China Public Holidays 2026 & 2027 — Travel Calendar
The official 2026 holiday schedule, the 2027 provisional calendar, the 3 weeks foreign travelers should avoid, and the 调休 makeup-workday quirk that catches almost every first-time visitor.
By TravelChina Editorial · Published
China runs its calendar on two parallel systems: a fixed Gregorian set (New Year's Day, Labour Day, National Day) and a moving lunar set (Spring Festival, Qingming, Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn). The State Council bundles them into 7 statutory public holidays and publishes the exact dates each year in November for the following year. The 2026 schedule below is the official version announced in November 2025; the 2027 schedule is provisional (key dates predictable, exact day-off windows pending the November 2026 announcement).
2026 China public holidays — full table
| Holiday | Dates 2026 | Days off | Travel impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day (元旦) | Jan 1 (Thu) | 1 | Minimal |
| Spring Festival (春节) | Feb 16–22 (Mon–Sun) | 7 | Severe — buffer ±10 days |
| Qingming (清明) | Apr 4–6 (Sat–Mon) | 3 | Moderate |
| Labour Day (劳动节) | May 1–5 (Fri–Tue) | 5 | Severe — buffer ±3 days |
| Dragon Boat (端午) | Jun 19–21 (Fri–Sun) | 3 | Moderate |
| Mid-Autumn (中秋) | Sep 25–27 (Fri–Sun) | 3 | Moderate |
| National Day (国庆节) | Oct 1–7 (Thu–Wed) | 7 | Severe — buffer ±5 days |
Total statutory days off in 2026: 13. The State Council also designates 1–2 adjacent weekend days as compensating workdays (调休) before or after the longer Golden Weeks — see the makeup workday section below.
2027 China public holidays — provisional
The State Council typically publishes the next-year schedule in early-to-mid November. Until then, here are the predictable anchor dates based on the Gregorian and lunar calendars:
| Holiday | Anchor date 2027 | Likely window |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Jan 1 (Fri) | Jan 1–3 (3-day weekend) |
| Spring Festival | Feb 6 (Sat) — Year of the Sheep | Feb 6–12 (7 days, likely) |
| Qingming | Apr 5 (Mon) | Apr 3–5 (Sat–Mon) |
| Labour Day | May 1 (Sat) | May 1–5 (5 days, likely) |
| Dragon Boat | Jun 9 (Wed) | Jun 9–11 OR a 3-day window around it |
| Mid-Autumn | Sep 15 (Wed) | 3 days, may merge with weekend bridges |
| National Day | Oct 1 (Fri) | Oct 1–7 (7 days, likely 8 with weekend bridge) |
Treat the 2027 windows as ±1 day approximations until the official notice is published. Our best-time-to-visit guide will track confirmed 2027 dates once they're announced.
The 3 Golden Weeks foreign travelers should avoid
Spring Festival (Feb 16–22, 2026)
The largest annual human migration on Earth — roughly 9 billion inter-city trips during the 40-day chunyun period (春运). Domestic flights and trains book out the moment the 15-day rail window opens. Foreign travelers visiting during Spring Festival run into:
- Tier 1 cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou) paradoxically empty out for 5–7 days as workers return home — restaurants and small shops close, but tourist sites stay open and uncrowded. This is actually a usable window if you base in one city and skip long-distance travel.
- Tier 2/3 cities and tourist destinations (Lijiang, Sanya, Guilin, Huangshan) hit peak capacity. Hotels run 2–4× normal rates with mandatory 3-night minimums. Train tickets to/from these cities are nearly impossible from Feb 14 to Feb 23.
- Banks, post offices, government services close completely Feb 17–22. Many small restaurants close Feb 14 through Feb 24. ATMs work but cash-heavy local markets shut down.
- Chinese embassies abroad close roughly Feb 14 through Feb 24 — submit visa applications by mid-January.
The actual New Year's Eve (Feb 16, 2026) and the first three days are quiet from a tourist perspective in major cities — but expect fireworks restrictions in city centers and crowded temple fairs (庙会) at sites like Beijing's Ditan Park or Shanghai's Yu Garden.
