Chinese Public Holidays 2026: A Foreigner’s Survival Guide
Every January or February, China runs the largest human migration on the planet: the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, with well over a billion trips on the move. New arrivals shrug at it. Then February hits, the dumpling shop closes, and the courier says he will be back after the break. The holidays here run your calendar more than your employer does, so here is the version we wish someone had handed us at the airport.
TL;DR (the 30-second version)
- Seven public holidays in 2026: New Year, Spring Festival, Qingming, Labor Day, Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn, National Day.
- Spring Festival (Feb 17) and National Day (Oct 1) are the big ones: 8 and 7 days off, everything slow, everything crowded.
- Qingming (Apr 5), Dragon Boat (Jun 19) and Mid-Autumn (Sep 25) give three-day weekends – the best travel windows of the year.
- Banks, government offices and consulates close on statutory days; supermarkets, malls and convenience stores stay open.
- Since the 2025 reform China has 13 statutory public holidays a year (up from 11) – more long weekends than you would expect.
The 2026 calendar at a glance
| Date (2026) | Holiday | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 (Thu) | New Year | One day off. Offices and banks closed; shops normal. |
| Feb 17 (Tue) | Spring Festival | Eight days off. The countrywide shutdown; trains sell out days ahead. |
| Apr 5 (Sun) | Qingming | Three-day weekend. Spring outings and tomb-sweeping; mild crowds. |
| May 1 (Fri) | Labor Day | Five days off. First big travel wave of the year. |
| Jun 19 (Fri) | Dragon Boat | Three-day weekend. Races by the rivers, zongzi (rice dumplings) everywhere. |
| Sep 25 (Fri) | Mid-Autumn | Three-day weekend. Mooncake season peaks; mild crowds. |
| Oct 1 (Thu) | National Day | Seven days off. The other Golden Week: huge crowds, double hotel rates. |
Spring Festival: the eight days that stop the country
Chinese New Year in 2026 is the Year of the Horse, and the official break runs eight days around Feb 17. Small family restaurants routinely close for one to three weeks – not just the statutory days – so the blocks around your apartment go quiet in a way Western cities never do. Big chains, hotpot places and supermarkets stay open. SF Express keeps a limited pickup service with a small holiday surcharge; other couriers come and go on their own schedules.
Book trains 15 days out on the official 12306 app – that is the advance-purchase window – and expect sleepers to go within hours. Flights right before and after the break are the expensive ones. If you stay put, order food delivery early in the day; riders thin out by evening.
National Day: book early or stay home
Oct 1 to 7, 2026. This is the other Golden Week, and it deserves respect. Hotel rates we have seen double or triple for the week, scenic tickets sell out, and the famous sights become queues. Two habits that work for us: book hotels in September with free cancellation, and pick second-tier cities over the famous gateways – same region, a fraction of the crowd. Or skip travel and enjoy the empty streets near your apartment.
The quiet holidays are the travel window
Qingming (Sunday, Apr 5), Dragon Boat (Friday, Jun 19) and Mid-Autumn (Friday, Sep 25) each stretch into a three-day weekend with no huge travel wave. This is when we actually go somewhere: same towns, a third of the crowd, hotel prices near normal. Note: Mid-Autumn and National Day sit two weeks apart in 2026, so plan September – mooncakes peak around Sep 25, then the Oct 1 storm starts.
The expat checklist before each long break
- Banking: sort transfers and withdrawals before the break. ATMs still work, but branches close for the full statutory days.
- Papers: visa renewals, residence permits and anything at the entry-exit bureau – do it before, not after. The bureau follows the holiday calendar.
- Food: stock the fridge before Spring Festival in particular; many small grocers reopen only after the break ends.
- Medication: refill anything regular beforehand – mall pharmacies mostly stay open, hospital outpatient numbers drop.
- Appointments: dentists, gyms, repair shops all run skeleton staff – call ahead or book online before the long weekend starts.
One rule covers most of it: if it involves a government window, an official stamp, or a delivery, do it before the break.
Make-up days: check the official notice
China builds long weekends by moving regular weekends around, so a Saturday or Sunday can become a working day right before or after the holiday – the pattern changes every year. The exact 2026 dates, including make-up working days (tiao xiu), are set out in the annual notice from the General Office of the State Council, published in November 2025. Read it on the official English portal (english.www.gov.cn, search for “2026 holiday arrangement”) instead of trusting a blog, and screenshot it for your calendar.
This article is general information based on the EasternReset Team’s own experience in China, for reference only. It is not legal, tax, or professional advice, and it is not affiliated with any government body. Holiday dates and arrangements are set by the Chinese government and can change – always confirm against the official State Council notice before booking travel or appointments. See our health and liability disclaimer.
Editorial review: EasternReset Team · Snapshot: 2026-09. Found an error? Let us know.