When is Mid-Autumn Festival?
Mid-Autumn Festival 2027 is on Wednesday
Wednesday, September 15, 2027
The 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, between early September and early October (the date shown is mainland China's). That's in 346 days.
until Mid-Autumn Festival begins, in your time zone
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a Chinese harvest celebration held under the full moon of the eighth lunar month, when families reunite, share mooncakes, light lanterns and admire the moon together.
About Mid-Autumn Festival
Held on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, when the moon is full, the Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiu Jie) is one of the biggest dates in the Chinese year after the Lunar New Year. It grew out of autumn harvest celebrations and moon worship, and its central theme today is reunion: the round, bright moon stands for a complete family, so people travel home, eat dinner together and step outside afterward to look at the sky.
Mooncakes are the festival's signature food. These dense round pastries are usually filled with lotus-seed or red-bean paste, often around a salted egg yolk that stands in for the moon, and boxes of them are exchanged as gifts in the weeks before. Children carry lanterns, and families retell the story of Chang'e, the moon goddess who, in the best-known version, took the elixir of immortality given to her husband, the archer Hou Yi, and rose to live on the moon.
Mainland China made the festival a public holiday in 2008, when the State Council added it together with Qingming and the Dragon Boat Festival. Taiwan also has a holiday on the day itself, while Hong Kong and Macau give the following day off. The same full moon is celebrated as Chuseok in Korea, as Tet Trung Thu, a children's festival, in Vietnam, and with moon-viewing in Japan. Because the festival follows the lunisolar calendar, its date moves between early September and early October; the date shown is mainland China's.
Sources: Britannica: Zhongqiu Jie (Mid-Autumn Festival), Hong Kong Labour Department: Statutory holidays for 2026. How we check dates.
How to mark Mid-Autumn Festival
- Share mooncakes with family or coworkers, and try a regional variety you have not tasted before.
- Find a spot with a clear eastern view and watch the full moon rise.
- Make paper lanterns with children and take them for an evening walk.
- Call or video-chat relatives who live far away, in keeping with the festival's theme of reunion.
- Read or tell the legend of Chang'e and Hou Yi.
Mid-Autumn Festival dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Monday, October 6, 2025 |
| 2026 | Friday, September 25, 2026 |
| 2027 | Wednesday, September 15, 2027 |
| 2028 | Tuesday, October 3, 2028 |
| 2029 | Saturday, September 22, 2029 |
| 2030 | Thursday, September 12, 2030 |
Also on September 15
Related days
Explore
Frequently asked questions
When is Mid-Autumn Festival 2027?
Mid-Autumn Festival 2027 is on Wednesday, September 15, 2027. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, between early September and early October (the date shown is mainland China's). In 2028, it is on Tuesday, October 3, 2028.
Why do people eat mooncakes at the Mid-Autumn Festival?
Their round shape mirrors the full moon, a symbol of family unity, so sharing and gifting them expresses the hope that loved ones stay together.
Is the Mid-Autumn Festival the same as Chuseok?
They fall on the same lunar date and both celebrate the harvest moon, but Chuseok is Korea's own festival, centered on honoring ancestors, with different foods and customs.
Is Mid-Autumn Festival a public holiday?
No. Mid-Autumn Festival is an observance, not a public holiday, so schools, banks, government offices and most businesses keep their normal hours.