Last Updated on October 29, 2024
The Chinese market is a relatively complex business landscape to enter, especially with its distinct digital ecosystem and unique consumer patterns. As a foreign brand, you must find strategic opportunities to stand out from competitors. This is where public holidays and festivals come in handy.
These celebrations are often the peak of online consumption in China. So, not only will it help you resonate better with local audiences, but it will also increase the chances of sales conversions.
In this post, we’ll explore the details of these special Chinese calendar events and discuss the best strategies to maximize them for your brand.
Understanding The Traditional Chinese Lunar Calendar
The Chinese Lunar Calendar is a window into China’s cultural scene. Referring to this calendar can provide foreign marketers with helpful insights to deepen their marketing approach and create campaigns to resonate on a local level.
Unlike the Western solar calendar, the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, combining the moon’s phases with the solar year. It notes agricultural cycles, seasonal changes, and centuries of cultural tradition.
However, not all holidays will suit every brand, so focus on festivals that align with your brand’s identity and audience.
Major festivals like the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), Qingming (Tomb-Sweeping Day), the Mid-Autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Winter Solstice each offer distinctive themes that can enhance your promotions and help build an authentic connection with consumers in Mainland China.
Types of Local Celebrations That Resonate With Chinese Consumers
- Traditional Chinese Holidays
Traditional holidays in China hold deep cultural significance and represent powerful opportunities for brand engagement. They often embody values like family, prosperity, and heritage.
Aligning with these cultural touchpoints allows brands to create emotionally engaging campaigns that connect with consumers on a personal level.
Additionally, holiday-specific themes can increase consumer recall and positive brand association, making these events essential for effective market penetration.
- Shopping Festivals
Shopping festivals are pivotal in the e-commerce landscape, driving enormous spikes in consumer spending. These events are highly anticipated, with consumers actively seeking deals and discounts, creating a competitive arena for brands.
Beyond just discounts, shopping festivals present a prime opportunity for brands to showcase new products, boost brand visibility, and engage in creative, interactive promotions that increase conversion rates.
7 Chinese Festivals & Holidays You Must Remember This 2025
1. Chinese New Year (Spring Festival, 春节)
January 29, 2025 (Wednesday)
As a globally celebrated holiday, the economic impact of traditional festivals is most evident during the Chinese New Year. From the increased travel content on social media to surging sales of event-related products on e-commerce platforms during this event, the Spring Festival is undoubtedly the peak of consumer spending in China.
Coca-Cola dragon-themed branding campaign for CNY 2024
Besides enjoying dragon dances and fireworks, Chinese families often use this festive time to shop for gifts, decorations, clothing, and food to prepare for the annual family reunions happening on this day.
The Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is the most important festival in China because it marks the beginning of the lunar year. It’s an opportunity for marketers to host virtual events, such as live streams, giveaways, and exclusive discounts.
2. Lantern Festival (元宵节)
February 12, 2025 (Wednesday)
Chinese people celebrate the Lantern Festival for four days. This event, often observed in the first lunar month, is known worldwide for its colorful lanterns and traditional performances. During this event, locals also enjoy solving lantern riddles and eating sweet glutinous rice balls called “yuan xiao.”Many brands consider the Lantern Festival a good time to build brand awareness on social media platforms since consumers will particularly not pay attention to mainstream campaigns around this time.
Using social media platforms, foreign companies can launch interactive online campaigns encouraging user participation. You can check out our team’s work with Sennheiser to learn how SDG handles their Lantern Festival campaign and other online promotions for our clients.
3. Dragon Boat Festival (端午节)
May 31, 2025 (Saturday)
Dragon Boat Festival is known for its thrilling dragon boat races and the tradition of eating zongzi (rice dumplings). For brands looking to make an impact in the Chinese market, aligning your content with this festival’s themes offers a path to resonate with local consumers who are participating in these activities.
F&B brands can launch zongzi-inspired goods or flavors to attract consumers who are already searching for and buying these products. Limited-edition items and packaging that reflect traditional themes can create curiosity and drive engagement.
Dragon Boat Festival Products Launched by Starbucks
Foreign brands can also capitalize on the growing online shopping trend and set up special Dragon Boat Festival-themed virtual stores on e-commerce platforms. This strategy makes it easier for consumers to discover and purchase festival-related products directly from your sales channels.
You can offer promos or discounts on products that align with the cultural traditions during the Dragon Boat Festival. These incentives can encourage Chinese consumers to look for special deals while celebrating the event.