Labour Day Golden Week (May 1–5, 2026)
Five-day extended holiday since the 2025 reform. Domestic tourism boom: Forbidden City and Great Wall hit capacity caps, Yangtze gardens (Suzhou, Hangzhou) are mobbed, and high-speed rail along Beijing↔Shanghai and Shanghai↔Hangzhou sells out.
The shoulder weeks — April 25–30 and May 6–10 — are actually quieter than normal for foreign travelers, because most domestic travelers shifted into the holiday window. If your dates are flexible, end your trip April 28 or start May 8.
National Day Golden Week (Oct 1–7, 2026)
The single worst tourist week of the year for foreign visitors to China's flagship sites. Equal to Spring Festival in travel volume but with better weather, so all the iconic sites (Forbidden City, Great Wall, Bund, Terracotta Army, West Lake) are mobbed — capacity caps activate, queues exceed 90 minutes, and hotels at major destinations 2–3× normal pricing.
The fix is simple: start your trip October 8 or later. Mid-October Beijing is one of the best travel experiences in Asia — autumn colour at the Great Wall, dry skies over the Forbidden City, 16°C with low humidity. The crowds drop by 70–80% compared to Golden Week itself.
The 4 minor holidays — modest impact
Qingming Festival (Apr 4–6, 2026)
Tomb-Sweeping Day. Chinese families travel to ancestral villages for grave-cleaning, so domestic intercity rail is busier than a regular weekend but most major attractions stay accessible. Some rural cemetery roads are congested mid-morning. International flights and Tier 1 city hotels are not affected.
Dragon Boat Festival (Jun 19–21, 2026)
Three-day weekend. Coastal cities (Yueyang, Hong Kong, Suzhou, Yangtze Delta) hold dragon boat races worth catching as a spectator. Domestic crowds at major sites bump up but capacity caps don't typically trigger.
Mid-Autumn Festival (Sep 25–27, 2026)
Three-day weekend. Family reunion holiday — families travel home, so airports and trains see a Friday-evening / Sunday-evening peak. Cultural value: lantern displays, mooncake gift-giving, full-moon rooftop bars. If you're in Beijing or Shanghai this weekend, the Mid-Autumn moon rises around 7 p.m.
New Year's Day (Jan 1, 2026)
Single-day holiday. Minimal disruption — domestic travel is slightly elevated, but no widespread closures. International tourists barely notice.
The 调休 makeup-workday trap
Here's the part nearly every foreigner gets wrong: China doesn't simply add a holiday on top of normal weekends. It relocates weekend days. The State Council picks 1–2 Saturdays or Sundays adjacent to a long holiday and turns them into regular workdays, then uses those “saved” days as part of the holiday.
Practical consequences for foreigners:
- The Saturday before Labour Day might be a workday. Banks open, business contacts at the office, government windows open — even though it's Saturday.
- Travel volume on the makeup workday is unusual. High-speed rail platforms can be eerily quiet (commuters take it seriously) or unusually busy (visitors who don't know head out for a “weekend”).
- Always check the State Council's exact schedule before scheduling business meetings or assuming services are open. The annual notice (国务院办公厅关于X年部分节假日安排的通知) lists every makeup workday explicitly.
Practical impact: what closes and what doesn't
Stays open every holiday
- Major paid attractions — Forbidden City, Great Wall, Terracotta Army, Shanghai Disneyland, Chengdu Panda Research Base, Bund, West Lake, etc. Operating hours are unchanged.
- Hotels, restaurants in Tier 1 cities at the chain level (Marriott, Hyatt, JW). Local family restaurants in old town districts may close, especially during Spring Festival.
- Convenience stores and supermarkets — 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson, RT-Mart all stay open. Same hours.
- Public transit — metro, taxis, Didi, public buses. Holiday schedules apply (slightly reduced frequency late at night) but service runs every day.
- Mobile payment — Alipay and WeChat Pay work normally including during Spring Festival.
