Chinese New Year 2027: When to Order Apparel from China

Chinese New Year 2027 is on Saturday, 6 February. New Year’s Eve, when families gather, is Friday, 5 February. It starts the Year of the Goat. The exact days off and make-up working days are set by the State Council in Beijing. The 2026 schedule was published on 4 November 2025, so we expect the 2027 schedule in November 2026. We will update this article once it is out.

What to expect around the festival

Officially there is about one week off. In January and after the festival, production runs normally. In the days around the festival there can be delays, though: many workers travel to their home provinces, some suppliers close a few days early, and forwarders and ports are very busy. Our team in China therefore agrees dates with the factory early and plans some buffer around the festival.

Planning backwards for goods in March 2027

An example for a hoodie run from 300 pieces with your own label. Production takes anywhere from three days to four weeks depending on the item; a hoodie with your own label is closer to the upper end. Real times depend on fabric, decoration, quantity and route and are calculated for each order.

• Delivery wanted in the EU: mid-March 2027
• Sea freight including customs clearance and delivery: 50 to 65 days, so departure around 10 January at the latest
• Pre-shipment inspection and loading: about one week, so goods finished in early January
• Bulk production: up to four weeks, so start by early December 2026
• Ordering fabric and trims: one to two weeks before, so late November
• Sample approval: mid-November 2026 at the latest

If approval slips into December, produce in January and use air freight (about 15 days) to make the March date. By sea the goods would arrive in late March to April. See sea freight or air freight for the trade-off.

China public holidays 2027 at a glance

The festival dates are fixed because they follow the lunar or solar calendar. The length of the breaks and the make-up days are provisional until the State Council announces them.

• New Year: Friday, 1 January 2027, probably three days off with the weekend
• Spring Festival: Saturday, 6 February 2027, official break probably about one week from 5 February, possible delays before and after
• Qingming Festival: Monday, 5 April 2027
• Labour Day: Saturday, 1 May 2027, usually several days off
• Dragon Boat Festival: Wednesday, 9 June 2027
• Mid-Autumn Festival: Wednesday, 15 September 2027
• National Day: Friday, 1 October 2027, usually the "Golden Week" until 7 October

Golden Week in October also affects production and ports. If you plan Christmas goods or winter merch for Q4 2027 by sea, have them finished before the end of September so they arrive in early December.

What to fix now

• Tech pack or specification with fabric, weight, Pantone colours and sizes
• Labels, hangtags and packaging, since trims have their own lead times
• Target delivery date and whether part quantities by air make sense
• Who approves samples, and how fast

At DS Trading you have one European contact who goes through the plan with you. Our team in China knows the producers personally and checks capacity and materials on site before the festival. We give realistic dates and get in touch on our own if something is off. Delivery DDP, invoice from Germany. The full process is in import in six steps, and you can send your enquiry via contact.