Lunar New Year 2027: A Seven-Day Break and How to Stay Connected
Lunar New Year 2027 gives Taiwan a seven-day break, and because the first day of the new year lands on a Saturday the holiday joins up neatly at both ends. Expect airports, arrival halls and popular sights to be busier than usual. Here are the dates, the connectivity options for the destinations people actually fly to, and what to finish before you leave.
Lunar New Year 2027 dates
New Year's Eve is Friday 5 February 2027 and the first day of the new year is Saturday 6 February. Taiwan's official holiday runs from Thursday 4 February through Wednesday 10 February, seven days in total.
| Date | Lunar date | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 4 Feb | Day before New Year's Eve | Departure halls start filling from the afternoon |
| Fri 5 Feb | New Year's Eve | Fewer flights, fares often softer |
| Sat 6 Feb | New Year's Day | Holiday travel and family travel overlap |
| Sun 7 - Tue 9 Feb | Days 2-4 | Where most short trips sit |
| Wed 10 Feb | Day 5 | Return day, arrival halls at their busiest |
(Source: Taiwan DGPA 2027 public holiday calendar, checked October 2026.)
Why sort data out before you fly
- Airport counters queue up. Thirty minutes in line for a SIM card is the first meal of your trip gone.
- Local shops close for the holiday. Hours are shortened across Chinese-speaking destinations and in Vietnam during Tet.
- You need data the moment you land, for ride-hailing, bookings and letting family know you arrived.
- Holiday itineraries run long, so navigation stays open and data use is higher than on an ordinary trip.
An eSIM reverses the order: install at home, land, switch on data roaming, done. No swapping cards and nothing small to lose.
Picking a plan by destination
| Destination | What matters over the holiday | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | Tail of the ski season, long hours outdoors, cold drains batteries | iPhone: Japan eSIM on the Softbank network. Android: KDDI. Both cover all of Japan including Okinawa |
| Korea | Navigation runs on Naver and Kakao all day | Korea native eSIM on SKT, unlimited with no throttling threshold |
| Thailand | Dense Bangkok and Chiang Mai itineraries | Thailand eSIM on dtac, unlimited data |
| Vietnam | Tet is a local holiday too, some businesses close | Vietnam eSIM on Viettel, covers Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc |
| Singapore and Malaysia | Family trips, crowded malls and parks | Singapore eSIM, or Malaysia eSIM if you are crossing between the two |
| Mainland China | Needs to work without a VPN | China eSIM on China Mobile, with LINE, Instagram and YouTube reachable |
| Europe | Several countries in one trip | Europe eSIM, one profile across 42 countries |
Not sure how much data to buy? The usage table in how much data an eSIM needs is a good starting point. Holiday trips usually add an hour or two of navigation a day, so go one tier up.
A two-week checklist
*#06# and look for a 32-digit EID, or open your settings and look for "Add eSIM". Some Android models sold in certain markets have the feature switched off.Three moments when the network struggles
- Arrival halls and baggage belts, where a whole aircraft connects to one cell at the same time.
- Temple fairs and street events on the first days of the new year, where uploads slow to a crawl.
- Stations and motorway stops on the return day. Load your route before you set off.
Lunar New Year 2027 travel data FAQ
When is Lunar New Year 2027?
Lunar New Year's Day falls on Saturday 6 February 2027, with New Year's Eve on Friday 5 February. Taiwan's public holiday runs 4-10 February, seven days in all, so outbound traffic is heavier and more concentrated than in a typical year.
How far ahead should I set up data for the holiday?
Buy and install the eSIM about a week before you fly, while you are still on home Wi-Fi, then switch on data roaming after you land. Installing early does not start the clock on your plan, and it avoids discovering at the airport that your handset cannot take an eSIM.
Will mobile data be slower during the holiday?
In crowded places, yes. Arrival halls, temple fairs on the first day of the new year and shuttle points at popular sights all put a lot of handsets on one cell at once. That is network load rather than a fault with the plan, though profiles that run on a local carrier's own network usually hold up better than roaming.
Are carrier shops open during Lunar New Year?
Not reliably. In Chinese-speaking destinations, and in Vietnam during Tet, shop hours are cut back and smaller outlets may stay shut for several days. If your plan was to buy a local SIM on arrival, factor that in.
Can a family share one eSIM by hotspot?
You can turn on a hotspot, but whether other devices connect depends on the handset, and leaving it on all day drains the battery fast. Holiday itineraries keep you outdoors for long stretches, so a profile per person is steadier.
Related reading
Resort coverage, cold-weather battery drain and offline maps for driving.
What happens to mobile networks in a crowd, and how to prepare for it.
Install timing, how plan days are counted and what hotspot sharing really does.
Real usage figures for maps, social apps, video calls and streaming.
