Lunch is in for Lunar New Year's Eve

Extended Spring Festival break has boosted bookings for noontime family reunions

Bookings for lunch banquets on Lunar New Year's Eve have soared as Chinese consumers prepare to celebrate the Year of the Snake in 2025, with several restaurants saying they are coordinating with suppliers to increase stocks.

Lunar New Year's Eve has for the first time been officially included in the Spring Festival break next year, making it an eight-day holiday from Jan 28 to Feb 4, and the extended holiday has boosted bookings for lunch banquets at restaurants by about 20 percent year-on-year, catering firms said.

Over the past few years, family reunions over dinner on Lunar New Year's Eve have been quite popular among Chinese consumers and it has often been difficult to book a table at sought-after restaurants.