New Year Holiday 2026 and 2027
China celebrates New Year’s Day with a public holiday every 1 January, as does most of the rest of the world. However, the celebrations really begin on New Year’s Eve and reach a high point with the turning of the clock from 11:59pm on 31 December to midnight on 1 January.
| Year | Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 Jan to 2 Jan | Thu to Fri | New Year Holiday |
| 2027 | 1 Jan | Fri | New Year Holiday |
| Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates. | |||
Overall, New Year’s Day Eve and Day are not comparable events to Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations 1-2 months later. Instead, “Western” New Year’s Day is basically an off-work day and a minor warm-up for the “real” New Year’s celebrations in China when people will travel vast distances to reunite with family and follow long-held Chinese New Year traditions.
China adopted the Western Calendar for many purposes back in 1912, so Chinese people are not unfamiliar with the idea of a new year starting on the first day of January. But as many cultural celebrations are based on the Chinese lunar calendar, there just isn’t much significance attached to “Western New Year’s Day”.
However, in some cities like Hong Kong and Macau, you will certainly see fireworks and other typical New Year’s traditions being carried out.
Previous Years
| Year | Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 Jan | Wed | New Year Holiday |
| 2024 | 1 Jan | Mon | New Year Holiday |