Early 2027 brings something Malaysian marketers rarely face: Chinese New Year falls on 6 February, and Ramadan is expected to begin just two days later, around 8 February. Hari Raya Aidilfitri is expected around 10 March.
That puts the two biggest festive seasons for Malaysia's two largest communities almost on top of each other, with Valentine's Day in the middle. For brands, it's a huge opportunity and a real planning challenge. Here's how to get it right.
The 2027 festive calendar
| Date (2027) | Occasion | What it means for content |
|---|---|---|
| Late January | CNY build-up | Gift guides, festive packaging, reunion prep, Xiaohongshu searches peak |
| 5–6 February | CNY Eve and Chinese New Year | Reunion dinners, family visits, angpow |
| About 8 February | Ramadan begins | Fasting month; iftar and sahur become the key moments of the day |
| 14 February | Valentine's Day | Falls during both CNY and Ramadan; keep it low-key and inclusive |
| 20 February | Chap Goh Mei | The last day of CNY celebrations |
| Late February to early March | Last 10 days of Ramadan | Raya shopping: baju raya, kuih, gifts, travel home |
| About 10 March | Hari Raya Aidilfitri | Open houses, family, duit raya; celebrations continue through Syawal |
Ramadan and Hari Raya dates are expected dates and are confirmed by the authorities after the official moon sighting.
Why the overlap matters
Creators will be in high demand. Brands that normally book CNY creators in January and Ramadan creators in February will be competing for creators in the same weeks. Popular creators get booked early.
Feeds will be crowded. Two festive seasons at once means more brands posting and boosting at the same time. Content that's generic will disappear; content that feels personal and well-timed will stand out.
The mood changes in two days. CNY content is loud, red and celebratory. Ramadan content is reflective, generous and centred on family and giving. Brands talking to both audiences need to switch tone quickly, and sometimes run both at once.
It's a chance to celebrate together. Malaysians have a word for festivals that come together: Kongsi Raya. Brands that show respect for both celebrations, and for the people sharing them, can earn real goodwill.
Seven rules for planning both seasons
1. Brief and book in December, not January. Lock your creator line-ups for both CNY and Ramadan before the year ends. Waiting until January means competing with every other brand for the same creators.
2. Build two line-ups, not one. Chinese-speaking creators for CNY, Malay-speaking creators for Ramadan and Raya, and bilingual or multicultural creators for content that speaks to everyone. In our creator database, 64% create in English, 49% in Malay and 22% in Chinese, so building both line-ups is very possible if you start early.
3. Separate the messages, then connect the brand. Don't blend CNY and Ramadan imagery in the same post. Run festive-specific content for each audience, and let your brand values (family, generosity, togetherness) tie them together.
4. Respect fasting hours. During Ramadan, time food and drink content aimed at Muslim audiences close to iftar, not in the middle of the day. Keep CNY content that features alcohol or non-halal food away from Muslim audiences, and check your ad targeting.
5. Use the right platform for each audience. For Chinese-speaking audiences, Xiaohongshu is where many people search for CNY gifts and ideas, and carousel posts work best there. TikTok and Instagram reach both audiences. Live selling works well for festive gift bundles and Raya shopping.
6. Front-load CNY, then sustain Ramadan. CNY peaks fast: most of the impact comes in the two weeks before 6 February. Ramadan builds over a month, with a second peak in the last ten days as Raya shopping takes off. Plan your budget accordingly.
7. Have a Valentine's plan, or skip it. Valentine's Day lands during both CNY and Ramadan in 2027. If you run it, keep it light, inclusive and separate from your Ramadan content.
One product, two stories
The best festive campaigns tell a different story to each audience while selling the same product. Cooltopia, a herbal cooling water rooted in Chinese tradition, did exactly this: its Ramadan campaign worked with 20 influencers to position the same product as a way to stay cool and hydrated when breaking fast, reaching about a million people. On Xiaohongshu, its seeder creators reached an 18% engagement rate with Chinese-speaking audiences.
For CNY specifically, a heritage beverage brand we worked with reached 1.1 million views on Xiaohongshu with 32 small creators by showing its limited-edition festive packaging in real CNY moments.
A suggested timeline
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| November 2026 | Set goals and budgets for CNY, Ramadan and Raya; decide which audiences and products to focus on |
| Early December | Brief and book creators for both seasons; lock festive offers and packaging |
| Late December to mid-January | Creators produce CNY content; you review drafts |
| Mid-January to 6 February | CNY content goes live; boost the best posts |
| Late January | Ramadan content produced and reviewed |
| From about 8 February | Ramadan content goes live, timed around iftar |
| Late February to about 10 March | Raya shopping push: gift bundles, live selling, last-minute deals |
| March | Raya celebration content through Syawal; report and learn for next year |
Working with one budget for both festivals? Read Gong Xi Raya 2027: how brands can win CNY and Raya together, with an industry-by-industry playbook. For more on the Ramadan and Raya side, read Ramadan and Hari Raya 2027: the influencer marketing playbook, and for festive campaigns in general, the festive influencer marketing playbook.
Your festive checklist
- Goals and budgets set for CNY, Ramadan and Raya
- Creator line-ups booked by early December
- Separate content and messaging for each audience
- Food and drink content timed around fasting hours
- Ad targeting checked for sensitive content
- Xiaohongshu for CNY, TikTok and Instagram for both
- A plan for the Raya shopping peak in the last ten days of Ramadan
Plan your 2027 festive campaigns with us
We've run festive influencer campaigns in Malaysia since 2015, with 41,000+ creators in our database across Chinese, Malay and English-speaking audiences. Creators for early 2027 will book fast, so now is the time to start. WhatsApp us and we'll reply within one business day.
Dates: Chinese New Year falls on 6 February 2027. Ramadan is expected to begin about 8 February 2027 and Hari Raya Aidilfitri about 10 March 2027, subject to official moon sighting. Sources: Ramadan 2027 in Malaysia (Wego); Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2027 (Office Holidays); Chinese New Year 2027 date (China Travel).
