Spring Festival (春节): the biggest holiday

✅ Updated May 2026

Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, is the most important holiday — families reunite and hundreds of millions travel home in the world's largest annual migration (春运). Many shops and restaurants in big cities close for several days while transport is packed. Traditions include red decorations, fireworks, dumplings, red packets, and visiting relatives. If you are here then, book travel far in advance, or enjoy an unusually quiet city.