If you’re waiting until February to worry about CNY closings and delays, honestly, you’ve already missed the boat. Most folks look at the calendar, see the "official" dates, and assume that's when the world pauses. It’s not. In 2026, the Year of the Horse, the official Spring Festival break in China runs from February 15 to February 23. Nine days. Sounds manageable, right?
Wrong.
The reality on the ground is a month-long logistical blackout that starts creeping in by mid-January. If you're sourcing components from Shenzhen or waiting on a container in Long Beach, the "official" calendar is basically a polite fiction.
The 2026 CNY Timeline Is Messier Than You Think
The Chinese State Council recently shook things up for 2026. They’ve extended the Spring Festival to a full nine days, but that comes with a catch: the "makeup" workdays. You’ll see factories and offices humming on Saturday, February 14, and Saturday, February 28.
It’s a weird rhythm.
Workers aren't just taking a week off; they’re participating in Chunyun, the largest human migration on the planet. We’re talking billions of trips. For a factory worker in an export hub like Dongguan, the journey home to a rural province can take days. Because of this, many production lines start thinning out as early as February 1st.
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By the time the actual Eve rolls around on February 15, the skeleton crews are gone.
Why the "Restart" Is the Real Killer
Everyone plans for the shutdown. Nobody plans for the "hiccup" afterward. When the holiday ends on February 23, production doesn't just snap back to 100%.
Historically, about 15% to 30% of migrant workers don't return to the same factory after CNY. They look for better pay closer to home or just stay back to help with family farms. This creates a massive labor vacuum.
New hires need training. Quality control slips. In 2026, experts like those at ShipBob and FDI China are warning that "normal" operations likely won't resume until March 17. That’s a six-week window of pure volatility.
Shipping Delays: The "Blank Sailing" Trap
Logistics in 2026 is already feeling the squeeze from geopolitical shifts and fuel surcharges. CNY closings and delays just pour gasoline on the fire.
Carriers like Maersk and MSC don't like sailing half-empty ships. When Chinese factories go dark, carriers announce "blank sailings"—they literally just cancel the route. If your cargo didn't make it onto a ship by February 10, it might sit on a dock in Ningbo for three weeks.
- Port Congestion: Before the break, everyone rushes to ship at once. This creates a "pre-holiday surge" that chokes the ports.
- Trucking Shortages: Ground transport is the first thing to fail. Truckers go home early. If you haven't booked your drayage by late January, your goods are stuck at the warehouse.
- Rate Hikes: Expect "Peak Season Surcharges" (PSS) to kick in by mid-January. You’ll pay more for a slower service. It’s frustrating, but it’s the tax for not planning six months out.
It’s Not Just China
One common mistake is thinking you’re safe because you source from Vietnam or Malaysia.
You aren't.
Vietnam celebrates Tet at the same time. More importantly, many Southeast Asian manufacturers rely on raw materials or sub-assemblies from China. If the Chinese zipper factory is closed, the Vietnamese jacket factory stops moving too. It's a domino effect that most supply chain managers underestimate until their "Late February" delivery date slides into April.
Banks, Paperwork, and the Hidden Red Tape
Money stops moving too.
Most major Chinese banks, including the Bank of China and ICBC, will be fully closed from February 15 through the 23rd. If you need to settle an invoice or release a Bill of Lading, you’re out of luck.
International wires often get stuck in "compliance limbo" right before the break because of the sheer volume of transactions. If a payment doesn't clear by February 12, the factory won't release the goods. No money, no honey.
How to Actually Survive CNY 2026
Forget the "just order early" advice. Everyone does that. To actually beat the CNY closings and delays, you need a bit more nuance.
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- The "Safety Stock" Buffer: You should have already increased your inventory levels by 25% for Q1. If you haven't, do it now.
- Ship LCL (Less than Container Load): If you're desperate, LCL is sometimes easier to squeeze onto a vessel than a full 40-foot container during the pre-holiday rush.
- Validate Your QC: The "Golden Sample" you got in October might not match the "Post-CNY" batch in March. New workers mean new mistakes. Double down on third-party inspections for any orders shipping in late March.
- Air Freight as a Nuclear Option: Keep a budget for air freight. It’s expensive—roughly 5x the cost of sea—but if your production line is going to stop because you’re missing a $2 sensor, it’s worth it.
Basically, the 2026 Lunar New Year is a test of how much "slack" you have in your system. The companies that thrive aren't the ones with the best luck; they’re the ones who treated February as if it didn't exist on the business calendar.
Get your orders in before the January 20th "soft deadline." Confirm your shipping space by January 25th. Then, honestly, just sit tight and hope for the best, because once the Year of the Horse gallops in, the ports belong to the ghost of logistics past.
Actionable Next Steps
- Audit your Q1 Forecast: Immediately check which SKUs are coming from China or Vietnam and cross-reference them against your current warehouse stock.
- Contact your Freight Forwarder: Ask specifically about their "blank sailing" schedule for late February 2026. If they don't have one yet, ask for their 2025 data as a baseline.
- Settle Outstanding Payments: Ensure all supplier invoices for January and February are initiated no later than February 5 to avoid banking blackouts.