Example of Dragon Boat Festival posters designed for our clients
4. Mid-autumn Festival (中秋节)
October 6, 2025 (Monday)
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a three-day celebration also referred to as the Mooncake Festival. It’s a special occasion that the Chinese celebrate, which has certain similarities to Western Thanksgiving Day.
True to its name, the locals and tourists look forward to watching the full moon, spending time in family reunions, and indulging in moon cakes during the Moon Festival.
Like the Chinese New Year, the Mid-Autumn Festival can stir the public’s gift-giving traditions. Miguo understands this consumer pattern, which is why their custom high-end gift boxes are a hit during this year’s festivities. Thanks to the power of KOLs, the brand was able to create a buzz around their product and generate sales.
Miguo’s Mid-Autumn Festival Gift Boxes
Since the Mid-Autumn Festival observed high consumer revenues over the years, new brands can adapt the trends in their promotional strategies to appeal to Chinese people.
Marketing campaigns that capture the moonlit scenes during the festival can evoke public nostalgia, which is a strong driving force for consumer spending.
Mid-Autumn Festival Posters designed by SDG
5. Hungry Ghost Festival (中元节)
September 6, 2025 (Saturday)
China commemorates the Hungry Ghost Festival on the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar year. During this traditional festival, locals believed that the spirits of their deceased ancestors were roaming in the human world.
Unlike the Mid-Autumn Festival, foreign brands should approach the Hungry Ghost Festival with high cultural sensitivity and utmost respect.
It’s one of the traditional Chinese festivals deeply tied to the ancestors and spiritual beliefs. Because of this, any marketing initiatives should be carefully crafted. Try not to appear disrespectful or commercialize the event so blatantly.
6. National Day (国庆节)
October 1, 2025 (Wednesday)
National Holiday, also known as the October Golden Week, is one of the longest holidays in China outside of Spring Festival and Lantern Festival. During this important calendar event, Chinese people enjoy elaborate parades, fireworks, and other festivities.
With public patriotism raging at an all-time high, marketers can use this opportunity to adapt the event’s branding elements in their online marketing campaigns. They must utilize nationalistic themes related to Chinese pride to gain the public’s favor.
It’s one of the most important festivals you must remember, as it emphasizes traveling trends on a large scale. We suggest getting creative with your promotions, like launching lucky draw campaigns, special product packages, or other travel-related discounts.
Launching marketing initiatives during such festivals and holidays can be a challenge. However, if you look at the Weibo lucky draw campaign that SDG launched with Lil-lets before Christmas, you’ll see that it’s very effective in generating audience engagement and impressions.
7. Double-Ninth Festival (Chongyang Festival)
October 29, 2025 (Wednesday)
The Double Ninth Festival, or Chongyang Festival, is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the 9th day of the 9th lunar calendar month.
This celebration is significant because it falls during the ninth month of the year, and the number nine (9) is deeply associated with yang energy and positive energies in China. The Double Ninth Festival celebrates health and longevity. Because of this, it’s an important festival to remember for foreign health and wellness brands.
They can leverage this theme to introduce products that promote a healthy lifestyle, such as fitness equipment, health supplements, and wellness experiences.
Partnering with local KOLs with dedicated followers can amplify brand reach and credibility. Influencers can creatively integrate the brand’s products into their Double-Ninth Festival celebrations, making the promotion feel more authentic.
Other Notable Traditional Chinese Festivals & Holidays
● New Year’s Day (January 1st)
While it’s not the most important festival in the Chinese market, the Western New Year celebration has grown more popular with the younger generation, mainly Gen Z and Millennials.
It’s a time when locals residing in major cities often exchange gifts and indulge in food. This allows brands to launch promotions or introduce limited-edition products that cater to the festive spirit.
It’s also an ideal time to run deals and promotions since many consumers are already primed to seek value and plan their purchases. Limited-time discounts or bundle offers can attract these value-conscious shoppers, creating a sense of exclusivity around the New Year.
● Mother’s Day
There are numerous marketing opportunities on Mother’s Day, especially if you’re targeting audiences from China’s thriving She Economy.
Your brand promotion can consist of marketing about things a mother might want or how the family can show mother appreciation. If you’re going to make the most of this day, you should start promoting 2-3 weeks before with emotionally driven campaigns.
● Winter Solstice (Dongzhi Festival)
The Winter Solstice, also known as the Dongzhi Festival, is the shortest day and longest night of the year. It typically occurs around December 21st or 22nd. In 2024, the celebration for the event is set for December 21.
Like other Chinese New Year, the Winter Solstice often involves family reunions and group gatherings.
