What's on in Shenzhen, China through the year

Busy — Winter break (around Chinese New Year) in China, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Spring Festival

  15–23 FebLunar New YearClosures

  A city of migrants, so this is the week it empties instead of filling. Traffic disappears, half the restaurants shut, and what stays open is the tourist half. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Spring Festival, Winter break (around Chinese New Year) in China

• Season

  Huinantian, the damp weeks

  1 Feb – 10 Apr · usuallyFog seasonRisk

  Warm sea air over cold surfaces: walls sweat, floors are slick, laundry never dries and the towers vanish into fog. Locals run dehumidifiers around the clock and the sea view is theoretical. Source ↗

Still on: Spring Festival (15–23 Feb)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Huinantian, the damp weeks (1 Feb – 10 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Huinantian, the damp weeks (1 Feb – 10 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Lychee season

  25 May – 10 Jul · usuallyHarvest

  Shenzhen grew lychees before it grew towers and the old orchards in Nanshan still crop. Six weeks of fruit sold from the back of vans, and then it is gone until next year.

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Lychee season (25 May – 10 Jul (usually))

Busy — Summer break in China, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Typhoon season

  1 Jul – 30 Sep · usuallyClosures

  Signal 8 and the city stops: offices close, the metro thins out, and the ferries and border crossings to Hong Kong pause. Usually a day, occasionally two. Source ↗

Still on: Lychee season (25 May – 10 Jul (usually))

Busy — Summer break in China, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Typhoon season (1 Jul – 30 Sep (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Typhoon season (1 Jul – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — National Day Golden Week, National Day Golden Week in China

• Holiday

  National Day Golden Week

  1–7 OctCrowded

  The best weather of the year and the worst week to move. The theme parks and the Hong Kong border crossings are the pinch points; the city itself thins out as people leave. Source ↗

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Busy — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in December.