Canton Fair 2027 guide

When is the Canton Fair 2027, spring and autumn?

The 2027 dates have not been published yet as of October 2026. The Canton Fair runs twice a year, so 2027 will have a spring session (the 141st, April to May) and an autumn session (the 142nd, October to November). Each session has three phases of five days, with a three-day break between phases.

The 2026 sessions show the pattern. If 2027 follows it, the spring session would open around April 15 and the autumn session around October 15, but treat those as estimates until the organiser announces the 2027 dates on cantonfair.org.cn.

Spring and autumn sessions have the same three-phase structure and the same product sections in each phase; the organiser's 2026 guide lists one section table for both. The International Pavilion, where foreign companies exhibit, ran in Phases 2 and 3 of the autumn 2026 session.

Opening hours of the halls were not stated in the official buyer guides we read. Badge offices at the complex opened at 08:30 on fair days in autumn 2026.

What is in Canton Fair Phase 1, 2 and 3?

Phase 1 is machinery, electronics, vehicles and hardware; Phase 2 is home goods, gifts and building materials; Phase 3 is textiles, fashion, toys, food and health products. The same split applies to the spring and autumn sessions.

The organiser also runs special zones, such as the Service Robots Zone and the Intelligent Healthcare Zone, and says section and phase arrangements can change, so check the official site before you book flights for one phase.

Where is the Canton Fair held?

The Canton Fair is held at the China Import and Export Fair Complex (Canton Fair Complex), No. 382 Yuejiang Zhong Road, Pazhou, Haizhu District, Guangzhou, China. The complex has four areas: A (Halls 1-8), B (Halls 9-13), C (Halls 14-16) and D (Halls 17-20).

By metro, use Pazhou Station on Line 8 (exits A, B, C) or Line 11 (exits E, F), or Xingangdong Station on Line 8 (exit A). The organiser notes that Line 11 connects at Pazhou with the Guangzhou East Ring intercity railway, about 31 minutes to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. The Haizhu tram also stops near Areas A, B and D, and several bus lines stop at the complex.

Taxis and ride-hailing are busiest when the halls empty, between 16:00 and 19:00. In 2025 the organiser set taxi pick-up points on Zhanchang Zhong Road (between Areas A and B) and Zhanchang Xi Road (between Areas A and D), and ride-hailing could not pick up on Xingang Dong Road or Yuejiang Road at that time.

Is the Canton Fair free, and how do you register?

Yes, for overseas buyers. There are no tickets: you enter with a Canton Fair overseas buyer badge, and new badges, replacements and renewals are free of charge. The organiser says it has never authorised any third party to sell badge services.

It is a trade fair, not a public show. Every visitor needs a badge, and the badge is valid for multiple sessions, so returning buyers can reuse it. Badges issued on the basis of a work visa at or before the 134th session are no longer valid.

To register, pre-register online at the Buyer Service System (buyer.cantonfair.org.cn) or in the Canton Fair app, then collect the badge in person. Pre-registration is now open all year round.

1. 01

   Create an account

   Scan the pre-registration QR code or open buyer.cantonfair.org.cn, choose your identity (for example, foreign passport holder), and register with your email and a password.

2. 02

   Fill in sourcing intent and personal details

   Upload your ID document, enter the name to print on the badge (30 characters maximum) and upload a badge photo.

3. 03

   Add your company

   Search for your company. If it is not listed, choose Create Company and submit the company details.

4. 04

   Verify your email

   Click Get Verification Email, open the link in your inbox, then click Verified, next step.

5. 05

   Submit the badge application

   Choose Badge application, check the details and submit. Tick Generate invitation letter at the same time if you need one. Open Badge list and tap QR Code to see your receipt.

6. 06

   Collect the badge

   Bring your original ID, the QR code receipt and a business card to a registration office. The organiser says pre-registered new buyers can pick up the badge in about 30 seconds.

Badge photo rules: clear photo, head centred, not tilted or turned sideways, no hats, headscarves or tinted glasses; jpg, jpeg or png only.

Where do you collect the Canton Fair badge?

Collect the badge at a registration office away from the complex if you hold a foreign passport or a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan residents; the organiser recommends these offices to save time. Buyers with a Chinese passport plus overseas permanent residence must use the offices at the complex.

