How to read it: find the year, then the festival
Each row is a Gregorian year, listing the festivals that fall inside it. Note the row assignment for Laba and New Year’s Eve: Laba (the 8th day of the last lunar month) usually falls in January of the Gregorian year after its lunar year started, but the table groups by the year in which the date actually occurs — the way people usually ask “when is Laba in 2026”. To look up any day’s lunar date or ganzhi, use the perpetual lunar calendar.
The table, 2024–2036
| 公历年Year | 春节Spring Fest. | 元宵节Lantern Fest. | 龙抬头Longtaitou | 端午节Dragon Boat | 七夕节Qixi | 中元节Zhongyuan | 中秋节Mid-Autumn | 重阳节Chongyang | 腊八节Laba | 除夕New Year's Eve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2/10 | 2/24 | 3/11 | 6/10 | 8/10 | 8/18 | 9/17 | 10/11 | 1/7 | 1/28 |
| 2025 | 1/29 | 2/12 | 3/1 | 5/31 | 8/29 | 9/6 | 10/6 | 10/29 | 1/26 | 2/16 |
| 2026 | 2/17 | 3/3 | 3/20 | 6/19 | 8/19 | 8/27 | 9/25 | 10/18 | 1/15 | 2/5 |
| 2027 | 2/6 | 2/20 | 3/9 | 6/9 | 8/8 | 8/16 | 9/15 | 10/8 | 1/4 | 1/25 |
| 2028 | 1/26 | 2/9 | 2/26 | 5/28 | 8/26 | 9/3 | 10/3 | 10/26 | 1/22 | 2/12 |
| 2029 | 2/13 | 2/27 | 3/16 | 6/16 | 8/16 | 8/24 | 9/22 | 10/16 | 1/11 | 2/2 |
| 2030 | 2/3 | 2/17 | 3/5 | 6/5 | 8/5 | 8/13 | 9/12 | 10/5 | 1/1 | 1/22 |
| 2031 | 1/23 | 2/6 | 2/22 | 6/24 | 8/24 | 9/1 | 10/1 | 10/24 | 1/20 | 2/10 |
| 2032 | 2/11 | 2/25 | 3/13 | 6/12 | 8/12 | 8/20 | 9/19 | 10/12 | 1/8 | 1/30 |
| 2033 | 1/31 | 2/14 | 3/2 | 6/1 | 8/1 | 8/9 | 9/8 | 10/1 | 1/27 | 2/18 |
| 2034 | 2/19 | 3/5 | 3/21 | 6/20 | 8/20 | 8/28 | 9/27 | 10/20 | 1/16 | 2/7 |
| 2035 | 2/8 | 2/22 | 3/11 | 6/10 | 8/10 | 8/18 | 9/16 | 10/9 | 1/5 | 1/27 |
| 2036 | 1/28 | 2/11 | 2/28 | 5/30 | 8/28 | 9/5 | 10/4 | 10/27 | 1/23 | 2/14 |
除夕按「下一个农历春节的前一天」给出。2024–2028 连续五年腊月只有 29 天，也就是没有「年三十」，除夕是腊月廿九；2029 年腊月恢复 30 天。New Year's Eve is the day before the next lunar New Year. From 2024 to 2028 the last lunar month has only 29 days, so there is no "30th day" that period and the eve falls on the 29th; the 30-day month returns in 2029.
Why the dates move every year
A lunar month is about 29.53 days, so twelve lunar months total roughly 354 days — about 11 days short of a Gregorian year. The same lunar date therefore drifts about 11 days earlier each year, then jumps back about 19 days in a leap-month year. That is why Spring Festival swings between late January and mid-February, Dragon Boat between late May and late June, and Mid-Autumn between early September and early October. 2025 has a leap sixth month, pushing Mid-Autumn to 6 October — the mechanism at its most visible.
New Year’s Eve: sometimes there is no “30th day”
The eve is the night of the last day of the lunar year, but lunar months have 30 or 29 days. When the last month is short, the year simply has no “30th day” and the eve is the 29th. Every year from 2024 to 2028 is like that — “this year has no 30th day” is normal, not a misprinted calendar. Check the eve column, or browse to the day before New Year in the <a href="calendar-chinese.html">perpetual calendar</a>.
Related references and tools
For any day’s lunar date, ganzhi and zodiac animal, use the perpetual lunar calendar; for solar-term dates and exact times, the solar terms page; for stems, branches and the five elements, the 60 Jiazi table; for star signs and animals by birthday, the zodiac lookup.
FAQ
Why is New Year’s Eve sometimes the 29th?
A lunar month’s length depends on the moment of new moon: long months have 30 days, short months 29. When the last month is short the year has no “30th day” and the eve falls on the 29th — every year from 2024 to 2028.
Why is Mid-Autumn in October in 2025?
2025 has a leap sixth month, making the lunar year about 384 days — some 19 days longer than the Gregorian year — which pushes the second half of the year later; the 15th day of the 8th month lands on 6 October, one of the latest Mid-Autumn festivals since 2012.
What if a paper calendar disagrees?
The table is computed from a lunar compression-table algorithm and the major dates (Spring Festival, Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn and so on) match published almanacs. If a local calendar differs, follow the official holiday schedule — and note that some festivals are not lunar at all: Qingming follows a solar term and is not listed here.
Why aren’t Qingming and the winter solstice in the table?
Qingming and similar festivals follow the 24 solar terms, which belong to the solar calendar — their dates hover around 4–6 April each year regardless of the lunar month. Use the <a href="solar-terms.html">solar terms page</a> for the date and exact time of every term from 1900 to 2100.