China Public Holidays and Festival Calendar: Dates, Days Off and Travel Impact

China has seven public holidays a year, and only three of them really change a trip: Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) in late January or February, Labour Day (May Day) at the start of May, and National Day Golden Week at the start of October. During those weeks hundreds of millions of people travel at once, so trains sell out, hotels cost more and famous sights are packed. The other four holidays (New Year's Day, Qingming, Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn) are short breaks of about three days, and sometimes only the day itself. You can travel through them with a little extra booking. And some dates are worth aiming for: the Lantern Festival, Harbin's ice season, the Water-Splashing Festival in Xishuangbanna, the Yi Torch Festival and Lhasa's Shoton Festival.

Which days affect a China trip

China's public holidays come from one national regulation. Since its 2025 revision it gives everyone 13 days off a year: New Year's Day 1 day (1 January), Spring Festival 4 days (New Year's Eve plus the first three days of the lunar year), Qingming 1 day, Labour Day 2 days (1 and 2 May), Dragon Boat Festival 1 day, Mid-Autumn Festival 1 day and National Day 3 days (1 to 3 October). The 2025 revision added New Year's Eve to Spring Festival and a second day to Labour Day, so older guides are out of date on both.

Three of these holidays are fixed on the Western calendar: 1 January, 1 May and 1 October. The others follow the Chinese lunar calendar (Qingming follows a solar term), so their Western dates move every year.

Make-up workdays (调休): the part that confuses everyone

Thirteen days off does not sound like much, yet China has two week-long holidays. The trick is called 调休 (tiáoxiū, "adjusted rest"): people get extra weekdays off to join a holiday into one long block, then work on a Saturday or Sunday before or after it to make up the time. The national rules allow this, but say people should not normally work more than six days in a row around a holiday.

National Day 2026 shows how it works. The official break ran for seven days, Thursday 1 October to Wednesday 7 October, and people worked on Sunday 20 September, before the break, and Saturday 10 October, after it, to make up the time. For you this means two things: the crowds last a full week, not three days, and on a make-up Saturday or Sunday offices, schools and commuter trains run as on a normal weekday.

The State Council has set out the general pattern it follows: Spring Festival becomes 8 days starting on New Year's Eve, National Day becomes 7 days, Labour Day 5 days, and New Year's Day, Qingming, Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn become 3-day breaks, except that a holiday falling on a Wednesday is just that one day off. When Mid-Autumn falls right next to National Day, the two are joined into one 8-day break. These are guidelines, not fixed results: Spring Festival 2026, for example, ran for 9 days.

One more rule explains the traffic. Cars with up to 7 seats drive toll-free on expressways during Spring Festival, Qingming, Labour Day and National Day. On those holidays, allow extra time for airport transfers and long-distance buses.

China's public holidays one by one

Below are the 2027 dates that are already fixed. The 2027 days off and make-up workdays come with the State Council notice, so each holiday also shows how 2026 worked.

New Year's Day (元旦, Yuándàn) — 1 January

Days off by law: 1. 2026: 1 to 3 January off, with Sunday 4 January a working day. 2027: 1 January is a Friday.

About 142 million domestic trips were made over the 2026 New Year break, many of them short trips close to home. It feels like a busy weekend; book trains a few days ahead.

Spring Festival / Chinese New Year (春节, Chūnjié) — late January to mid-February

Days off by law: 4, from New Year's Eve to the third day of the new year. 2026: 9 days off, Sunday 15 February to Monday 23 February, with Saturdays 14 and 28 February as working days. 2027: the first day of the lunar new year is Saturday 6 February.

This is the hardest holiday to travel through because of 春运 (Chūnyùn), the Spring Festival travel rush, when people go home to their families and then back to work. In 2026 the rush ran for 40 days, from 2 February to 13 March, and the country recorded 9.41 billion cross-region trips by all transport, including 540 million by rail. The busiest single rail day was 23 February, the seventh day of the new year and the last day of the holiday. So the worst days are the week before New Year's Eve and the end of the holiday.

Sightseeing is busy too: 596 million domestic trips were made over the 9 days of Spring Festival 2026, a record. Office districts go quiet while temple fairs and scenic sites fill up, and many small family-run restaurants close for several days. Our Chinese New Year travel guide covers what closes, where to celebrate and how to get through the rush.

Qingming Festival (清明节, Qīngmíng Jié) — early April

Days off by law: 1, on the day of the Qingming solar term. 2026: 4 to 6 April, with no make-up workday. 2027: Qingming falls on Monday 5 April.

