2026 Canton Fair Dates & Phases: Which Phase Should You Attend?

• Phase 1: October 15–19, with manufacturing, machinery, electrical and technology-related categories.
• Phase 2: October 23–27, with home, building, furniture, gift and decoration categories.
• Phase 3: October 31–November 4, with fashion, textiles, toys, health and other consumer categories.
• Changeovers: October 20–22 and October 28–30. Arrange any supplier visit independently.
• Before booking: confirm the actual exhibitor, phase, meeting date and destination, not only the product's broad label.

The schedule and examples below come from the official 140th Canton Fair introduction published by China's Ministry of Commerce, checked on 23 September 2026. Category examples are selective, not the complete exhibitor directory or a guarantee that a particular company is attending.

An item used in a home does not automatically belong to Phase 2: appliances and furniture are listed separately. Likewise, a supplier selling several product ranges may not have the same arrangements for every range. Ask the company for its current phase and booth details before committing to a non-changeable journey.

Start with the products you need to evaluate and the decisions you want to make. Shortlist relevant exhibitors, check their current participation details and confirm appointments. Then decide how many exhibition days your team needs. Do not choose a phase simply because it offers the most convenient flight.

This approach suits buyers combining sourcing with specific technical or commercial conversations. If you only need to meet an existing supplier outside the fair, ask whether an exhibition visit adds anything. If your shortlist spans phases, compare a longer stay with a narrower brief rather than assuming one week covers everything.

Keep tentative and confirmed meetings separate in your itinerary. A supplier saying “see you in Guangzhou” has not yet confirmed a date, booth or factory appointment. Share a clear final version with everyone travelling, particularly when colleagues arrive on different flights.

Use changeover dates for rest, preparation, travel or separately confirmed business meetings. They are not ordinary fair-viewing dates. The gap in the exhibition calendar does not guarantee a supplier's availability, permission to enter a factory or a vehicle waiting all day.

For off-site appointments, collect the Chinese address, map location, host contact and expected visit length. An office or showroom may be different from the production site. Compare conditional itineraries in the Canton Fair factory visit guide before adding Shenzhen, Dongguan or Foshan to the schedule.

If meetings span multiple cities, use the seven-day China sourcing itinerary as an adjustable example. Its fair days still need to match real calendar dates; it is not a package that can cover all three phases in seven days.

Choose the guide that answers your actual first journey. Someone already in a Hong Kong hotel has a different starting point from a passenger still completing airport arrival procedures.

• Already in Hong Kong: compare door-to-door travel, rail and coach planning in Hong Kong to Canton Fair.
• Landing at HKG: use the Hong Kong Airport to Canton Fair guide for flight, luggage and arrival considerations.
• Landing at CAN: start with Guangzhou Airport to Canton Fair, including whether your destination is the hotel or exhibition.
• Starting in Shenzhen: read Shenzhen to Canton Fair and give the actual hotel or supplier address.

Do not plan an important meeting from driving time alone. Airport procedures, a Hong Kong border leg where applicable, transfers and reaching the correct entrance all belong in the journey. No phase date determines a fixed travel time or a guaranteed pickup location.

1. Match your product shortlist to the current phase and actual exhibitors.
2. Confirm meeting dates, booth details and any separate supplier appointments.
3. Check travel documents and exhibition entry requirements independently through the responsible official channels.
4. Build the complete route: flights, hotels, exhibition days, supplier addresses, passengers and luggage.
5. Confirm transport scope and price in writing, including waiting, return pickups and changes where needed.

A seven-seat Alphard includes the driver, leaving up to six passenger seats. That does not promise space for six large cases plus samples. Send luggage details before confirming a vehicle, and update them if purchases or samples change the return load.

Once the phase and appointments are clear, send your departure point, destination, dates, passengers and luggage on WhatsApp. Include flights, hotel addresses and supplier stops where relevant. For the scope of airport, exhibition and business journeys, see our Canton Fair transfer and chauffeur service.

WhatsApp: plan transport for my fair dates

Last reviewed: 23 September 2026. Dates, changeovers and selective category examples follow the official MOFCOM announcement linked above. Travel planning advice is editorial guidance, not an official fair programme. Transport details follow existing service information. Recheck the current announcement, exhibitors and operating arrangements before travel.