Mid-Autumn Festival 2026

How many days does the Mid-Autumn Festival last in 2026?
In mainland China, the Mid-Autumn Festival generally has a three-day holiday.
In Hong Kong and Taiwan, people get one day off from work to celebrate the moon festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival dates:

It is a time for family reunions, starting with a delicious meal together with family members, and then a time to admire the bright moon and eat moon cakes. There are many fascinating legends about the festival, including The Lady Chang’e Flying to the Moon, Jade Rabbit Mashing Herbs, and Wu Gang Cutting Sweet Osmanthus Tree. These stories add romantic charm to this festival.

With the constant evolution of the customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival from ancient times until now, there are various ways that people celebrate. Within China’s vast landscape and numerous populace, a lot of activities take place in different areas, expressing the best wishes of a whole family, just as the romantic Chinese poem says “May we live long and share the beauty of the moon together, even if we are hundreds of miles apart.”

How Chinese Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in Ancient and Modern Times

Origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival

Many different versions of the Mid-Autumn Festival are popular in folk lore. It is generally believed that it originally related to ancient emperors’ worship activities, but there is another version about agricultural production. Autumn is a season for harvests, the constant reaping of crops and fruits. Farmers celebrate the sheer bliss of harvest by assigning the day in the middle of 8th month in the lunar calendar for celebration. They celebrate not only to express their gratitude to the moon god and nature, but also to expect protection and happiness in the future.

Development of the Mid-Autumn Festival

The moon is brighter and rounder on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. The Mid-Autumn Festival has a long history of development from ancient times. In the feudal society, emperors used to worship the sun in spring and sacrifice to the moon in autumn. Later, nobleman and scholars followed suit to appreciate the bright moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the Zhou Dynasty, people arranged an altar by placing moon cakes, watermelons, apples, red dates, plums, grapes and other sacrifices, in which moon cakes and lotus-shaped watermelons were absolutely vital for symbolizing family harmony. This kind of custom gradually prevailed among folk and became a traditional activity. Right up until the Tang Dynasty, people increasingly paid attention to offering sacrifices to the moon, and so the Mid-Autumn Festival became a permanent festival. On the day, people looked up the full moon to expect family reunion. People far away from home also expressed their homesickness by gazing at the moon.

In ancient times, the custom varied in different periods. In the Song Dynasty, all men and women, both adults and children, whether rich or poor, all of them put on adult clothes to burn incense and worship the moon, to express wishes, and to pray for happiness. In the South Dynasty, friends and families presented moon cakes to each other. Since the Ming and the Qing Dynasty, the customs on Mid-Autumn Festival were more popular. They kept traditions which included burning incense, admiring sweet Osmanthus flowers, setting towers alight, burning pagodas, performing the fire dragon, and displaying lanterns.

Today, enjoying mooncakes, family reunion dinners and the full moon are still the most popular traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Celebrations for the festival have grown increasingly diverse. Many cities hold lantern fairs, drone performances, concerts, intangible cultural heritage experiences and folk events, inviting people to step outside and immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere.

Official statistics show that during the 8-day holiday combining National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2025, China registered 888 million domestic tourist trips, with total domestic tourism expenditure hitting 809 billion yuan. An increasing number of people choose to travel over the festival. They experience the allure of traditional culture on the go by strolling through gardens in Hanfu, cruising on water to admire the moon, climbing high for moon viewing, watching fireworks shows and learning traditional handicrafts.

The Mid-Autumn Festival has also become a fantastic opportunity for educational tours and cultural exchange programs. Students and international travelers can take part in mooncake making, lantern crafting, traditional festival activities and community interactions, gaining profound insights into traditional Chinese culture and modern local life.

Also see How do Ethnic Minorities Celebrate the Mid-Autumn?

Mid-Autumn Festival in Other Countries

People dressed kimono to celebrate the festival
Photo by Riccardo Trimeloni on Unsplash

Due to the influence of Chinese Culture, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also held in other neighboring countries, after spreading to Japan about 1000 years ago.

Japan

Celebrations: They don’t eat mooncakes, but glutinous rice dumplings instead.

South Korea

Celebrations: Visit relatives, eat sponge cake, admire the moon while enjoying drinking, and worship ancestors.

Vietnam

Celebrations: This is the festival for children. Adults guess lantern riddles and watch the moon, children play around, and various toys and foods are provided.

Thailand

Celebrations: worship Guanyin Bodhisattva and the Eight Immortals with a peach-shaped cake.

Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines

Celebrations: Similar to Chinese customs, activities such as eating moon cakes, dragon and lion dances, costumes and float parades with decorated colorful lanterns.

As well as this, countries including Iran and India have a festival which is related to the moon, but it is just a coincidence and not in any way related to Chinese traditions.

Educational Value of the Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival offers students a unique learning opportunity to explore Chinese history, myths, literature, culinary culture and family values. By making mooncakes, crafting festive lanterns, appreciating classic poems and joining moon-gazing activities, students can gain a deeper understanding of the festival culture and local daily life. As a time-honored traditional festival with a history spanning thousands of years, it perfectly combines history, culture and hands-on experiences, making it an ideal theme for educational tours and cultural exchange programs.

If you wish to dive into Mid-Autumn culture amid authentic festive vibes, we have specially designed a 7-Day Beijing - Xi'an Mid-Autumn Festival Tour. This itinerary blends China’s famous historical and cultural cities with age-old Mid-Autumn traditions. You will visit world-renowned cultural heritage sites including the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, Mutianyu Great Wall and the Terracotta Army, as well as take part in interactive activities such as paper-cutting, Hanfu dressing, shadow puppetry shows and dumpling making.

Mid-Autumn Nights in Beijing

Mid-Autumn Nights in Xi'an

One major highlight of the trip is enjoying mooncakes while admiring the full moon at Beijing’s Shichahai Lake. Surrounded by shimmering lake views, bright moonlight and the charm of the ancient capital, you will truly embrace the cultural essence of reunion and happiness embodied by the Mid-Autumn Festival. If you want to experience this traditional festival in China in person, China Educational Tours can customize exclusive itineraries tailored to your interests, schedules and group requirements. Our bespoke trips integrate festive activities, cultural experiences and educational exchanges, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in traditional Chinese culture throughout your journey.

• Mid-Autumn Festival
• What is a Mooncake?
• How to Make Traditional Cantonese Mooncakes
• What do Mid-Autumn Festival People Eat?
• Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Greetings
• How do Ethnic Minorities Celebrate the Mid-Autumn?
• 2 Popular Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Poems
• 4 Legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival
• Top 5 destinations in China to Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival