In short: Chinese New Year (also called Spring Festival) shuts down most Chinese factories for 1-3 weeks around the holiday itself, but the real disruption window is 4-6 weeks long once you account for workers leaving early to travel home and the slow ramp-back to full production afterward. The next Chinese New Year falls on February 6, 2027 (the Year of the Goat). To avoid a February-March stock-out, most experienced importers place their last pre-holiday order by early November 2026 and build a 6-8 week buffer into any shipment scheduled to leave China between mid-January and late February 2027.

What is Chinese New Year and why does it affect sourcing from China?

Chinese New Year (CNY), also known as Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, is China's most significant public holiday — the equivalent of Christmas, New Year's Eve, and a nationwide two-week vacation combined. The official public holiday is usually 7-10 days, but because it's the one time of year most factory workers travel home to see family (often a multi-day journey each way), the practical shutdown for many factories extends well beyond the official dates.

When is the next Chinese New Year?

The next Chinese New Year falls on February 6, 2027, marking the start of the Year of the Goat. For reference, Chinese New Year fell on February 17, 2026 (Year of the Horse), and the date moves within the Chinese lunar calendar each year, generally landing somewhere between late January and mid-February.

How long do Chinese factories actually shut down?

The official public holiday is typically 7-10 days, but most factories experience a much longer disruption window in practice.

Worked example: a typical CNY disruption timeline (for the February 6, 2027 holiday)

When should you place your last order before Chinese New Year?

Work backwards from the holiday using your product's full production and shipping timeline, not just production time. If your product takes 4 weeks to produce and 6 weeks to ship by sea, and you want stock to land before the holiday disruption affects your supply, your last safe order date is roughly 10-12 weeks before CNY — for February 6, 2027, that's approximately early-to-mid November 2026. Many experienced importers build in an extra 2-3 week safety margin on top of that, since factories get busiest (and least flexible) in the final weeks before the holiday.

What if you need stock during the CNY disruption window itself?

If your sell-through calendar means you need stock in February or March 2027 regardless, you have three practical options: place your order early enough (by early November 2026) that production finishes and ships well before the shutdown, hold safety stock in a local warehouse to bridge the gap, or work with a sourcing partner who can identify factories still running skeleton crews (common for larger manufacturers with staggered worker rotations) to keep smaller orders moving through the holiday period. Whichever factory you use, our 12-point manufacturer verification checklist is worth running through before committing to an unfamiliar supplier under time pressure.

How does Chinese New Year affect shipping and freight, not just production?

Freight demand spikes hard in the 3-4 weeks before CNY as every importer tries to get stock out before the shutdown, which pushes ocean and air freight rates up and can mean container space books out earlier than usual. Freight forwarders, customs brokers, and even ports run reduced schedules during the holiday itself. Booking freight space 3-4 weeks earlier than you normally would for a pre-CNY shipment is a common workaround experienced importers use to avoid last-minute rate spikes and space shortages. Our complete guide to shipping from China covers freight modes and typical transit times in more detail.

Does Chinese New Year affect payments and supplier communication?

Yes — bank transfers, invoicing, and supplier responsiveness all slow down in the 1-2 weeks around the holiday, since accounting staff also travel home. If you have a final balance payment due around CNY, confirm the exact timeline with your supplier well in advance, since a late payment during the shutdown period can delay your shipment by the full length of the holiday rather than just a few days.

Frequently asked questions

When exactly is Chinese New Year 2027?

Chinese New Year 2027 falls on February 6, 2027, marking the start of the Year of the Goat.

How many weeks before Chinese New Year should I place my last order?

Most experienced importers aim to have production finished and goods shipped at least 3-4 weeks before the holiday begins, which typically means placing the order itself 10-12 weeks ahead — for February 6, 2027, that's roughly early-to-mid November 2026.

Do all factories shut down for the same length of time?

No — larger factories with migrant workers from distant provinces often see longer disruption (a full month or more), while smaller, locally-staffed workshops sometimes reopen faster. Your sourcing partner or agent will usually know a specific factory's typical pattern from past years.

Can I still get samples made during the Chinese New Year period?

Generally no — sample production requires the same skilled staff who travel home for the holiday, so sampling requests are best submitted at least 6-8 weeks before CNY if you need them approved and into production before the shutdown.

Does Chinese New Year affect Vietnam sourcing too?

Vietnam observes its own Lunar New Year (Tết) around the same dates, with a similar though often shorter factory disruption window — typically 1-2 weeks of full shutdown plus a slower ramp-back, so the same planning principles apply if you're sourcing from Vietnam instead of or alongside China.

How Epic Sourcing helps

Epic Sourcing's bilingual teams on the ground in China and Vietnam track each factory partner's specific Chinese New Year shutdown pattern year to year, so production schedules and freight bookings get built around the holiday instead of getting caught by it. Whether you're placing a routine reorder or planning first-time production for markets like the Takealot marketplace in South Africa or Noon and Amazon.ae in the UAE, our end-to-end sourcing and freight forwarding services build the CNY calendar into your project timeline from day one. Contact us for a no-pressure conversation about timing your next order.

Last updated: July 26, 2026