Chinese New Year 2027: when to place your order so you don't run out of stock
Chinese New Year 2027 falls on 6 February 2027. Factories stop for several weeks. Key dates, how to plan your order and what happens after the Lantern Festival.
Supro Group team
If you import from China, one date on the calendar matters more than any other: Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival. In 2027 it falls on 6 February 2027 and begins the Year of the Fire Goat. For your supply chain it means something very concrete: for several weeks, a large share of Chinese factories works at half pace or shuts down completely.
This is not a two-day holiday. Hundreds of millions of people travel back to their hometowns, including most of the workers on production lines. Many leave before the official holiday and return gradually after the Lantern Festival. Importers who don't plan ahead end up with orders on hold, delays of a month or more and, in the worst case, a sales season with no stock.
Key dates for 2027
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 8 December 2026 | Last recommended day to confirm a new order so that it ships before the shutdown. |
| 23 January 2027 | Factories start to empty out; whatever is not finished usually waits until afterwards. |
| 6 February 2027 | Chinese New Year. Expected official holiday: 5–12 February. |
| 20 February 2027 | Lantern Festival: end of the celebrations; workers return little by little. |
| 8 March 2027 | Approximate date when production lines are back to normal pace. |
The Chinese government usually publishes the official holiday dates in November. The dates above are our planning dates; we update them when the official announcement comes out.
Why the problem lasts longer than the holiday
The official holiday lasts about a week, but the effect on production lasts four to six weeks. Before the shutdown, every factory wants to finish its orders at the same time: materials, labor and vessel space become scarce, and freight rates usually go up. Afterwards, the restart is slow: some workers change jobs or cities, and factories take time to get back to full capacity.
- Orders confirmed late risk sitting half-finished throughout the shutdown.
- The rush before the holiday increases quality mistakes: this is exactly when inspection matters most.
- Shipping lines and ports also get congested; book space early.
How to plan your order
- Count backwards from the date you need the goods in your warehouse: ocean transit (about 30 to 40 days to the Pacific coast), customs and inland transport.
- Add production time (usually 30 to 45 days) and sampling time if the product is new.
- If the result lands close to 8 December 2026, confirm as soon as possible, or plan the order to be produced after the factories reopen.
- For the March and April season, the safest option is to have the goods shipped before the shutdown.
- Pay the balance only after you receive the inspection report, even in peak season.
If your order is already running late
Not all is lost. There are three alternatives we usually suggest: split the order and ship a first part before the shutdown; look for a factory with raw materials or a similar product in stock; or accept a realistic delivery date after the reopening and plan your season around it. What we don't recommend is pushing the factory to finish in a few days at any cost: that is the most common recipe for quality problems.
Summary
- Chinese New Year 2027: 6 February 2027. Lantern Festival: 20 February 2027.
- Confirm your orders before 8 December 2026 if you need them before March.
- Expect reduced capacity until around 8 March 2027.
- Always inspect before paying the balance, especially in peak season.
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