey app and 24/7 backup; Independent does not include a full-time guide. A local guide, airport pickup or a private car and driver are optional add-ons, arranged on demand.
- Private Guided: An English-speaking private guide and a private car throughout the trip.
Either way, it is your own China trip — planned, booked and backed — not a group tour. To choose dates and an option, talk to a 1:1 specialist; we answer 7×24 on WeChat and WhatsApp.
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory — Gregorian-Lunar Calendar Conversion Table of 2027 — verified_on 2026-10-09
- The State Council (gov.cn) — Decision amending the National Holidays and Memorial Days Regulations, 12 November 2024 — verified_on 2026-10-09
- english.gov.cn — China extends public holidays by two days, 12 November 2024 — verified_on 2026-10-09
- State Council General Office (gov.cn) — 2026 holiday arrangements notice, 4 November 2025 — verified_on 2026-10-09
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage — Dragon Boat festival — verified_on 2026-10-09
