About Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival — Tết Trung Thu in Vietnam, Zhōngqiū Jié in China, Chuseok's cousin in the Chinese tradition — falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, when the moon is at its roundest and brightest. The next celebration lands on September 25, 2026, and the countdown above tracks the days until lantern night.
Dating back over 3,000 years to moon-worship in the Shang dynasty, the festival celebrates harvest, reunion and the full moon — a symbol of family completeness. The legend of Chang'e, the moon goddess who drank the elixir of immortality and floated to the moon, is retold every year, and her companion the Jade Rabbit appears on mooncake tins everywhere.
Today the festival means mooncakes — dense pastries filled with lotus seed paste, salted egg yolk, or modern flavors from durian to ice cream — shared among family and gifted to friends and colleagues. In Vietnam it is above all a children's festival: lion dances wind through the streets, and kids parade with star-shaped lanterns. Families gather outdoors to admire the moon, a tradition called shǎngyuè, on what is often the clearest full-moon night of the year.
Upcoming dates
| 2026 | Friday, September 25, 2026next |
| 2027 | Wednesday, September 15, 2027 |
| 2028 | Tuesday, October 3, 2028 |
| 2029 | Saturday, September 22, 2029 |
| 2030 | Thursday, September 12, 2030 |
FAQ
When is the Mid-Autumn Festival 2026?
It falls on Friday, September 25, 2026 — the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, the night of the full harvest moon.
Why is it called the Mooncake Festival?
Sharing and gifting mooncakes — round pastries symbolizing the full moon and family unity — is the festival's signature tradition.
Why does the date change every year?
It follows the lunisolar calendar, so the 15th day of the 8th month lands between early September and early October on the Gregorian calendar.
How is Tết Trung Thu different in Vietnam?
Vietnam celebrates it largely as a children's festival, with star lanterns, lion dances and toys — alongside the shared traditions of mooncakes and moon-gazing.