Mid-Autumn Festival 2027 in Asia: dates, lanterns and where to be

The 2027 dates at a glance

The Hong Kong Observatory's lunar calendar puts the 15th day of the eighth month on Wednesday 15 September 2027. That is the festival night everywhere in this guide, but the public holidays differ: some places take the day itself, Hong Kong and Macau take the day after, and in Southeast Asia most people celebrate on an ordinary working evening.

"Official" means the government has published the 2027 holiday. "Expected" means the date follows from the lunar calendar, but the programme or the holiday has not been announced. Use each organiser's programme for lantern displays and street events.

Hong Kong: the fire dragon and Victoria Park

Hong Kong's general holiday is Thursday 16 September 2027, the day following the Mid-Autumn Festival, so the festival evening of Wednesday 15 September is a normal working day that ends in a long night out.

The event to plan around is the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance. Its heritage centre says it was first performed at the Mid-Autumn Festival in 1880 and takes place on three nights from the 14th night of the eighth lunar month, which points to 14, 15 and 16 September 2027. The dragon, covered in more than 10,000 burning incense sticks, needs a team of about 300 people to carry it through the narrow streets of Tai Hang, beside Causeway Bay, to gongs and drums. Check the heritage centre's 2027 programme for times and route; expect dense crowds and arrive early.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department's Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival fills Victoria Park in Causeway Bay with lantern displays, a creative market and performances. In 2026 it opened on 17 September, was extended to 4 October because of the crowds, and its displays were lit from 18:30 to 23:00, until midnight from 24 to 27 September; on Mid-Autumn night itself, the Tai Hang fire dragon danced into the park. A second lighting installation stood on the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza in Tsim Sha Tsui. Use LCSD's 2027 programme to choose your evening; our Hong Kong festivals and events calendar has the rest of the year.

The moon is not always full on the festival night itself. In 2026 the Observatory pointed out that the full moon came two nights after the festival, but that a bright, round moon could still be seen across the festival period if the weather allowed.

Macau and mainland China

Macau's public holiday is also Thursday 16 September, the day following the Chong Chao (Mid-Autumn) Festival. Its celebration is a family one, so a night in Hong Kong for the fire dragon, with Macau the next day, is the obvious pairing; our Hong Kong to Macau guide has the crossing.

On the mainland, the national holiday rules in force since 1 January 2025 give Mid-Autumn one statutory day, on the festival day itself, which should be Wednesday 15 September 2027. The State Council announces each year's holiday arrangements, including any swapped working days, in its yearly notice, which for 2027 had not been published. Mooncakes and family reunions are the heart of it. Three days later, on 18 September, is the traditional peak date for watching the Qiantang River tidal bore near Hangzhou; our China festivals and events calendar explains where to watch it.

Allow extra time for cross-boundary trips between Hong Kong and the mainland over the holiday.

Taiwan: mooncakes, pomelos and barbecues

Taiwan's government-office calendar makes Wednesday 15 September 2027 a holiday, a single day this year rather than a long weekend. The Tourism Administration calls it the most romantic of the holidays: people eat mooncakes for togetherness, stroll under the full moon and eat pomelos, whose Chinese name sounds like "care and protection". The most visible custom is a recent one: families and friends get together for a barbecue on the festival evening.

Treat it as an evening in Taipei or another city rather than a reason to cross the island; our Taiwan festivals and events calendar has the year's other long weekends.

Vietnam: Tet Trung Thu, the children's festival

In Vietnam the Mid-Autumn Festival, Tet Trung Thu, is held on the full moon of the eighth lunar month and is not a public holiday. Vietnam's tourism authority calls it the Children's Festival: children are given toys, paper lanterns and masks, lion-dance troupes go from house to house, and families gather in their gardens with tea and sweets to watch the harvest moon. By the lunar calendar it should fall on 15 September in 2027; local programmes are announced closer to the date.

The authority singles out Hoi An, where boats and lanterns float down the Thu Bon River past the UNESCO-listed Ancient Town. Our Vietnam festivals and events calendar covers the rest of the year.

Singapore and Malaysia: lanterns on a working evening

In Singapore it is known as the Mooncake Festival, and it is not a public holiday. The National Heritage Board describes families gathering over mooncakes, pomelos and tea while children carry lanterns of every shape around their housing estates, and clan associations and community centres holding their own celebrations. In Chinatown, the Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng community runs lantern walks, mooncake activities and lantern riddles; our Singapore festivals and events calendar has the year's public holidays.

Malaysia does not make it a public holiday either, but in 2027 the next day, Thursday 16 September, is Malaysia Day, a holiday across the country. Tourism Malaysia describes lantern processions and mooncakes, and our Malaysia festivals and events calendar lists the year's holidays state by state.

South Korea: Chuseok on the same full moon

Korea celebrates the same moon as Chuseok, its harvest festival, with a three-day holiday from Tuesday 14 to Thursday 16 September 2027. It is a family homecoming rather than a lantern festival, with songpyeon rice cakes in place of mooncakes and trains that sell out. Our Chuseok guide explains what closes and how to travel that week.

Choosing where to be

For a public spectacle, Hong Kong is the clear choice: the fire dragon in Tai Hang, the lantern carnival in Victoria Park and a holiday the next day. For a festival that feels like a neighbourhood evening, choose Hoi An or Singapore's Chinatown, where lantern walks are the focus. Taiwan is for joining in rather than watching.

Wherever you go, the festival is one night, so build the trip around 14 to 16 September and book rooms early for Hong Kong and Hoi An. Avoid long journeys in Korea that week, and allow extra time at the Hong Kong-mainland border.