● Women’s Day
Women are the leading consumers of Chinese households, and Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate female empowerment. Males also line up nationwide to buy gifts for their loved ones.
It’s important to note that Chinese Women’s Day is a combination of Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day in terms of gift giving. Campaigns for clothes, cosmetics, electronics, and relaxation do very well around this time.
● Double Seventh Festival (Chinese Valentine’s Day)
The Double Seventh Festival (Qixi Festival or Chinese Valentine’s Day) is a romantic holiday that people in China celebrate on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. In 2025, Chinese people will observe the Qixi Festival on August 29th.
This festival came from a romantic story between the star Vega and the star Altair. It’s an event when couples exchange gifts and flowers, so expect consumer spending to skyrocket during this occasion.
● Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping Day)
Typically, Chinese citizens celebrate the Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping Day) on April 4th or 5th.
Locals are expected to honor their ancestors by cleaning their graves, making offerings, and paying proper respects. Like the Hungry Ghost Festival, foreign marketers must approach the Qingming Festival cautiously.
Since it involves crucial traditions, we encourage brands to create content that educates consumers about the historical and cultural aspects of the event instead of using it as a commercialized strategy.
● 618 Mid-Year Shopping Festival
While not necessarily a traditional holiday from China’s lunar calendar, the 618 festival is an important day in the local consumer market. It’s a shopping event spearheaded by JD.com to commemorate its foundation on June 18, 1998.
Today, this shopping festival serves as the perfect time to boost sales and offer discounts to potential consumers.
Apple’s Mid-Year (618) Festival Livestream Campaign on Tmall
● Singles’ Day (Double 11 Festival)
Another shopping festival foreign brands can’t miss is the 11/11 Singles’ Day festival. It started as an Anti-Valentines Day celebration, which Alibaba adopted as a major e-commerce sales event in 2009.
Initially, the shopping event runs for 24 hours. However, as it became more prevalent worldwide, the online festival expanded to two weeks.
● 520 Festival
The 520 Festival is celebrated on May 20. It’s an unofficial holiday often called the “I Love You Day.” It’s not as official as China’s Valentine’s Day, but foreign brands can seize this opportunity to align with themes of love and relationships through culturally relevant digital campaigns.
This event originated online, which means its target audience is younger consumers. So, if you want to maximize the festival’s theme, you should consider strategies like launching limited-edition products, influencer partnerships, and social media storytelling on platforms like Weibo, Douyin, and Little Red Book.
Beauty brands launching social media campaigns during the 520 festival
● Christmas Day
Christmas is not a traditional Chinese holiday but has recently become a famous celebratory theme among younger shoppers in China.
Based on local market trends, Fashion and apparel-related campaigns often do well around this time. If your brand falls under this niche, try to make your Christmas campaigns more creative and trendy.
Our project with Yellow Tail is an example of a successful Christmas campaign. The brand approached Sekkei Digital Group for help with its digital marketing campaigns in the Chinese market. Happily obliging their request, our team took inspiration from the appeal of their wine products and launched a Christmas Repost Activation strategy on Weibo.
Although the activation lasted only ten days, it generated substantial buzz for the brand. The campaign gained 450 followers on Weibo and generated over 83,000 impressions.
Read more about how SDG helped Yellow Tail maintain digital presence in China
How important are traditional festivals in China?
Chinese culture includes a long history and heritage that the whole of China celebrates in different ways. A huge part of it is the traditional Chinese festivals.
These events stem from China’s extensive history, often from religious beliefs and historical occurrences. These occasions give marketers a closer insight into the country’s evolution and help them understand the average consumer lifestyle and purchasing behaviors.
Since these festivals have an undeniable economic impact, they can serve as marketing metrics for foreign companies to connect with Chinese consumers.
You can count on these events to present business opportunities, but the market competition between foreign and local brands is often fiercer than you think. Remember that standing out from the crowd requires strategies beyond typical marketing approaches.
Your Trusted Digital Marketing Partner In China!
Every traditional festival and special event is a chance for you to build brand awareness and drive sales of your product and service in China. However, crafting marketing strategies to resonate with these holidays won’t be easy for new brands.
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At Sekkei Digital Group, we understand the intricacies of the Chinese consumer market. Leveraging our extensive knowledge in this specialized field, we can assist you in tapping into your brand’s potential and establishing a commanding presence during these important holidays and festivals.
Whether it’s crafting compelling advertising campaigns, utilizing social media platforms, or launching an e-commerce store, we have the digital solutions you need. Contact us today, and let us help your brand navigate China’s intricate business scene.
Resources:
Top 10 Traditional Chinese Festivals
Traditional Festivals in China