Chinese New Year (Spring Festival)

When is Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) 2027?

Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) 2027 runs February 5 to 20, 2027.

How the dates are set: Follows the lunisolar calendar: Day 1 is the first new moon of the lunar year, in late January or mid-February.

See every event in February 2027

Source: foyochinatrip.com

Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) schedule

• Friday, February 5, 2027: Chinese New Year's Eve. The celebration period runs from New Year's Eve on February 5 to the Lantern Festival on February 20.
• Saturday, February 6, 2027: Chinese New Year 2027 falls on February 6, 2027 (Saturday).
• Day 15: On the 15th day of the first lunar month a lantern festival is held. Families and organizations place lanterns along the street, and some people hang riddles for visitors to solve.
• Saturday, February 20, 2027: The Lantern Festival ends the celebration.

Sources: foyochinatrip.com, hellochinatrip.com, publicholidays.cn

Getting to Chinese New Year (Spring Festival)

• Train tickets for the Spring Festival travel rush often sell out within hours of release.
• Consider arriving several days before Chinese New Year begins to see the preparations and avoid the busiest transportation days.

Source: balicopter.com

Where to stay in Beijing

• Hotels increase rates around the holiday. Book flights and accommodations months in advance, especially for travel within China.

Source: balicopter.com

History of Chinese New Year (Spring Festival)

The Spring Festival dates back to the beginning of the Shang Dynasty about 4000 years ago, when it began as a tradition of respect to ancestors and deities. Legend says the nian monster could be driven away with the color red, which is why red is now a lucky color used in clothing and fireworks.

Source: publicholidays.cn

Chinese New Year (Spring Festival): questions people ask

Sources: hellochinatrip.com, balicopter.com, publicholidays.cn, foyochinatrip.com

About Chinese New Year (Spring Festival)

China's biggest holiday: family dinners, red lanterns, fireworks and a Lantern Festival two weeks later.

Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is the most important traditional holiday in Chinese culture. In 2027 it starts on February 6, and the celebration runs from New Year's Eve on February 5 to the Lantern Festival on February 20. Expect dragon dances, fireworks, street festivals and lanterns hung along the streets. The catch is the travel rush: trains, flights and hotels fill up and prices rise.

Know before you go

• Book flights and hotels months ahead, especially for travel inside China.
• Skip gifts in sets of four, a number tied to misfortune.
• Beijing Capital (PEK) is the main gateway for Beijing, and Shanghai Pudong (PVG) and Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN) serve the other big holiday cities.

Planning the trip

• Best time to visit Beijing
• Best time to visit China

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