Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Saturday, February 6, 2027. It opens the Year of the Goat, which lasts until January 25, 2028. New Year's Eve, the night of the family reunion dinner, is Friday, February 5, and the 15 days of celebration end with the Lantern Festival on Saturday, February 20, 2027.
What day is Chinese New Year 2027?
February 6, 2027 is the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calendar, as listed in the conversion tables of the Hong Kong Observatory. Because it is a Saturday, most parades and community events in the US and the UK are likely to be held that same weekend or the one after.
The year that begins is the Year of the Goat, a Fire Goat year in the 60-year cycle. It follows the Year of the Horse, which began on February 17, 2026.
Why does the date change every year?
The traditional calendar is lunisolar. Months follow the moon: each one begins on the day of a new moon and lasts 29 or 30 days. Twelve of those months add up to about 354 days, roughly 11 days short of a solar year. To keep the months in step with the seasons, an extra month is added in seven years out of every 19.
The new year begins on a new moon in late winter, and between 1900 and 2100 it never falls earlier than January 21 or later than February 20. In 2027 the new moon arrives at 11:56 p.m. Beijing time on February 6, only minutes before midnight, which is why the date is a day later in one neighboring country (see below).
Chinese New Year 2027 calendar: the key days
The festival is a season of 15 days rather than a single day, with a run-up that starts a week earlier. Not every family marks every day, and customs vary by region. These are the days most often observed.
| Date in 2027 | Day | What traditionally happens |
|---|---|---|
| January 30–31 | 23rd–24th of the last lunar month | The Kitchen God is sent off with sweet offerings; the house is cleaned from top to bottom |
| Friday, February 5 | New Year's Eve | Reunion dinner, red envelopes for children, staying up past midnight |
| Saturday, February 6 | Day 1 | Chinese New Year. New clothes, greetings to elders, no sweeping |
| Sunday, February 7 | Day 2 | Married daughters traditionally visit their parents |
| Wednesday, February 10 | Day 5 | Po wu ("break five"): dumplings are eaten and many shops reopen |
| Friday, February 12 | Day 7 | Renri ("day of humankind"), by legend the day people were created |
| Saturday, February 20 | Day 15 | Lantern Festival: lanterns, riddles and sweet rice dumplings |
What each custom means is covered in our guide to Chinese New Year traditions, and the things people avoid on the first day are in Chinese New Year superstitions.
When is the Lantern Festival in 2027?
The Lantern Festival, Yuanxiao Jie, is on Saturday, February 20, 2027. It always falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, the first full-moon night of the new year, and it closes the holiday season. Families carry or hang lanterns, guess riddles written on slips of paper attached to them and eat round rice-flour dumplings called yuanxiao or tangyuan.
Do not confuse it with the Mid-Autumn Festival, which also features lanterns but is held in September or October, or with the ticketed "lantern festival" light shows that run in many American cities through the winter.
How long is the public holiday?
The traditional season is 15 days long, but days off work are fewer and depend on where you are.
- Mainland China. The Spring Festival break is set by the government each year. The schedule for 2027 had not been published when this page was last updated in November 2026.
- Hong Kong. The general holidays are Saturday, February 6, Monday, February 8 and Tuesday, February 9, 2027. The second day of the new year falls on a Sunday, so the fourth day is a holiday in its place.
- Vietnam. The first day of Tết is also February 6, 2027. Public-sector employees are off from Thursday, February 4 through Wednesday, February 10.
- South Korea. Seollal falls on Sunday, February 7, 2027, a day later than in China. The new moon comes at 12:56 a.m. Korean time, already on February 7. The holiday covers the day before and the day after.
- United States and United Kingdom. The day is not a national public holiday in either country. In 2027 it lands on a weekend in any case.
Chinese New Year dates from 2026 to 2030
| Year | Chinese New Year | Zodiac animal | Lantern Festival |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Tuesday, February 17 | Horse | Tuesday, March 3 |
| 2027 | Saturday, February 6 | Goat | Saturday, February 20 |
| 2028 | Wednesday, January 26 | Monkey | Wednesday, February 9 |
| 2029 | Tuesday, February 13 | Rooster | Tuesday, February 27 |
| 2030 | Sunday, February 3 | Dog | Sunday, February 17 |
The zodiac sign changes on these dates, not on January 1. A baby born on February 5, 2027 is a Horse; one born the next day is a Goat. You can check any birthday from 1900 on with the Birthday Profile tool, and the full list of signs is on our Chinese New Year animals page.
Is it the same day as Lunar New Year?
In most years, yes. "Lunar New Year" in everyday American use means the new year celebrated on this new moon in China, Vietnam, Korea and in communities around the world. The date is calculated from local time, so once in a while it differs by a day between countries, as it does for Korea in 2027.
Other new years that follow a lunar or lunisolar calendar fall at different times. The Tibetan and Mongolian new years, for example, may coincide with the Chinese date or come about a month later. Which name to use, and when, is explained in Lunar New Year vs Chinese New Year.