Also called Tomb-Sweeping Day, when families tidy their ancestors' graves. About 135 million domestic trips were made over the three days in 2026. Book a little earlier than usual; no need to move your trip.

Labour Day / May Day (劳动节, Láodòng Jié) — 1 May

Days off by law: 2, on 1 and 2 May. 2026: 5 days, Friday 1 May to Tuesday 5 May, with Saturday 9 May a working day. 2027: 1 May is a Saturday.

May Day has become a second Golden Week: 325 million domestic trips were made over the 2026 break. It lands in good spring weather, so the crowds go where foreign visitors go: the Great Wall, West Lake, the Bund. If you can, start your trip after it ends. Our Golden Week survival guide covers both May Day and National Day in detail.

Dragon Boat Festival (端午节, Duānwǔ Jié) — usually June

Days off by law: 1, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. 2026: 19 to 21 June, with no make-up workday. 2027: Wednesday 9 June.

People eat 粽子 (zòngzi, sticky rice wrapped in leaves) and watch dragon-boat races (see the festivals below). About 124 million domestic trips were made over the 2026 holiday, so it feels like a busy long weekend.

Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节, Zhōngqiū Jié) — September or early October

Days off by law: 1, on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. 2026: 25 to 27 September, separate from National Day, with no make-up workday. 2027: Wednesday 15 September, two weeks before National Day, so the two holidays will not be joined.

Families get together, eat mooncakes (月饼, yuèbǐng) and look at the full moon. On its own it is a busy long weekend. The year to watch is when it lands next to 1 October: in 2025 the two were merged into an 8-day break from 1 to 8 October, and 888 million domestic trips were made in those eight days.

National Day Golden Week (国庆节, Guóqìng Jié) — from 1 October

Days off by law: 3, from 1 to 3 October. 2026: 7 days, 1 to 7 October, with Sunday 20 September and Saturday 10 October as working days. 2027: 1 October is a Friday.

This is the busiest tourist week of the year. Over the seven days of National Day 2026, 826 million domestic trips were made. On 1 October 2026 alone, 25.2 million people took the train, a record. Unlike Spring Festival, people are going sightseeing, not home, so the crowds sit exactly at the famous places. For dates you cannot move, the Golden Week survival guide explains how to book and where the crowds are thinner.

Quick reference: holidays, dates and travel impact

The official 2026 schedule shows the usual pattern, including where the make-up workdays fell; wait for the 2027 notice before you fix dates.

Here is how much each holiday matters for a visitor, in our judgement:

Festivals worth planning a trip around

Apart from the Spring Festival and Dragon Boat events, these are not national days off, so the whole country does not travel for them.

Lantern Festival (元宵节, Yuánxiāo Jié)

The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month and ends the New Year season. In 2027 it is on Saturday 20 February; it is not a public holiday. People eat sweet rice balls (汤圆, tāngyuán) and go out to see lanterns. Xi'an's Chang'an lantern show is one of the biggest, on the city wall, at Tang Paradise and at the Daming Palace site; the 2025 season ran from 22 January to 16 March, and the 2026 season was already lit for New Year's Day. Dates change each season; check the Xi'an guide and local announcements. Coming two weeks after New Year, it lets you see the celebrations once the worst of the rush is over.

Spring Festival temple fairs and parades

If you are in China over New Year anyway, go to a temple fair (庙会, miàohuì): food stalls and folk performances in a park or temple. In Beijing, the two big ones at Ditan Park and Longtan Park ran on the first seven days of the 2026 New Year (17 to 23 February), 8:30 to 17:00 each day. In 2026, Hong Kong held a night parade of floats in Tsim Sha Tsui at 8 p.m. on the first day of the new year and fireworks over Victoria Harbour at 8 p.m. on the second day. Check the Hong Kong government's announcements for the 2027 times. See the Hong Kong and Macau guide for getting around there.

Harbin ice season (December to February)

Harbin, in the far northeast, builds parks out of river ice and snow every winter. Its main park, Ice and Snow World, opened on 17 December 2025 and on 21 December the season before. The Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival itself has opened on 5 January in each of the last three years (2024–2026). The 2026–27 park has been announced as the largest yet, but its opening date and ticket prices were not out as of mid-October 2026. Do not leave it too late in the season: in February 2026 a warm spell melted the ice and the park closed for good on 21 February. Late December to mid-February is the safe window. Our Harbin winter guide covers tickets and the cold, and winter travel in China covers the rest of the country.

