Mid-Autumn Festival 2026, 2027 and 2028
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a popular observance in Malaysia amongst those of ethnic Chinese heritage. It is not a public holiday, but malls nevertheless decorate and sell special food items at this time of year. It is sometimes known as Lantern Festival.
In 2026, Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Friday 25 September. The observance will be on Wednesday 15 September in 2027.
| Year | Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 25 Sep | Fri | Mid-Autumn Festival |
| 2027 | 15 Sep | Wed | Mid-Autumn Festival |
| 2028 | 3 Oct | Tue | Mid-Autumn Festival |
| Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates. | |||
The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, on a full moon day. This is always in mid-fall, sometime in later September or early October.
Moon cakes are the food of choice on this holiday. These cakes are filled with sweet-tasting bean paste or with lotus seeds or another filling. Originally, the Festival was closely connected with making offerings to the moon god to get a bountiful harvest. Today, most are not moon worshipers, but the cake is still shaped as a moon for that reason.
Traditionally, many families of Chinese descent in Malaysia would make moon cakes of a variety of types, have festive family dinners, and go on marches while holding up lit Chinese lanterns at night. Today it is much more common to buy pre-made, packaged moon cakes, although some people still hunt out traditional hand-made ones.
Previous Years
| Year | Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 Oct | Mon | Mid-Autumn Festival |
| 2024 | 17 Sep | Tue | Mid-Autumn Festival |