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China Visit Guide

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China festival calendar 2026 + 2027

Every major Chinese festival with 2026 and 2027 dates, regional variations, and a travel-impact rating. Use this to plan around the Golden Weeks and time visits to align with the festivals worth seeing.

About this calendar

Chinese festivals fall into five practical categories. Public holidays (Spring Festival, Qingming, Labour Day, Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn, National Day) are the dates the entire country takes off; their travel impact is heavy and unavoidable. Lunar festivals (Lantern, Qixi, Double Ninth, Winter Solstice, Laba) follow the lunar calendar but are not statutory holidays — modest observance, no travel disruption. Ethnic-minority festivals (Naadam, Water-Splashing, Torch, Lusheng, Sisters' Meal) are the cultural-tourism set pieces; the impact is intensely local. Religious festivals (Lhasa Shoton, Kashgar Eid, Mazu, Ghost Festival) draw pilgrims to a single site. Modern observances (Harbin Ice Festival, Tsingtao Beer Festival, Shanghai Pride film events) are 20th–21st century inventions following the festival pattern.

For travellers, the four dates that genuinely change a trip are: Spring Festival (mid-Feb), Labour Day (1–5 May), National Day (1–7 Oct), and Mid-Autumn (Sept) when it lands adjacent to National Day. During these windows, accommodation prices double, attractions hit visitor caps, HSR and flights run at peak, and the major monuments queue 3+ hours. The pragmatic advice is the same as for any country: travel right before or right after, never during.

Conversely, the festivals worth aligning a trip with are the ethnic-minority and religious ones — Naadam (mid-July, Inner Mongolia), Water-Splashing (mid-April, Yunnan), Torch Festival (late July, Liangshan Yi area), Lhasa Shoton (late August, Tibet), Harbin Ice (Jan–Feb). These reward a trip that's already heading near them; they're rarely worth a dedicated journey.

The dates below cite the 2026 and 2027 calendars verified as of May 2026. Lunar festivals shift roughly 11 days each Western-calendar year; ethnic-minority festivals follow their own calendars (Tibetan, Yi, Dai, Mongolian) so the conversion table is approximate. For any travel-critical decision, verify with the relevant state-tourism site or operator close to the date.

Public holiday

Lunar festival

Ethnic minority

Religious

Modern observance

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Verified May 2026