Public holidays & observances

Hong Kong's public holiday calendar blends Western-calendar fixed dates with Chinese lunar-calendar festivals, giving a noticeably different rhythm to the year than a purely Gregorian-calendar public holiday list.

Fixed-date holidays

New Year's Day, Labour Day (1 May), the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day (1 July, marking the 1997 handover), National Day (1 October), and Christmas Day and Boxing Day are all fixed to the Western calendar.

Lunar-calendar holidays

Lunar New Year (see our festival planning guide for the confirmed 2027 date), the Ching Ming Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, the day after Mid-Autumn Festival, and Chung Yeung Festival all shift on the Western calendar year to year, since they're set by the lunar calendar.

What actually closes

Government offices, banks and most large businesses close on public holidays; many restaurants and shops, particularly larger or tourist-facing ones, stay open, though smaller family-run businesses are more likely to close, especially around Lunar New Year specifically.

Planning around it

Public holidays, especially multi-day ones like Lunar New Year, see heavier domestic and regional travel — worth booking transport and popular restaurants further ahead if your trip overlaps one.