If you need a Canton Fair invitation letter, for example for a visa application, request it in the Buyer Service System. First-time buyers get it by ticking Generate invitation letter when they apply for the badge; returning buyers apply from the Invitation Letter menu. You can apply up to five times per session, each new letter cancels the previous one, and people under 18 cannot apply. The organiser does not give visa rules on these pages, so check the Chinese embassy or consulate in your country.

Canton Fair exhibitor list and floor plan

The organiser does not offer a downloadable exhibitor list; the official directory is a search tool. The organiser's online platform at cantonfair.org.cn and the Canton Fair app let you search exhibitors and products, exchange business cards with exhibitors, send messages, book appointments and post sourcing requests.

For the floor plan, use the exhibition hall layout map on the official website, and the booth-level navigation in the Canton Fair app once you are at the complex. In spring 2026 the organiser reported 317,000 people used that in-app navigation.

Where to stay for the Canton Fair

Stay on a metro line that reaches Pazhou, or at a hotel with a coach to the complex. Metro Line 11 is a loop that links the Tianhe, Baiyun, Yuexiu, Liwan and Haizhu districts with Pazhou Station.

The organiser names 60 designated hotels in Guangzhou with badge desks, and hotel coaches have reserved parking at the complex in Areas A, B, C and D, so ask your hotel where its coach stops. The organiser's travel agency, Canton Fair International Travel Agency (booking.cantonfair.org.cn), handles hotel and travel bookings.

Canton Fair tips for buyers and exhibitors

Buyers save the most time by pre-registering and collecting the badge before reaching the complex. Exhibitors from outside China take part through the International Pavilion.

• Pre-register before you fly and collect your badge at the airport, railway station or your hotel, not at the complex.
• Pick your phase by product. A buyer of furniture and a buyer of toys need different weeks.
• Bring business cards: you need one to collect the badge, and suppliers expect them.
• Shortlist suppliers in the online exhibitor search before the fair and book meetings through the platform.
• Use the app's booth navigation; the complex has 20 halls across four areas.
• Leave before 16:00 or after 19:00 if you can, or use the metro, to avoid the evening taxi peak.
• Keep your badge after the fair. It works for later sessions, and replacements are free.
• Exhibitors: Foreign companies exhibit in the International Pavilion, not the export halls. In autumn 2026 it ran in Phases 2 and 3, and the organiser listed raw space at 23,000 RMB per 9 square metres (36 square metres minimum) and a shell scheme stand at 27,000 RMB per 9 square metres in its 2025 fee notice.
• Exhibitors: The pavilion offers eight free booths per session to companies from the UN's Least Developed Countries, first come, first served. Applications and the exhibitor manual are on cief.cantonfair.org.cn.

How do you get from Guangzhou Baiyun airport to the Canton Fair?

There are three options: the metro, the East Ring intercity railway (about 31 minutes from Pazhou to the airport, according to the organiser), and the airport shuttle buses that run during the fair.

By metro, take Line 3 (northern extension) from the airport station to Tiyu Xi, change to Line 3 towards Panyu to Kecun, then change to Line 8 and get off at Xingangdong for Area A or Pazhou for Areas B and C. The Guangzhou city government gives about 43 minutes and 8 yuan for this route. You can tap in with an international Visa, Mastercard, American Express or JCB card, or pay through the WeChat or Alipay mini programs.

During each fair session, Baiyun Airport runs dedicated shuttle buses between the terminals and the Pazhou complex, with fixed first and last departures and extra buses at peak times. Attendees with a Canton Fair badge pay a discounted fare. The airport also runs service counters at the complex for check-in, baggage and flight questions.

SIM cards, mobile payment and cash at the Canton Fair

International Service Guangzhou, a counter in Terminal 2 of Baiyun Airport, helps foreign visitors with local SIM cards, setting up mobile payment apps, cash withdrawal and transport questions in one place. Bring your passport: SIM cards in China are sold with real-name registration, so the operator registers the card to your passport.

Most payments in China are made through Alipay or WeChat Pay, and both let foreign visitors link an international bank card.

Capturing supplier contacts at the Canton Fair

With DaGaMa's SourceBot you photograph a supplier's business card or badge QR code in WhatsApp, Telegram or WeChat, and the supplier lands in a Google Sheet shared with you. On WhatsApp and Telegram you can add a voice note with price, MOQ and lead time, and product photos go with the supplier. The first 24 hours are free from your first scan.