Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Saturday, February 6, 2027, and opens the Year of the Fire Goat. The festival runs 15 days and ends with the Lantern Festival on Saturday, February 20, 2027.
Chinese New Year has no fixed date on the Western calendar. It follows the moon, so it lands somewhere between January 21 and February 20, and in 2027 it comes early: Saturday, February 6.
That is 11 days earlier than in 2026, and it starts a Goat year, the eighth animal in the 12-year zodiac cycle, paired this time with the fire element.
The celebration is not a single day either. It runs from the reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve through 15 days to the Lantern Festival, with the public holiday in mainland China covering the first week.
This page covers the dates through 2031, why they move, what the Year of the Goat means, the traditions, and the other names the same new moon goes by across Asia.
For the month it falls in, see our February 2027 Calendar.
Table of Contents
When is Chinese New Year 2027?
Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Saturday, February 6, 2027.
The table lists the date and animal for each year through 2031.
| Year | Date | Day of the week | Zodiac animal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | February 17, 2026 | Tuesday | Horse |
| 2027 | February 6, 2027 | Saturday | Goat |
| 2028 | January 26, 2028 | Wednesday | Monkey |
| 2029 | February 13, 2029 | Tuesday | Rooster |
| 2030 | February 3, 2030 | Sunday | Dog |
| 2031 | January 23, 2031 | Thursday | Pig |
Why the date changes every year
The date follows the lunar calendar, so it moves against the Gregorian one. Britannica describes the festival as one that “begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon” 15 days later, and notes that the date falls “some time between January 21 and February 20” on the Western calendar.
That 30-day window explains the swing in the table above. The 2028 date, January 26, is nearly three weeks earlier than the 2026 date of February 17.
The 15 days: from New Year’s Eve to the Lantern Festival
The festival runs from New Year’s Eve through to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day. Britannica notes that the celebrations “span 15 days and culminate in the Lantern Festival,” when “colourful lanterns light up the houses, and traditional foods” are shared.
The table gives the 2027 dates.
| Stage | Date in 2027 |
|---|---|
| Chinese New Year’s Eve, reunion dinner | Friday, February 5, 2027 |
| Chinese New Year, day 1 | Saturday, February 6, 2027 |
| Public holiday in mainland China | Saturday, February 6 to Friday, February 12, 2027 |
| Lantern Festival, day 15 | Saturday, February 20, 2027 |
Celebrations last up to 16 days, but only the first 7 days are considered a public holiday (February 6th–February 12th, 2027),” with the Lantern Festival on February 20.
Mainland China’s official holiday dates are confirmed by the government each year, usually in the months before, so the working days around that week can shift.
The Year of the Fire Goat
2027 is a Goat year, and its element is fire. The Smithsonian explains the structure: “the Chinese zodiac rotates through a 12-year cycle of animals and the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.”
Because the animals repeat every 12 years and the elements every 10, each animal and element pairing comes round once every 60 years. The last Fire Goat year was 1967.
| Goat year | Element |
|---|---|
| 1943 | Water |
| 1955 | Wood |
| 1967 | Fire |
| 1979 | Earth |
| 1991 | Metal |
| 2003 | Water |
| 2015 | Wood |
| 2027 | Fire |
What the Goat is said to represent
The Goat is associated with gentleness and kindness. The Smithsonian states that “the goat represents kindness, peace, and inner strength.”
Chinesenewyear.net describes people born in Goat years as “the most tender and mild of the zodiac signs, known for their honest, kind, and empathic nature,” and as “creative, almost indulgently so,” while noting a tendency to “fear failure to the point of not being able to try again.”
| Attribute | Goat |
|---|---|
| Position in the cycle | 8th of 12 animals |
| Also translated as | Sheep or Ram |
| Traits | Tender, mild, honest, kind, empathic, creative |
| Lucky numbers | 2, 7 |
| Lucky colors | Brown, coffee |
| Recent Goat years | 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027 |
Anyone born in one of those years is a Goat in the Chinese zodiac, with one caveat: the year turns at Chinese New Year, not on January 1. Someone born in late January 2027, before February 6, belongs to the previous animal year rather than the Goat’s.
How Chinese New Year is celebrated
The festival centers on a reunion dinner, red envelopes and a set of things people avoid doing. Chinesenewyear.net lists the main elements as the reunion meal, red envelopes, decorations, new clothes, the Spring Festival Gala broadcast, and a list of taboos to avoid during the holiday.
