China's 2027 public holiday dates are already set by the calendar, even though the official day-off schedule is not out yet.
As of October 2026, China's seven statutory 2027 holidays have confirmed festival dates but no official day-off schedule yet. The anchor dates: New Year's Day (January 1), Spring Festival (February 6), Qingming (April 5), Labour Day (May 1), Dragon Boat (June 9), Mid-Autumn (September 15) and National Day (October 1). The exact days off, and the Saturdays you work to bridge them, come from the State Council, usually in December, the way the 2026 calendar eventually settled. So you can book the big trips around the festival dates now, and confirm the fine print later.
Which 2027 holiday dates are already fixed?
China's 2027 festival dates are set by the solar and lunar calendars, so they do not move no matter when the official notice lands. Spring Festival, the biggest, falls on Saturday, February 6, 2027, with New Year's Eve the night before. National Day is Friday, October 1. The other five sit where the calendar puts them, as below.
What is not confirmed yet, and when it lands
What is still missing for 2027 is the 放假安排, the official arrangement that turns each festival into an actual run of days off. The State Council publishes it late in the year, typically in late November or December; the 2023 schedule, for comparison, came out in early December 2022. Until that notice drops, treat the single festival day as certain and the long weekend around it as likely but not locked.
The part that catches newcomers is 调休, the make-up workday. China often stretches a holiday to a full week by borrowing a nearby Saturday and Sunday, which you then work to pay them back. That is why a "seven-day" Spring Festival can be bracketed by two six-day work weeks. The pattern repeats most years, so the week-long shape of Spring Festival and National Day is a safe bet; the precise dates of the worked weekends are the bit worth waiting for. We update this guide the day the 2027 notice is published.
The two breaks worth booking travel around now
Two of the seven holidays turn into week-long national breaks when the whole country moves at once: Spring Festival around February 6 and National Day from October 1. Trains and flights sell out first and climb in price, and hotels in the obvious places follow. If you are travelling then, book as early as you can; our guide to booking train tickets on 12306 covers the release windows. Over Spring Festival much of Shanghai itself empties and shuts, which our guide to what closes over Chinese New Year walks through, and if you would rather chase the sun, see where to escape a Shanghai winter. For the shorter breaks, a day trip from Shanghai is the easier win.
Good to know
- Good for: anyone planning 2027 travel, leave or a visitor's visit around China's public holidays.
- What is confirmed: the seven festival dates, including Spring Festival on February 6 and National Day on October 1.
- What is pending: the official day-off and make-up-workday schedule, expected from the State Council around December 2026.
- Make the most of it: book Spring Festival and National Day travel the moment tickets release, and check the 12306 ticket windows so you are ready the moment they open.
When is Chinese New Year in 2027?
Chinese New Year's Day is Saturday, February 6, 2027, with New Year's Eve on February 5. That date is fixed by the lunar calendar. The full public holiday around it, usually about a week, is set later by the State Council, expected around December 2026.
Is the 2027 China public holiday schedule out yet?
No. As of October 2026 the State Council has not published the official 2027 arrangement, which sets the exact days off and the make-up workdays. It normally appears in late November or December. The festival dates themselves are already known and listed above.
How many public holidays does China have in 2027?
Seven statutory holidays: New Year's Day, Spring Festival, Qingming, Labour Day, Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn and National Day. Spring Festival and National Day usually extend to about a week each, while the others run one to five days depending on the make-up-workday arrangement.
When is the 2027 National Day holiday in China?
National Day falls on Friday, October 1, 2027, and typically opens a week-long national break. Expect trains, flights and popular hotels to sell out early and run at peak prices, so book well ahead once the official dates and ticket windows are confirmed.
What is a make-up workday in China?
A make-up workday (调休) is a weekend day you work so a holiday can run longer. To build a seven-day Spring Festival or National Day break, the calendar often borrows a nearby Saturday and Sunday, which become normal working days. The 2027 make-up dates are part of the official schedule still to be published.
As the Book of Rites puts it, 凡事豫则立，不豫则废, plan ahead and you stand, fail to and it falls apart. With the dates known and the fine print still coming, this is a year to pencil in early and confirm later.
Sources · 资料来源
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