Chinese New Year 2027: Order Custom Merchandise Early to Beat the Factory Shutdown

If you need custom branded merchandise for February or March 2027, the date to plan around isn't the event date. It's Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Saturday 6 February. It's the biggest holiday of the year in China, and most of the factories that make custom promotional products close for it. Some are shut for a few weeks, and production takes longer than that to get back to full speed.

The key dates

• Late Jan Factories start winding down as workers travel home
• 6 Feb Chinese New Year (official holiday 5 to 12 Feb)
• 20 Feb Lantern Festival, the end of the celebrations
• March Production gradually returns to normal

Why it affects orders placed months earlier

Factories rarely work right up to the holiday. Output starts dropping in late January as staff head home, and when they reopen, it can take several weeks to reach full capacity. Some workers don't come back at all, so factories are often training new staff at the same time as they work through a backlog of orders.

On top of that, every importer is trying to get goods made and shipped before the break, so production slots and freight space fill up from December. If your order misses the cut-off, it waits until the factory reopens, then joins the queue.

An order placed just a week or two too late can arrive four to six weeks later than you expected.

Which products are affected

Custom made products are affected most. These are items made to order overseas: custom coloured drink bottles, printed lanyards, made-to-order apparel, custom shaped USBs and the like. If it's being manufactured for you, plan around the shutdown.

Locally stocked products are decorated here in Australia, so they're less affected. But Australian suppliers restock from the same factories, so popular colours and styles can sell out in February and March and take a while to come back. If you're relying on a particular product, it's worth ordering early.

When to order

How early you need to order depends on how your products are made and shipped. For anything you need in February or March 2027, these are the dates we're working to:

• Fri 20 Nov Custom made products shipped by sea (8 to 10 weeks)
• Fri 11 Dec Custom made products shipped by air (3 to 4 weeks), before our Christmas break
• Anytime Australian made products, like pull up banners and signage, aren't affected

Sea freight is usually the better value option for larger quantities, so it pays to get in early. Miss these dates and we can still place your order, but it won't go into production until the factories reopen, so expect dispatch from March.

Planning something for later in the year? Ordering before the break still helps, because you'll avoid the post-holiday backlog.

Events to plan for now

• Staff onboarding packs and uniforms for the new year
• Back to school, uni and TAFE orientation
• Sporting clubs, surf clubs and community events
• Expos, trade shows and conferences in the first quarter
• Product launches and campaigns in March and April

How we can help

Tell us what you need and when you need it by. We'll tell you straight away whether it's achievable before the shutdown, and if it isn't, we'll suggest locally stocked alternatives that are.

Every quote comes with a free digital proof, and as a Social Traders certified social enterprise, at least half of our profits go to our charity partners, so your order does some good along the way.

Request a quote today and get your order in before the factories close.

Brad Picking, Managing Director, Promo Stuff