Closes during the 3 Golden Weeks
- Banks (Spring Festival, Labour Day, National Day full closures)
- Government offices including Public Security Bureau Exit-Entry
- Most embassies and consulates, both in China and Chinese ones abroad
- Visa application centers worldwide
- Many small local businesses (laundry, tailors, cafes outside tourist zones) — especially during Spring Festival when workers return home
- Schools, universities, and research institutions including panda-volunteer programs, calligraphy classes, kung fu schools
Booking timing implications
Train tickets — the 15-day window
China Railway opens ticket sales exactly 15 days before departure at midnight Beijing time. For travel anywhere in the flanks of a Golden Week, set an alarm for 11:55 p.m. Beijing 15 days out and book the moment the window opens — popular routes (Beijing↔Shanghai, Shanghai↔Hangzhou, Beijing↔Xi'an) sell out in under 5 minutes for Spring Festival, May 1, and October 1 travel days.
See our 12306 English booking walkthrough if you're booking direct, or the Trip.com booking guide for the OTA path.
Hotels — book early or shift dates
For Spring Festival, May 1, or October 1 travel, hotels at major tourist destinations should be booked 60–90 days out. The two Sanya / Lijiang / Huangshan / Jiuzhaigou cohorts sell out first; Beijing and Shanghai hold inventory longer because total capacity is much larger. Tier 2/3 cities outside the standard tourist circuit are usually fine 2 weeks out.
Visas — submit 4+ weeks before any holiday
Chinese visa applications take 4–7 working days under normal load and 10–15 working days during the Spring Festival or National Day windows. Submit by mid-January for late-February travel, or by early September for late-October travel. Confirm your nationality requirement first — many travelers qualify for 240-hour visa-free transit and can skip the visa process entirely.
The “ghost city” effect during Spring Festival
A counterintuitive opportunity: during the actual 7 days of Spring Festival (Feb 16–22, 2026), Beijing's and Shanghai's central business districts are noticeably empty. Migrant workers go home. Half the small businesses close. The subway is uncrowded. The Bund at sunset is photographable without 200 selfie-takers in frame.
The trade-off: many local restaurants are closed, and the atmosphere is more “city after the apocalypse” than “festival.” If you base in one Tier 1 city for the full week, eat at hotel restaurants and chain restaurants that stay open, and visit the major attractions on weekdays during the holiday week, you get an uncrowded version of cities that are otherwise hostile to tourism. Skip long-distance travel entirely.
How to use this calendar with our other tools
The two practical follow-ups once you've mapped your itinerary against this calendar:
- Best time to visit China by region — climate matrix layered over the holiday calendar above.
- Interactive HSR map — book the train legs once you've picked dates that avoid Golden Week sell-outs.
Once you have dates that avoid the Golden Weeks
Trip.com's English calendar pricing makes the cheap weeks obvious — typically late February (post-Spring-Festival), mid-November, and the second half of January. International flights track the same curve with a ±1 week lag.
FAQ
- What are the official China public holiday dates for 2026?
- China has 7 statutory public holidays in 2026, totalling 13 days off (per the State Council's annual notice issued November 2025): New Year's Day Jan 1; Spring Festival Feb 16–22 (7 days, the actual lunar new year is Feb 17); Qingming Apr 4–6 (3 days); Labour Day May 1–5 (5 days); Dragon Boat Jun 19–21 (3 days); Mid-Autumn Sep 25–27 (3 days); National Day Oct 1–7 (7 days). Three of those holidays — Spring Festival, Labour Day, and National Day — are the 'Golden Weeks' that disrupt domestic travel.
- Which weeks should foreign travelers actually avoid?
- Three week-long holidays cause real disruption: Spring Festival (around Feb 17 in 2026, Feb 6 in 2027), Labour Day Golden Week (May 1–5), and National Day Golden Week (Oct 1–7). During these, train tickets sell out the moment the 15-day booking window opens, hotels in tourist cities are 2–3× normal price, and major attractions hit capacity caps. Add a 3–5 day buffer either side and you're safe. The other 4 statutory holidays (Qingming, Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn, New Year's Day) cause modest weekend bumps but won't derail an itinerary.
