Canton Fair
Canton Fair Buyer Guide and Factory Visit Planning
The 140th session runs 15 October to 4 November 2026 in three phases at the Canton Fair Complex in Pazhou, Guangzhou. This page is the part nobody at the fair sells you: where the fair is today, what it cannot tell you, and the seven guides for before, during and after it.
The 140th session
Three phases, and where the fair is right now.
Dates, halls and themes belong to the organiser — confirm the current schedule on cantonfair.org.cn before you book flights.
15 October – 4 November 2026
Five exhibition days in each phase. The halls close for switch-over on 20–22 October and 28–30 October.
- Phase 1 · 15–19 October 2026Advanced manufacturing — appliances and consumer electronics, industrial automation and machinery, vehicles and parts, lighting, hardware and tools.
- Phase 2 · 23–27 October 2026Quality home life — ceramics and kitchenware, household goods, glass and handicrafts, gifts and festival items, building and decorative materials, furniture.
- Phase 3 · 31 October – 4 November 2026Better living — toys, apparel, textiles and fabrics, shoes and bags, home textiles, stationery, food, sports and leisure.
Each phase covers different categories, so attend the one that holds your product — the switch-over days in between are unusable for booths and unusually good for factory visits, because the suppliers you met are off duty and the roads are quieter. What three days can actually hold is the subject of visiting factories between Canton Fair phases, including the cases where waiting is the better call. The logistics — hotel rates, finding an interpreter, what to carry — are in Canton Fair practical tips.
The floor itself
Scenes from the halls.
Crowded aisles, a demonstration that pulls a crowd, and the ten seconds a buyer gets to decide whether a booth is worth a business card. Each photograph is credited to its source.
The seven guides
Before, during and after.
Used as a filter, the fair is the most efficient thing in sourcing. Used as the decision itself, it is how buyers end up paying a trading company and believing they paid a factory. These are the guides that sit between those two.
What it cannot tell you
Four questions no booth will answer.
None of these is answered by a catalogue, a business card or a confident salesperson. Each one has a document or a floor behind it.
- Who actually makes the productA booth proves a company sells; it does not prove it manufactures. Exhibitors include factories, trading companies and mixed models.
- Which legal entity you will sign withThe brand on the booth is often not the name on the contract. Only the licence and the registry record settle it.
- Whether the floor existsEquipment, raw materials, semi-finished goods and the finished-goods warehouse are on the factory floor, not in a hall.
- Whether the bank account matchesPayment details are a document check, and it is the one that costs the most when it is skipped.
The seven checks that answer them are set out step by step in how to verify Canton Fair suppliers, and the factory-versus-trader signals are in factory vs trading company.
Questions
Canton Fair, answered plainly.
Do I need to attend all three phases?
No. Each phase covers different categories, so attend the phase that holds your product. The halls close for switch-over between phases (20–22 October and 28–30 October 2026), which is often the best window for factory visits because suppliers are free of their booths. What three days can hold is worked through in the guide on visiting factories between phases.
Can I visit factories during the fair?
Yes, and it is usually easier during the switch-over days than during a phase. Many factories are 30–60 minutes from the Pazhou complex. Treat the fair as the filter and the factory days as the decision.
Is every Canton Fair exhibitor a real factory?
No. The exhibitor list includes factories, trading companies and mixed models. Appearing at the fair does not prove a company makes everything on its stand — the seven-step check in our verification guide is what settles it.
How many days should I add after the fair?
Allow around two working days for four visits within one cluster. Travel time, technical discussions and supplier availability may reduce that number.
What we don't do
What we are not
Fair dates, halls, badges and visitor registration belong to the organisers. We plan around them; we do not speak for them, and we do not sell booth space or take a percentage of your order.
- Confirm the current phase dates and hall layout on cantonfair.org.cn before booking anything.
- A supplier who cannot produce a full business licence scan at the fair can usually produce one afterwards — if they cannot, treat that as the answer.
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