The mid-autumn festival, also known as the moon festival, is a celebration of harvest and family in Chinese culture – a time to gather with relatives and friends under a full moon. During the festival, people eat mooncakes – a rich round pastry that symbolises wholeness – and display lanterns: beacons that light the path towards prosperity and good luck.
It is held on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar, when the moon is believed to be at its fullest and brightest, coinciding with the harvest in the middle of autumn. In 2026, it will be held on Friday 25 September.
Festival scenes in pictures
A dancer performs at a mid-autumn festival gala in Hanoi, Vietnam. The festival is celebrated in China, Vietnam and other diaspora communities around the world.
A dog sits in front of mid-autumn festival lanterns at Tai Kiu Market in Hong Kong. People shop for fruit at a market in Yiwu in China's Zhejiang province, where the market has a surge in sales for the festival.
Mooncakes and markets
Floral displays at Beijing's Temple of Heaven park feature themed flower and hedge gardens to celebrate the mid-autumn festival and China's National Day. Traditional 'Yongchang' mooncakes are made by hand ahead of celebrations in Huangshan City in China's Anhui province.
People queue up to receive coupons for mooncakes from a charity in Hong Kong. A baker makes mooncakes at a food business in Yiwu in China's Zhejiang province.
Lantern displays across the region
Lanterns of all shapes and sizes are on show at Tai Kiu Market in Hong Kong, alongside festive items on sale in Hanoi's Old Quarter ahead of the festival in Vietnam. A big collection of lanterns is on sale at a shop in Guangzhou in China.
Fluffy handmade lanterns are displayed at a market in Hong Kong. Villagers dry crops – a traditional custom ahead of the festival – in Chengkan in China's Anhui province.
Festival lights in Hong Kong and Macau
A rabbit lantern holds a mooncake lantern in Macau, China. Hong Kong's secretary for culture, sports and tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui views the festival lights at Victoria Park. There are even lanterns resembling dumplings in a steamer at Victoria Park.
A grand display of colour and light is seen at Largo do Senado in Macau, China. Welcoming the full moon at a lantern display ahead of the festival in Beijing.
