How The Holidays Affect Custom Orders [Updated for 2024]

Apart from the 10 national holidays, Australia's five states and two territories celebrate seemingly dozens of days off statewide, and sometimes city-wide.

The Melbourne Cup falls on Tuesday 5 November 2024 but because of the huge pressure on the local event industry with the string of celebrations, promotions, product launches and corporate entertaining within and around the racing carnival, you need to place Melbourne Cup Carnival event prop orders locally by early September 2024.

Easter comes early in late March. Good Friday is 29 March 2024 while Easter Monday is 1 April 2024. 

If your Australian event is in May (such as Mothers Day, Sunday 12 May 2024) you will need to place your custom event-related order in Australia by late March 2024.

As China has grown into a wealthy manufacturing powerhouse, you might be surprised to discover its citizens enjoy almost as many national holidays as western countries.

So what, you ask? If you want to source lower-cost customised goods, you simply must be aware of and plan for Chinese national holidays.

The Chinese New Year will be officially celebrated for one week from 10-17 February 2024. Did you realise that's barely two weeks after Australia Day when the majority of workers are returning to work when kids go back to school? That means you have to hit the ground running if you need to source event props.

However in reality, the Chinese workers travel home to their families to celebrate for several weeks over the new year. Factories typically halt mass production and even sample orders by 3 February 2023. They will not start production until 24 February at the earliest, and those orders will be the ones still in the pipelines from early January.

Custom decor and prop orders for January events (ie Australia Day 2024) must be finalised during December 2023, especially if you need a sample to check quality.

Did you know there are four more Chinese national holidays, each taking 3-5 days long between February and October 2024 which may affect your event planning.

They down tools again in October for the Chinese National Holiday which runs 1-7 October 2024. Again, you need to place orders by early September 2024 for a November 2024 event.

Importing unique decor from the USA?

This year Thanksgiving falls on 28 November 2024. With the international sales event weekend of Black Friday (Friday 29 November 2024) and Cyber Monday (2 December 2024), there is a tight window for delivery between then and Christmas.

This coincides with the northern winter whose massive snowstorms seem to start earlier, create more havoc and last longer every year.

As a result, there is a incredible pressure on the airfreight courier companies such as DHL, Fedex and UPS to successfully deliver items purchased on online sales before Christmas Day.

Don't believe the expected delivery date either - build in a couple of weeks' contingency time at least! Frequently they simply cannot deliver in time.