China’s Dragon Boat Festival is referred to as Duanwu Jie (‘Start-of the-Fifth-Solar-Month Festival’) or Tuen Ng Festival (in Cantonese areas). Dragon boat races and rice dumplings are two of the most distinctive elements of the festival.
In 2023, Dragon Boat Festival will fall on Thursday, June 22. In 2023, people will enjoy a 3-day national holiday from June 22th to 24th in Chinese mainland.
How is the Dragon Boat Festival Date Determined?
Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese Lunar Calendar, so the festival is often called the ‘double fifth’ festival. The date varies from year to year on the Gregorian calendar, but it always falls in June or late May.
Why is it celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month?
It is because of the story of Qu Yuan (famously patriotic Chinese poet and statesman) in which he threw himself into a river and drowned in protest about his beloved homeland on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (June 27, 278 BC).
Learn more about the story of Qu Yuan.
Is Dragon Boat Festival a Public Holiday?
Dragon Boat Festival is a public holiday in China. In Chinese mainland, it is a 3-day national holiday, but it is a one-day public holiday in Hong Kong and Macau.
It is not a public holiday in many other Asia countries, such as Singapore and Malaysia, but it is nevertheless a widely observed cultural event.
Dragon Boat Festival Dates for 2022 to 2030
This table below shows you when Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated from 2021 to 2030.
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | June 14 | Monday |
| 2022 | June 3 | Friday |
| 2023 | June 22 | Thursday |
| 2024 | June 10 | Monday |
| 2025 | May 31 | Saturday |
| 2026 | June 19 | Friday |
| 2027 | June 9 | Wednesday |
| 2028 | May 28 | Sunday |
| 2029 | June 16 | Saturday |
| 2030 | June 5 | Wednesday |
2022 Dragon Boat Festival Celebration Events around the World
dragon boat festival racing- North America's flagship Dragon Boat Festival at Concord Pacific Place returns on June 24–26, 2022!
- Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival will be held on June 23–26, 2022. It might be one of the most exciting summer events in Ottawa and one of the most prestigious dragon boat festivals on the North American dragon boat calendar.
