Chinese New Year 2026

The festive period will affect production, logistics and transport in China due to public holidays and vacation days

The celebrations will last for 16 days, but manufacturing companies will be officially closed from 15 February to 23 February, also affecting transport options to and from China. For Hong Kong, there will be three closed days as the official holiday runs from Tuesday 17 February 2025 through Thursday 19 February 2026. Generally, you can expect changed conditions in the weeks before and after the celebrations.

2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse

Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is China's most important holiday. It marks the beginning of the new lunar year, the start of which varies from late January to mid-February. The festivities last for two weeks and culminate in the Lantern Festival. Each new cycle of the Chinese calendar is assigned one of the twelve animal signs, and each year is also assigned one of the five elements, providing a specific theme for the year.

Book in advance

Traditionally, there has always been pressure on capacity on both sea and air freight around the Chinese New Year, so we recommend that you plan and book well in advance of departure to secure space and containers. If you have any questions, please reach out to your usual Blue Water contact person.