Britannica adds the lanterns and shared foods of the closing festival.
| Tradition | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Reunion dinner | The family meal on New Year’s Eve, Friday, February 5, 2027 |
| Red envelopes | Money given in red packets, usually to children and unmarried relatives |
| Decorations | Red decorations hung at home before the new year |
| New clothes | Worn at the start of the year, often red |
| Spring Festival Gala | The televised broadcast watched on New Year’s Eve |
| Taboos | Things avoided during the holiday, such as unlucky words and certain chores |
| Lanterns | Lit for the Lantern Festival on Saturday, February 20, 2027 |
The same new moon, different names
The festival is called by different names across Asia, and several countries keep it on the same new moon. Britannica lists the Chinese “Chunjie,” the Vietnamese “Tet,” the Korean “Solnal” and the Tibetan “Losar,” and notes that the holiday is also known as the Spring Festival.
| Name | Where |
|---|---|
| Chunjie, Spring Festival | China |
| Tet | Vietnam |
| Solnal, also written Seollal | Korea |
| Losar | Tibet |
| Lunar New Year | The general English name |
“Lunar New Year” is the broader term, which is why many organizations now use it rather than “Chinese New Year” when the greeting is meant for everyone who marks the day.
Is Chinese New Year a public holiday?
It is a public holiday across much of East and Southeast Asia, but not in the United States. Mainland China takes a week, February 6 to 12 in 2027 according to the National Museum of Asian Arts.
In the United States it is not a federal holiday, so federal offices, banks and post offices keep normal hours. In 2027 the date falls on a Saturday in any case. Our Federal Holidays guide lists the days that do close federal offices.
What Chinese New Year is not
Chinese New Year is not on a fixed date, so it never lands on January 1, and it is not tied to the winter solstice either: it follows the new moon that falls between January 21 and February 20.
It is not only Chinese. The same new moon opens Tet in Vietnam, Seollal in Korea and Losar in Tibet, which is why “Lunar New Year” is often the better term.
It is also not a single day, since the festival runs 15 days to the Lantern Festival, and the public holiday in mainland China covers the first week.
Finally, the zodiac year does not begin in January: someone born on February 1, 2027 belongs to the Horse year, not the Goat year that starts five days later.
Frequently asked questions
When is Chinese New Year 2027?
Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Saturday, February 6, 2027, and opens the Year of the Goat. The reunion dinner is held the evening before, on Friday, February 5. The festival runs 15 days and ends with the Lantern Festival on Saturday, February 20, 2027.
What animal is 2027 in the Chinese zodiac?
2027 is the Year of the Goat, sometimes translated as the Sheep or Ram, and its element is fire, making it a Fire Goat year. The Smithsonian notes that the zodiac runs on a 12-year cycle of animals paired with five elements, so the Fire Goat comes round once every 60 years. The last was 1967.
Why does Chinese New Year change date every year?
Because it follows the lunar calendar. Britannica describes the festival as beginning “with the first new moon of the lunar calendar” and falling “some time between January 21 and February 20” on the Western calendar. That is why it lands on February 17 in 2026, February 6 in 2027 and January 26 in 2028.
How long does Chinese New Year last?
The festival lasts 15 days, from the first new moon to the Lantern Festival on the first full moon, according to Britannica. Chinesenewyear.net notes that celebrations can run up to 16 days, while “only the first 7 days are considered a public holiday” in mainland China, which in 2027 means February 6 to 12.
What are the Year of the Goat years?
Recent Goat years are 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 and 2027, each 12 years apart. The element changes each time: 2027 is a Fire Goat year and 2015 was a Wood Goat year. Anyone born before the new year date in a Goat year belongs to the previous animal instead.
Is Chinese New Year the same as Lunar New Year?
Largely, yes. Lunar New Year is the broader name for the same new moon, which also opens Tet in Vietnam, Seollal in Korea and Losar in Tibet, according to Britannica. “Chinese New Year” refers specifically to the Chinese celebration, also called the Spring Festival or Chunjie.
When is the Lantern Festival 2027?
The Lantern Festival falls on Saturday, February 20, 2027, the 15th and final day of the celebrations. Britannica describes it as the day when “colourful lanterns light up the houses, and traditional foods” are shared. It always falls on the first full moon of the lunar year.
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