When is Dragon Boat Festival?
Dragon Boat Festival 2027 is on Wednesday
Wednesday, June 9, 2027
The fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, in late May or June (the date shown is mainland China's). That's in 248 days.
until Dragon Boat Festival begins, in your time zone
The Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwu, is a Chinese festival known for dragon boat races and sticky-rice zongzi, traditionally linked to the memory of the poet and statesman Qu Yuan.
About Dragon Boat Festival
Duanwu falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, which is why it is sometimes called the Double Fifth. The best-known story behind it concerns Qu Yuan, a poet and minister of the state of Chu in the third century BCE who, after being exiled, drowned himself in the Miluo River when he learned his state's capital had fallen. According to legend, local people rowed out to search for him and threw rice into the water so the fish would leave his body alone. Those acts live on in the festival's two signature customs: racing long, narrow boats with carved dragon heads to the beat of a drum, and eating zongzi, pyramid-shaped parcels of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves and filled with anything from red dates to pork and egg yolk.
The festival comes at the start of summer, a season once associated with disease, so many older customs are protective: hanging bundles of mugwort and calamus by the door, wearing scented sachets and, in the past, drinking realgar wine. UNESCO inscribed China's Dragon Boat Festival on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009, noting celebrations especially along the middle and lower Yangtze River.
Mainland China has made Duanwu a public holiday since 2008, and it is also a holiday in Hong Kong, where it is called Tuen Ng, Macau and Taiwan. Dragon boat racing has since become an international sport, with clubs and regattas far beyond Asia. The date shown is mainland China's.
Sources: UNESCO: Dragon Boat festival, Britannica: Dragon Boat Festival. How we check dates.
How to mark Dragon Boat Festival
- Watch a local dragon boat race or try a beginner paddling session with a club.
- Make zongzi at home, or buy a few varieties and compare sweet and savory fillings.
- Read a translation of Qu Yuan's poem "Li Sao" (Encountering Sorrow).
- Hang a small bundle of mugwort by the door, as many families in China still do.
- Make a scented sachet with dried herbs as a craft project with children.
Dragon Boat Festival dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Saturday, May 31, 2025 |
| 2026 | Friday, June 19, 2026 |
| 2027 | Wednesday, June 9, 2027 |
| 2028 | Sunday, May 28, 2028 |
| 2029 | Saturday, June 16, 2029 |
| 2030 | Wednesday, June 5, 2030 |
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Frequently asked questions
When is Dragon Boat Festival 2027?
Dragon Boat Festival 2027 is on Wednesday, June 9, 2027. It falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, in late May or June (the date shown is mainland China's). In 2028, it is on Sunday, May 28, 2028.
Why do people eat zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival?
Legend says people threw rice into the river so fish would not eat the drowned poet Qu Yuan. Zongzi, wrapped sticky-rice dumplings, carry on that tradition.
Who was Qu Yuan?
Qu Yuan was a poet and loyal minister of the ancient state of Chu, active in the fourth and third centuries BCE. He is honored as one of ancient China's greatest poets and as a symbol of integrity.
Is Dragon Boat Festival a public holiday?
No. Dragon Boat Festival is an observance, not a public holiday, so schools, banks, government offices and most businesses keep their normal hours.