Ramadan and Eid 2027 drinkware orders: the timeline for Gulf buyers
In 2027 two calendars collide. Chinese New Year falls on 6 February, and Ramadan is expected to begin two days later. Anything you want on the shelf for Ramadan has to leave the factory before the Chinese holiday, not after it.
Two calendars, one deadline
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 25 January 2027 | Our last shipment before Chinese New Year |
| 29 January – 19 February 2027 | Our factory is closed |
| 6 February 2027 | Chinese New Year's Day |
| About 8 February 2027 | Ramadan expected to begin |
| 20 February 2027 | Our production restarts |
| About 10 March 2027 | Eid al-Fitr expected |
Goods that ship after we reopen are still on the water during Ramadan. Ask your forwarder for the sea transit time to your port and the time for customs clearance, and add both: an order that misses 25 January arrives well into Ramadan at the earliest.
Planning back from 25 January
- A new mould for a Ramadan design: confirm by 1 November 2026. A new mould takes about 50 working days.
- An existing model in a new colour or print: approve the colour plaque and the print artwork first — colour approval is the step buyers most often delay.
- A repeat order on an existing mould: the latest date depends on the quantity. Send it to us and we will give you the date.
- Saudi Arabia: start the SABER product certificate with the order, and request the shipment certificate against the final invoice. Our SABER article explains both.
Artwork and packaging for the season
Seasonal packaging is where Ramadan orders most often wait. Settle it with the order:
- Send the Arabic text as editable text in the artwork file, not as an image, and have a native reader check it. We print exactly what is in the file.
- Arabic reads right to left. Check the layout on the dieline, not only the text.
- Gift box or colour box: confirm the dieline and the carton data with the order, so packing does not wait for artwork.
- For Saudi Arabia, labels must be in Arabic, or in Arabic and English.
Other Gulf markets
The UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman have their own conformity requirements, and a Saudi certificate does not automatically cover them. Tell us every destination at the enquiry, so the test reports and the labels are planned once for all of them.
If the dates are already too tight
A smaller first shipment before 25 January, with the balance after we reopen, is often better than a full order that arrives after the season. Tell us early: splitting an order is easy to plan at the start and hard to arrange in January.