Lunar New Year 2027 falls on Saturday, February 6, with Taiwan’s official holiday running February 4-10. For travelers it’s a split decision: temples blaze, lanterns follow, and the cities empty pleasantly, but family restaurants and small shops shut for the Eve and the first day or two, intercity trains sell out the moment booking opens, and highways jam on the migration days. Visit knowingly (book transport at the 28-day window, plan Eve dinner ahead) or shift the trip a week either side.
Lunar New Year is Taiwan’s Christmas: the year’s great homecoming, when the west-coast corridor migrates south on Eve and back north days later. The island doesn’t close, but it changes shape, and a traveler who knows the rhythm does fine.
Dates checked for 2027. New Year’s Day is February 6 (Year of the Goat); the official break spans Thursday February 4 through Wednesday February 10.
What closes, day by day
The pattern holds year to year:
- Eve (Feb 5) and Day 1 (Feb 6): the quiet peak. Family-run restaurants, small shops, traditional markets and many museums close; night markets thin or pause; temples do the opposite, running at full roar for the first-incense crowds. Department stores mostly close Eve afternoon, reopening Day 2-3.
- Days 2-3 (Feb 7-8): the reopening slope. Chains and department stores return, tourist sites fill with domestic families, and the famous scenic spots hit their yearly crowd peaks.
- By Days 4-5: functionally normal, plus lingering crowds.
The constants that never close: convenience stores, hotels, the metro, and enough restaurants in tourist zones to keep you fed, if not always your first choice. National museums typically close Eve and run holiday hours after; check the specific site’s calendar for 2027.
The transport crunch
This is the real planning constraint. HSR and TRA holiday tickets sell out at the 28-day booking window, especially southbound before the Eve and northbound Days 4-6; set the alarm exactly as the rail guide prescribes, and treat unreserved HSR cars as the standing-room fallback. Highways jam spectacularly on the migration days, which makes bus travel slow and drives up the case for rail. Domestic flights and east-coast trains price and fill accordingly. Inside cities, transit runs (often with holiday schedules) and taxis apply holiday surcharges.
Should you visit during it?
Yes, if you like festivals and plan like one: temples at midnight on the Eve, lion dances, red envelopes changing hands, Taipei feeling briefly uncrowded on Day 1. The Pingxi sky lantern festival follows on Lantern Festival’s full moon two weeks later (late February 2027), a better spectacle than LNY itself for most visitors. No, if your trip depends on eating at small famous restaurants (many take a full week off) or on flexible last-minute transport. And book accommodation early in resort areas (Kenting, hot-spring towns), which run at domestic peak.
FAQ
When is Lunar New Year in 2027?
New Year’s Day is Saturday, February 6, 2027, and Taiwan’s official holiday runs February 4-10.
Is everything closed during Lunar New Year in Taiwan?
No, but the Eve and Day 1 close most family businesses and many museums; convenience stores, hotels, transit and temples carry on. By Day 3 the country is mostly open with holiday crowds.
Can I travel between cities during Lunar New Year?
Yes, with tickets booked the moment the 28-day HSR/TRA window opens. Southbound Eve-eve and northbound Days 4-6 are the crunch; avoid highway buses on those days.
Is Lunar New Year a good time to visit Taiwan?
It’s a trade: festival atmosphere and temple energy against closures and transport crunch. Festival-seekers should also consider the Pingxi lantern festival two weeks later, which delivers more spectacle with fewer logistics.
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Prices, schedules and closures change. If you spot something stale, email us and we’ll check it.