Chinese New Year 2027 in JB: Goodies & Jams

Chinese New Year 2027 falls on Saturday 6 February, the start of the Year of the Goat, so the reunion dinner is on Friday 5 February. Singapore is off from Saturday 6 to Monday 8 February, and Johor is off on 6–7 February plus Monday 8 February (Awal Ramadan, expected). For a stress-free CNY in JB, do your goodies shopping on weekdays in mid to late January, avoid crossing north on the Thursday evening and Friday before the reunion dinner, and avoid coming home on the evening of Monday 8 February. Here is how to plan each part.

Key Chinese New Year 2027 dates

Date	What happens	Crossing outlook
Fri 22 Jan	Thaipusam, a Johor state holiday (not in Singapore)	JB malls busier over that weekend
Sat 23 Jan – Sun 31 Jan	Last two weekends of CNY shopping	Busy northbound on Saturday mornings
Thu 4 Feb	Many people start their CNY trips home	Heavy northbound in the evening
Fri 5 Feb	Reunion dinner (CNY eve)	Very heavy northbound all day
Sat 6 – Sun 7 Feb	First and second day of CNY	Usually quieter, as families are visiting
Mon 8 Feb	Public holiday in Singapore; Awal Ramadan in Johor (expected)	Very heavy southbound in the evening
Tue 9 Feb	MOE schools closed (off-in-lieu day)	Easier day to come home if you can take leave
Sat 20 Feb	Chap Goh Mei, the 15th day and end of the festive period	Normal weekend traffic

Singapore's dates are from the Ministry of Manpower and MOE; Johor's are from Malaysia's official 2027 holiday list. For every other 2027 date, see our Malaysia public holidays 2027 guide.

Buying CNY goodies in JB

What people usually buy

• Festive cookies: pineapple tarts, love letters (kuih kapit), kuih bangkit, peanut cookies and the like, often sold in big plastic jars or gift tins.
• Mandarin oranges for visiting and for the altar.
• Dried goods such as mushrooms, scallops and fish maw for reunion dishes and gifting.
• Decorations, red packets, new clothes and hampers.

Where to look

In the weeks before the new year, JB's large malls and hypermarkets set aside space for festive goodies, hampers and decorations. AEON Tebrau City, Mid Valley Southkey, KSL City Mall and AEON Bukit Indah are all easy to reach by car and have big supermarkets under one roof; our JB shopping malls guide explains which mall suits what. For a more traditional feel, the shophouse streets of the old town around Jalan Tan Hiok Nee have long-running family businesses, and wet markets are the place for oranges in bulk. Stock, prices and opening hours change every year, so treat any shop list you see online as a starting point and check before you go.

When to shop

• Best: weekdays from about mid-January. Choice is good and the checkpoints are calmer than at weekends.
• Busy: the weekend of Thaipusam (22–24 January), when Johor families are off too, and the last two weekends before the new year.
• Avoid: the final few days before the reunion dinner, when popular items sell out and every mall car park is full.

What you can bring back to Singapore

A boot full of CNY shopping is tempting, but Singapore's rules still apply. In short, at time of writing:

• GST relief: if you have been out of Singapore for less than 48 hours, new goods up to S$100 per person are GST-free; for 48 hours or more, up to S$500. Anything above that is taxed on the difference.
• Cookies and other processed food: allowed for personal use, within the Singapore Food Agency's (SFA) quantity limits.
• Fruit, including mandarin oranges: allowed from any country in a small, hand-carry quantity for your own use; SFA's own guidance suggests about 5 kg as a rule of thumb.
• Bak kwa and other meat products: only allowed from SFA-approved sources, and Malaysia was not on the approved list for pork at time of writing. Buy your bak kwa in Singapore.
• Alcohol: there is no duty-free allowance when arriving from Malaysia, so all liquor must be declared and taxed.

Our Singapore customs allowance guide has the full details. Rules change, so check the Singapore Customs and SFA websites before a big shop.

Reunion dinner trips: timing it right

Going north for the reunion dinner

Friday 5 February is a working day in Singapore, but thousands of people will be heading into Malaysia for dinner that evening, joined by Malaysians who work in Singapore going home. The jams usually start building on Thursday evening and last most of Friday. Your options:

• Cross very early on Friday morning, before about 6–7am, and spend the day with family.
• Cross late on Thursday night if you can stay over.
• If you must travel on Friday afternoon, leave a large buffer before dinner and check the live cameras before setting off.

Coming home

Monday 8 February is the last day of Singapore's break, so the evening is likely to be one of the slowest southbound times of the year. Coming back on the first or second day of CNY is usually easier, as many families stay put to visit relatives. If you or your children have Tuesday 9 February off, returning early that morning is another good option. For more on holiday crossing patterns, see our Causeway jams on public holidays guide.

Visiting relatives across Johor

Many families do several house visits on the first two days, often in different towns. Plan the order around distance: JB city, Skudai and Iskandar Puteri are close together, while Kluang, Batu Pahat or Muar are a much longer drive. Parking outside terrace houses is tight on festive days, so being dropped at the door saves time.

Festive sights in JB

• Johor Bahru Old Chinese Temple on Jalan Trus, more than a century old, is busy with worshippers on the eve and the first day.
• Johor Bahru Chingay, the temple's procession of deities through the city, is usually held around the 20th day of the first lunar month, which would place it in late February 2027. Dates are set by the temple, so check announcements closer to the time.
• Ramadan bazaars: with Ramadan expected to begin around 8 February, evening food bazaars will appear across JB during the CNY period, a rare overlap of two festive seasons.

Practical tips

• Expect some closures. Many Chinese family-run shops and eateries close for the first few days of the new year. Big malls generally stay open.
• Change money early. Money changers get busy before CNY, and you may want crisp notes for red packets.
• Pack the boot carefully. Cookie jars and orange boxes take up more space than you think; tell your driver roughly how much you are bringing back.
• Keep receipts together in case customs officers ask for them at the Singapore checkpoint.
• Check traffic before you leave on our Woodlands and Tuas checkpoint traffic page.

A private car for CNY trips

Chinese New Year is when a private car is most useful. Grandparents, children and boxes of goodies all travel together, door to door, and nobody has to queue at immigration: you stay in the car at both checkpoints. Your driver can drop you at each relative's house, wait while you shop, and help load the boot. An MPV seats up to six passengers, and a Toyota Hiace takes up to nine with luggage, so bigger families can still travel in one vehicle. Fares are per car and the same in both directions, with tolls, checkpoint fees, fuel and parking included.

Cars are booked up quickly for reunion dinner week, so plan early. See the Singapore to Johor Bahru page for vehicles and fares, use our online booking form, or Whatsapp us with your dates and addresses. There is no deposit; you pay the driver on arrival.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 14 October 2026