Canton Fair
China's Sourcing Machine
The world's largest sourcing show runs in three phases across five weeks.
Consult Our Travel PlannerJourney Highlights
- The 140th autumn edition runs three phases across Pazhou, 15 October to 4 November — pick your product weeks.
- Phase one covers electronics and machinery; phase two consumer goods; phase three textiles, food and health lines.
- China business visas clear in one to two weeks with an invitation letter — plan the paperwork early.
- Tens of thousands of suppliers under one roof; walking the floor by category beats any online catalogue.
- Guangzhou pairs the fair with day trips to Shenzhen and Dongguan factories to audit before you commit.
- Prices and MOQs move at the booth — bring an interpreter and your target costs written down.
- This is a volume show; sourcing heads and D2C founders leave with samples, quotes and a shortlist.
Pazhou, Guangzhou
5+ Nights | 15 Oct–4 Nov
Experience Overview
The Canton Fair is the world’s largest trade exhibition, and its 140th autumn session marks the fair’s 70th anniversary. It runs in three phases at the Pazhou complex in Guangzhou, 15 October to 4 November 2026. For Indian importers, sourcing heads and D2C founders, this is where a supply chain gets built face to face.
A working delegation picks its phases by product line: electronics and machinery in phase one, consumer goods in phase two, textiles, food and health in phase three. Mornings are booth walks by category; afternoons are follow-up negotiations on price, MOQ and lead time. Between phases, teams run factory audits in Shenzhen or Dongguan before signing anything.
The Pazhou complex is vast — its halls sprawl across interconnected zones, so a single phase can swallow a full day on foot. Guangzhou hotels near Pazhou sell out and rates climb sharply across the fair weeks; we book early or stage from the city centre with a fixed metro run. Direct flights connect Guangzhou from Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.
Some moments are built for lingering: the first aisle of a new phase, where a hundred booths in your exact category open at once; a supplier walking your team back to a sample table to prove a stitch or a solder joint; the evening in a Pazhou food hall where three sourcing leads compare quotes over cold Tsingtao.
Go if you source physical product at volume — electronics, homeware, textiles, packaging — and want to meet suppliers before wiring deposits. Skip it if your sourcing is already locked to a few trusted factories, or if nobody on the team can commit to phase-length days on the floor.
Everything you
need to know
How much visa lead time does a Canton Fair delegation need?
China's business (M) visa for Indian passports typically clears in one to two weeks, but it needs an invitation letter from the fair or a supplier, so the paperwork sets your real timeline. We open documents four to six weeks out. The autumn fair also overlaps China's peak travel, so we lock flights and rooms early.
Is Guangzhou really a hotel-crunch event?
What should a per-person delegation budget look like?
Ready to Photograph
Canton Fair
Delegates working with an interpreter at a supplier booth, samples and a spec sheet on the table. A wide Pazhou hall shot — endless booth rows under high ceilings, buyers streaming between categories. Two sourcing leads comparing quotes on a phone against the Canton Fair floor map. A factory-floor audit outside the fair — the team inspecting a production line in Shenzhen or Dongguan. Guangzhou skyline from the Pearl River at dusk, Canton Tower lit, delegation walking back from Pazhou.