China's State Council has published the official 2027 public holiday schedule. If you import from China into the UK, these dates decide when your factory stops, when your goods can leave port and when your stock lands. Chinese New Year 2027 runs from Friday 5 February to Saturday 13 February, and it is the one break that every UK buyer has to plan around.
This Epic Guide sets out every 2027 holiday, what it does to production, and suggested dates to place purchase orders and ship by sea or air to the UK. Use it to plan your Q1 orders now, and keep it handy for the rest of the year.
Author note: TK Wang, Founder and Director at Epic Sourcing. The holiday dates come from the State Council General Office notice on 2027 holidays, published on 5 November 2026. The order and shipping dates are our planning guidance, not guarantees. Every factory, product and shipping lane is different.
Chinese New Year 2027 is 5 to 13 February, with make-up working days on Sunday 31 January and Sunday 14 February. Many factories stop earlier and restart later than the official dates. For stock to ship before the break, aim to place orders by early December 2026 and have goods ready to leave by around 22 January 2027. The other big break is National Day Golden Week, 1 to 7 October 2027, which hits UK Christmas stock.
These are the dates in the State Council notice. China often swaps weekend days to create longer breaks, so some Saturdays and Sundays become normal working days. We have listed those make-up days too, because factories will be working on them.
| Holiday | Days off (2027) | Length | Make-up working days |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Fri 1 Jan to Sun 3 Jan | 3 days | None |
| Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) | Fri 5 Feb to Sat 13 Feb | 9 days | Sun 31 Jan and Sun 14 Feb |
| Qingming (Tomb Sweeping) | Sat 3 Apr to Mon 5 Apr | 3 days | None |
| Labour Day | Sat 1 May to Wed 5 May | 5 days | Sat 8 May |
| Dragon Boat Festival | Wed 9 Jun | 1 day | None |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | Wed 15 Sep | 1 day | None |
| National Day (Golden Week) | Fri 1 Oct to Thu 7 Oct | 7 days | Sun 26 Sep and Sat 9 Oct |
Note that Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day are separate in 2027. In some years they merge into one long break, so do not copy last year's plan without checking.
The official break is nine days. In practice most factories lose two to four weeks of output. Many workers travel home to other provinces, and factories wind down before the holiday and take time to get back to full staff afterwards.
Ask your factory for its own closing and reopening dates in writing. They are often wider than the official dates and can vary between factories in the same city.
The suggested dates below assume a standard order with about 30 to 45 days of production after sample approval, sea freight through the Suez Canal to a UK port, and air freight door to door. They are planning guidance, not guarantees. Add extra time for new suppliers, custom packaging or complex products.
| Month (2027) | Holiday | Factory impact | Suggested PO by | Suggested ship by: sea | Suggested ship by: air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | New Year, 1 to 3 Jan. Make-up day Sun 31 Jan. | Short break, then the pre-Chinese New Year rush. Freight space and prices tighten. | Early December 2026 for goods that must leave before Chinese New Year | Around 22 Jan to clear the factory and port before the break | Around 29 Jan |
| February | Spring Festival, 5 to 13 Feb. Make-up day Sun 14 Feb. | Biggest stoppage of the year. Two to four weeks of lost output is common. | Mid January for orders to start straight after the break | Little or nothing ships from early Feb until factories restart | Plan no air shipments from about 1 Feb until late Feb |
| March | None | Factories recover and work through the backlog. Watch quality on the first runs. | Early March for stock to ship before Labour Day | Post-holiday orders usually ship from mid March | Normal |
| April | Qingming, 3 to 5 Apr | Short break with little effect. Canton Fair spring session season. | Mid March for goods to leave before Labour Day | Around 23 Apr to beat the Labour Day slowdown | Around 28 Apr |
| May | Labour Day, 1 to 5 May. Make-up day Sat 8 May. | Five days off. Many factories close for the full break. | Normal | Normal after 6 May | Normal after 6 May |
| June | Dragon Boat, 9 Jun | One day. Little effect. | End of June for UK Christmas stock by sea | Normal | Normal |
| July | None | Normal production. Peak season freight demand starts to build. | Mid July at the latest for Christmas stock by sea | Book space early as peak season builds | Normal |
| August | None | Busy with Q4 orders. Factories may fill their slots before Golden Week. | Mid August for goods to leave before Golden Week | End of August to early September for UK arrival by mid October | Normal |
| September | Mid-Autumn, 15 Sep. Make-up day Sun 26 Sep. | One day off, then the pre-Golden Week rush. | Normal | Around 24 Sep to leave before Golden Week | Around 28 Sep |
| October | National Day, 1 to 7 Oct. Make-up day Sat 9 Oct. | Most factories close for the week. Output slow until mid October. | Early November for goods to leave before Chinese New Year 2028 | Normal from mid October | Mid to late October is the last safe window for Christmas stock |
| November to December | None | Normal production. Plan Chinese New Year 2028 orders. | Check the 2028 notice when it is published | Normal | Normal |
China's 2028 holiday dates have not been published yet. We will update this guide when the State Council notice comes out.
National Day Golden Week, 1 to 7 October 2027, lands right in the window when UK retailers ship Christmas stock. If your goods are not finished and booked before the break, they can lose one to two weeks and miss the shelves.
For more on choosing between sea and air, see our post on sea freight vs air freight from China to the UK.
Major carriers have announced a return to Asia to Europe services through the Suez Canal, as reported by The Loadstar. That shortens sea journeys compared with routing around the Cape of Good Hope. Our sea dates assume Suez routing with time for booking, port handling and UK customs clearance. Our air dates allow for the pre-holiday rush on air cargo space.
Carrier schedules change, so always confirm transit times with your freight forwarder before you commit to a launch date. Our freight and shipping costs guide covers current costs from China and Vietnam to the UK, and our post on managing lead times in your supply chain explains how to build in buffers.
Epic Sourcing has teams on the ground in China and Vietnam. We plan production around the holiday calendar, chase factories before each break, inspect goods before they ship and organise freight to the UK.
We also run stand-alone pre-shipment inspections (Factory Audits & QC, £449 per report). Current prices for every package are on our pricing page.
The official public holiday runs from Friday 5 February to Saturday 13 February 2027. Sunday 31 January and Sunday 14 February are working days to make up for it.
The official break is nine days, but many factories lose two to four weeks of output because staff leave early and return late. Ask your factory for its own dates.
For a standard order, aim to place the order by early December 2026, so goods are finished and can leave by around 22 January 2027 by sea. If you are past that point, talk to us about splitting the order or using air freight for urgent lines.
Golden Week is China's National Day holiday, from Friday 1 October to Thursday 7 October 2027. Sunday 26 September and Saturday 9 October are working days. Many factories close for the full week.
Major ports keep running, but trucking, customs brokers and factories slow down or stop, so goods often cannot reach the port. Plan as if nothing moves during the main breaks.
No. They are planning guidance based on typical production and transit times. Your real dates depend on your product, factory, freight booking and customs. We confirm dates order by order for our clients.
Tell us what you are ordering and when you need it in the UK. We will help you set realistic order, production and shipping dates with your factory.
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