- When is Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) in 2026 and 2027?
- Chinese New Year is February 17, 2026 (Year of the Horse), with the official 7-day public holiday running February 16–22. In 2027 it's February 6 (Year of the Sheep), holiday February 6–12. Domestic travel disruption (chunyun, 春运) extends roughly 15 days before and 10 days after the official holiday — about 40 days total — even though attractions remain open the entire time.
- What is the 调休 (makeup workday) system and how does it affect me?
- China extends most Golden Weeks by 'borrowing' adjacent weekend days and making them workdays before or after. So the Saturday before Labour Day or after National Day might be a regular workday — banks open, government offices open, your business contacts at work. This catches foreigners who assume Saturday means closed. Always check the State Council's annual schedule (issued each November) for the exact makeup workdays before booking meetings.
- Are 2027 China holiday dates already confirmed?
- The major holiday dates that follow the Gregorian or lunar calendar are predictable: New Year's Day Jan 1, 2027 (Friday); Spring Festival Feb 6 (Saturday); Qingming around Apr 5; Labour Day May 1 (Saturday); Dragon Boat around Jun 9 (Wednesday); Mid-Autumn around Sep 15 (Wednesday); National Day Oct 1 (Friday). However, the exact public holiday windows (which days off, which adjacent weekends become workdays) are only confirmed by the State Council in November 2026. Use the dates above provisionally and re-check before final booking.
- Are visa offices and embassies closed during Chinese holidays?
- Yes. Chinese embassies and visa application centers worldwide observe the major Chinese holidays — Spring Festival (closed roughly Feb 14–24 in 2026), Labour Day (May 1–5), and National Day (Oct 1–7). They also typically observe local-country holidays in addition. If you're applying for a Chinese visa, submit at least 4 weeks before any Chinese holiday window to avoid processing delays. Inside China, the Public Security Bureau Exit-Entry offices close for all 7 statutory holidays.
- Are major attractions (Forbidden City, Great Wall) open on holidays?
- Yes — almost all paid attractions remain open every day of every holiday, including Chinese New Year's Day itself, with the same operating hours. The only operational change is daily visitor cap enforcement: Forbidden City sells out 7–10 days in advance during Golden Weeks, the Great Wall (Mutianyu, Badaling) hits capacity by 10 a.m., and queues at iconic sites can be 90+ minutes. Book online tickets the moment the booking window opens (typically 7 days before).
- When are flights and hotels cheapest around Chinese holidays?
- Three reliable cheap windows: (1) the week immediately AFTER Spring Festival (roughly Feb 23–Mar 5 in 2026) — domestic travel collapses and hotels drop 40–60%; (2) early-to-mid November after the National Day rebound subsides; (3) the second half of January before Spring Festival ramp-up begins. The most expensive single weeks are: the 3 days before Spring Festival, the 7 days of National Day Golden Week, and the days flanking Labour Day. International flights to China track domestic patterns with a ±1 week lag.
Related
- Best-time-by-month checker — interactive picker that pairs this holiday calendar with regional climate.
- Best time to visit China — by region and month — climate matrix that complements this holiday calendar.
- Best time to visit Tibet — Tibet flips the calendar: April–October only, plus permit timing.
- Where to go in China in October — week-by-week plan around National Day Golden Week.
- Where to go in China in summer — the 7 destinations that stay 18–25°C in July–August.
- Visa requirement checker — submit applications 4+ weeks before any Chinese holiday.
- 240-hour visa-free transit (2026) — for shorter stopover trips.
- 12306 English booking walkthrough — book the moment the 15-day rail window opens.
- Interactive HSR map of China
Holiday dates verified against the State Council of the People's Republic of China's 2026 holiday notice (国务院办公厅关于2026 年部分节假日安排的通知, issued November 2025). 2027 dates are provisional based on calendar arithmetic and will be confirmed when the corresponding 2027 notice is issued in November 2026. Travel-impact assessments draw on repeat foreign-traveler observation across Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Chengdu, and Yunnan during Spring Festival, Labour Day, and National Day windows, 2018–2025.