Water-Splashing Festival, Xishuangbanna (13–15 April)

The Water-Splashing Festival (泼水节, Pōshuǐ Jié) is the New Year of the Dai people in Xishuangbanna, in the far south of Yunnan, and it is held on 13 to 15 April every year. The first day has dragon-boat races and home-made rockets; the third day is the main water fight. In 2026 the water fight started at 11:00 on 15 April in Jinghong's Water-Splashing Square and the main streets. You will get soaked: wear quick-dry clothes and keep your phone in a waterproof pouch. With fixed dates, this is the easiest festival here to plan around. The Yunnan travel guide covers getting to Xishuangbanna and the rest of the province.

Yi Torch Festival (火把节, Huǒbǎ Jié), Liangshan (July or August)

The Yi people's Torch Festival falls around the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, usually late July or August. The main celebration is in Liangshan Prefecture in southern Sichuan, where it is a local holiday: in 2026 the prefecture gave 7 days off, from 6 to 12 August. The big torch parade in Xichang, the main city, ran from 20:00 to 22:00 on 8 August 2026, and only visitors registered in advance could enter. With a foreign passport, check the Xichang announcement for how to register. Yi communities in Yunnan also celebrate; their events are announced locally.

Shoton Festival, Lhasa (August)

Shoton (雪顿节, Xuědùn Jié, the "yogurt festival") is held around the end of the sixth month of the Tibetan calendar, so its Western date changes every year; in 2023 it was 16 August. The highlight is the unveiling of giant Buddha paintings (thangkas) on the hillsides at dawn. In 2026 this took place at Drepung and Sera monasteries on 12 August, and Norbulingka park held a festival fair from 12 to 18 August.

Travel to Tibet needs extra permits and planning, and August is peak season there; start with our Lhasa and Tibet guide.

Dragon-boat races (Dragon Boat Festival)

For the 2026 festival on 19 June, Beijing held a dragon-boat carnival on the Grand Canal in Tongzhou from 19 to 21 June, Guangdong staged its main event in Foshan in mid-June, and the Guangzhou International Dragon Boat Invitational was held on the Pearl River on 20 June. Guangdong alone listed 208 dragon-boat events that year, so the Pearl River Delta is the place to be. Arrive early for a spot on the riverbank.

How to plan your trip around the calendar

• Weeks to avoid if you can: the week before Spring Festival and the last days of the holiday; the May Day break (1 to 5 May in 2026); and National Day Golden Week (1 to 7 October usually; 8 days when joined with Mid-Autumn). For the best months outside these weeks, see the best time to visit China.
• Use the days just after: things feel normal again a day or two after a holiday ends. Leaving a city on the last day of a holiday is the worst choice, because everyone is travelling home.
• Stay put during a holiday: spend those days in one city, visit smaller sights and save train journeys for after.
• Short holidays are fine: Qingming, Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn just need trains and hotels booked a few days earlier than usual.

When you do need to travel on a busy date, book the moment tickets go on sale. Train tickets go on sale 15 days ahead, counting the travel day. Before Spring Festival 2026, the tickets for the first day of the rush (2 February) went on sale on 19 January. If a train is sold out, join the 12306 waitlist (候补, hòubǔ): you pay in advance, the system keeps trying around the clock, and the money comes back in full if no seat turns up. Our guide to booking China train tickets walks through 12306 with a passport, and the official 12306 English help page answers questions about passports and accounts.

Famous sights also manage holiday crowds. By law, a scenic area must publish its maximum capacity and may use advance booking to control numbers. Scenic areas are told to keep a staffed ticket window and admit walk-ins when there is room, but on a Golden Week day there often is not, and booking-only sites work differently. The Forbidden City, for example, sells no same-day tickets; bookings open at 20:00 seven days before your visit. On a holiday, book the day the window opens.

Hotels in tourist cities fill up and get pricier over the long holidays. If your dates overlap one, book your rooms as soon as your route is fixed and pick a free-cancellation rate; Booking.com lets you filter for that.

Finally, confirm the dates for your year. The State Council publishes each year's holiday notice on the central government website; the 2026 notice is a good example of what to look for, and the 2027 one is usually published in November. The Hong Kong government's 2027 holiday list already shows when the 2027 Lunar New Year falls, starting on 6 February, though Hong Kong's days off differ from the mainland's. For local festivals, check the city or venue announcement a few weeks before you go.

Summary

Three weeks change a China trip: Spring Festival, May Day and National Day Golden Week. The four short holidays hardly matter. Make-up workdays turn short legal holidays into long breaks, so check the State Council notice for your year. The Lantern Festival, Harbin's ice parks, the Water-Splashing Festival, the Torch Festival and Shoton are reasons to time a trip, not avoid it. Next step: put your dates next to the tables above, then book trains 15 days out and hotels early if a holiday overlaps.

Last updated: November 2026