Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, is the single biggest disruption in the China shipping calendar. In 2027, New Year's Eve is Friday, February 5 and New Year's Day is Saturday, February 6. The official public holiday in mainland China is expected to run from February 5 to February 12, and the festive season traditionally ends with the Lantern Festival on Saturday, February 20, 2027.
The official holiday is only a week, but its effect on freight is much longer. Many factory workers travel home to other provinces, so production often stops several days before the holiday and takes one to three weeks after it to return to full capacity. Our homepage warns that Chinese factories commonly close for two to four weeks in total. For a Canadian importer, that turns a one-week holiday into a six-to-eight-week planning window.
Key 2027 dates for importers
| Date (2027) | What it means for your freight |
|---|---|
| Early to mid-January | Pre-holiday rush. Factories push to finish orders; demand for ocean and air space out of China climbs. |
| Late January | Workers start leaving. Trucking to ports gets harder to book; late production is the biggest risk. |
| Feb 5 to Feb 12 | Official public holiday (expected). Most factories, many suppliers' offices and some origin services are closed. |
| Feb 13 onward | Gradual restart. Offices reopen first; production lines fill as workers return. |
| Feb 20 | Lantern Festival marks the end of the season. Many factories are near normal output by late February or early March. |
The milestones to work back from
Our China to Canada page counts down to the same planning milestones for the 2027 season:
- About December 12, 2026: place final orders so production finishes before the shutdown.
- About January 2, 2027: book ocean space. Pre-holiday sailings fill up and rates climb.
- About January 16, 2027: have cargo ready for ocean freight. Later risks missing the last sailings.
- About January 27, 2027: practical air freight cut-off, as factory workers start leaving for the holiday.
Work backwards from the date you need stock in Canada
Door-to-door time is more than the sailing. On our main lanes, typical planning figures are about 14 to 18 days by sea from Shanghai to Vancouver port to port, 12 to 16 days from Ningbo to Prince Rupert, and 4 to 7 days door to door for air freight from China to Toronto. Add origin trucking and export handling, terminal and customs time in Canada, and inland delivery. Rail or truck from Vancouver to Toronto adds roughly a week. Our guide to how long shipping from China to Canada takes breaks this down by stage.
A simple rule for the 2027 season:
- Stock needed in Canada in February: goods should be finished, inspected and handed to the carrier before mid-January 2027.
- Stock needed in March: either ship before the holiday, or accept that production will resume late February and the cargo will reach Canada in late March or April by sea.
- Anything finished after about January 25: assume it may not leave the factory until after the holiday unless your supplier confirms otherwise in writing.
Book space early, and confirm cargo-ready dates
Before the holiday, everyone tries to ship at once. Carriers can roll containers to later sailings when vessels are full, and the trucks that move containers from factories to the port are in short supply as drivers head home. Booking with your forwarder three to four weeks before the cargo-ready date, rather than one to two, gives far more room to secure space. It also helps to:
- Get a firm cargo-ready date from the supplier, and ask what happens if it slips past the holiday.
- Have the commercial invoice and packing list prepared before the goods are finished, so export clearance is not waiting on paperwork. See our import documents checklist.
- Make sure your Canadian import account and CARM setup are in order so the shipment is not held at the Canadian end.
- Arrange quality inspection earlier than usual. Inspectors are busy in January too.
Ocean, air or split shipment?
If a full container will not be ready in time, a few options are worth comparing:
- Split the order. Ship what is finished as LCL before the holiday and the remainder after. LCL lets you pay for the space you use instead of waiting to fill a container.
- Move the urgent portion by air. Air freight can bridge the gap for best-selling SKUs, but air capacity out of China also tightens before the holiday, and rates generally rise with demand. Use the chargeable weight calculation to see what it will really cost.
- Accept the gap and plan inventory. For many products, ordering extra stock in the autumn shipment is cheaper than paying peak premiums in January.
After the holiday: the restart
Production does not snap back on February 13. Returning workers trickle in, some do not return at all, and factories prioritise orders that were already half finished. Quality problems are more common in the first weeks of the restart, when new staff are being trained. If your order is scheduled for production right after the holiday, build in extra time and consider an inspection before shipment.
Ocean space on the eastbound Pacific usually loosens after the holiday because fewer goods are ready to ship, but it fills again as factories return to full output. Watch for this, and book your post-holiday shipments as soon as the supplier confirms a realistic date.
Don't forget Golden Week
China has a second long national holiday, Golden Week, around October 1 each year. It is shorter in its impact than Chinese New Year, but it also causes a pre-holiday rush in September and a short pause in production. Build both into your annual buying calendar.
Plan your 2027 shipments now
If you need goods in Canada in the first quarter of 2027, now is the time to line up bookings. Send your supplier location, cargo details and target arrival date through the quote form, and we will lay out the ocean and air options and the latest sensible booking dates. More detail on the lane is on our China to Canada shipping page.
Frequently asked questions
When is Chinese New Year 2027?
Chinese New Year 2027 is Saturday, February 6, 2027. New Year's Eve is February 5, the official holiday in mainland China is expected to run from February 5 to 12, and the Lantern Festival on February 20 ends the season.
When should I ship from China before Chinese New Year 2027?
Aim to have goods finished and handed to the carrier by mid-January 2027. Book ocean or air space three to four weeks ahead, because demand for space and trucking in China peaks in the weeks before the holiday.
How long do Chinese factories close for Chinese New Year?
The official holiday is about a week, but many factories stop production several days before and take one to three weeks afterward to reach full output, so the total disruption is often two to four weeks.
Is air freight a good option during Chinese New Year?
Air freight can cover urgent stock, but air capacity out of China also tightens before the holiday and rates usually rise. Moving only the most urgent items by air and the rest by sea is often the better balance.
How long does ocean freight from China to Canada take?
As a planning figure, about 14 to 18 days port to port from Shanghai to Vancouver, plus origin handling, Canadian customs and inland delivery. Eastern Canada adds about a week by rail or truck from Vancouver.