05 June 2024

Traveling to Thailand? Have you thought about checking what festive and traditional events might coincide with your visit? Here are all the Thai festivals and celebrations worth knowing about to experience total immersion in local culture...

January

Festivals and celebrations to experience during a January trip to Thailand include:

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day

While the Thai new year doesn't align with the Western calendar, December 31st and January 1st are public holidays in Thailand. On New Year's Eve, you can enjoy fireworks across all major tourist cities, notably Bangkok where the display is spectacular.

Bo Sang Umbrella Festival

Since 1980, the village of Bo Sang in northern Thailand has hosted the umbrella and artisans festival every third weekend of January. For 3 days, streets and homes are decorated with the region's signature colorful parasols, and villagers parade in their finest umbrellas. The festivities include folk music, performances, and beauty pageants.

February

Festivals and celebrations to experience during a February trip to Thailand include:

Chinese New Year (January or February)

Each year between January 21st and February 21st, Chinese New Year unfolds across the country. For several days, ethnic Chinese Thais perform thorough home cleanings for purification and make offerings to ancestors and Chinese deities. In major cities, especially Bangkok's Chinatown, festivities come alive with parades, dragon processions, dances, and Chinese cuisine.

Discover our article on where to celebrate Chinese New Year in Thailand.

Makha Bucha

Makha Bucha is one of three significant holidays marking milestones in Buddha's life. Held on the full moon of the third lunar month, it is a national holiday commemorating the Great Assembly in the Veluwan garden, when 1,250 of Buddha's disciples gathered to hear his teachings.

On this sacred day, Thai people participate in numerous rituals: bringing offerings to monks and temples, participating in candlelit processions around temples, and purchasing caged birds to release them.

Chiang Mai Flower Festival

The flower festival is a vibrant event held annually in Chiang Mai, typically starting the first Friday of February and lasting three days. Highlights include elaborate flower-decorated floats, beauty contests, dancing, music competitions, and gardening contests.

March

Festivals and celebrations to experience during a March trip to Thailand include:

National Elephant Day

Revered as Thailand's national animal with sacred significance in Buddhist belief, the elephant even has its own day: Thai Elephant Day (National Elephant Day). On March 13th each year, celebrations honoring these magnificent creatures take place nationwide, particularly in Chiang Mai, Lampang, Kanchanaburi, and Surin.

April

Festivals and celebrations to experience during an April trip to Thailand include:

Songkran, the Thai New Year

A festive, family-oriented, and spiritual celebration, Songkran is the country's most important festival. Recognized as the Thai Buddhist new year marking the transition according to the lunar calendar, Songkran is typically celebrated around April 12th, though the exact date varies.

Following tradition, Thai people first visit temples to make offerings to monks and receive their blessings. The celebration then transforms into a giant water battle across the entire country in a spirit of joyful camaraderie!

Discover our guide on where to celebrate Songkran during a Thailand trip.

May

Festivals and celebrations to experience during a May trip to Thailand include:

Royal Ploughing Ceremony

Also known as the Festival of the Sacred Furrow, the Royal Ploughing Ceremony marks the opening of the rice-planting season. The date is determined by court astrologers to ensure bountiful harvests and is announced by the Royal Household Bureau. The ceremony takes place at Sanam Luang in Bangkok.

During the ceremony, sacred oxen are harnessed to a wooden plow while rice seeds are sown by royal court Brahmins. Plates of food with specific ingredients are then offered to the animals. Based on their choices, astrologers and Brahmins predict whether the season will be abundant.

Coronation Day of King Rama X

May 4th marks the coronation date of King Rama X (His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua), Thailand's current monarch. This date has been designated a national holiday.

Visakha Bucha

Like Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha ranks among Buddhism's most significant observances. A national holiday falling on the 15th day of the waxing moon of the sixth lunar month, this sacred day commemorates Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death. Thai people visit temples to bring their offerings.

Bun Bang Fai, the Rocket Festival

Originating from Laos, Bun Bang Fai is a traditional Buddhist ceremony also celebrated in northeastern Thailand, particularly in the Isan region, in Yasothon, Ubon Ratchathani, and Nong Khai.

The festival spans several days, with its highlight being a competition of handmade rockets crafted from bamboo and papier-mâché. Why rockets? Because they're believed to carry prayers to the rain gods. These rituals aim to bring fertility and ensure bountiful harvests. Numerous phallic symbols (representing fertility) are visible throughout the streets.

June

Festivals and celebrations to experience during a June trip to Thailand include:

Birthday of Queen Suthida of Thailand

June 3rd marks the birthday of Queen Suthida, wife of King Rama X and queen consort of Thailand since May 1st, 2019. It is a national public holiday.

Phi Ta Khon, the Ghost Festival (March to July)

The Phi Ta Khon festival takes place annually in Dan Sai, a small village in Loei Province in the Isan region. Its opening date is determined by the lunar calendar and may fall between March and July.

The festival's name is somewhat misleading, as Phi Ta Khon ("ghost festival") refers only to the wild dance that opens the festivities. The overall event is called Boun Bhavet, honoring an episode from Buddha's life: his return from travels when he was presumed dead, during his incarnation as Prince Vessantara Jataka.

Over three days, numerous activities unfold including dances, animist rituals, mask parades, ghost costumes, rocket competitions, and spiritual observances.

July

Festivals and celebrations to experience during a July trip to Thailand include:

Asahna Bucha

Following Makha Bucha and Visakha Bucha comes Asahna Bucha's celebration. This sacred festival is a national holiday occurring on the full moon of the eighth lunar month. It commemorates Buddha's first sermon and the Four Noble Truths. Thai people return to their hometowns and visit temples to make offerings to monks and attend ceremonies.

Khao Phansaa

The day following Asahna Bucha is Khao Phansaa, a festival marking the beginning of the Buddhist Lent, occurring on the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month. From this date forward, monks retreat within temples to focus on scripture study, meditation, and prayer.

Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival

The Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival takes place annually during Wan Asanha Bucha, marking the start of Buddhist Lent. The program features a parade of floats decorated with intricately sculpted candles by artists and competitions for the most beautiful candle. The parade is accompanied by dance performances, music, and sound and light shows.

While other cities host this festival, Ubon Ratchathani's is the largest and most renowned in the country.

Birthday of His Majesty King Rama X of Thailand

July 28th is the birthday of King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X), Thailand's current monarch. It is a national holiday featuring numerous celebrations including fireworks, parades, and official ceremonies in his honor.

August

Festivals and celebrations to experience during an August trip to Thailand include:

Birthday of Queen Sirikit Kitiyakara and Mother's Day

August 12th marks the birthday of Sirikit Kitiyakara, former queen consort of Thailand and wife of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). Parades and celebrations take place throughout the country for this national holiday, which also celebrates Mother's Day.

September

Vegetarian Festival (September-October)

Of Chinese origin, the Thai Vegetarian Festival occurs annually during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar (often between September and October). For nine days, a portion of the population abstains from meat and observes several rituals (celibacy, no alcohol consumption, wearing white clothing) to purify body and spirit.

Manifestations continue with ceremonies intended to invoke the gods, and participants engage in piercing their bodies with various objects (skewers, knives) and perform extraordinary physical feats such as walking on hot coals.

Because some manifestations can take frightening turns, it's best to avoid attending with children or sensitive individuals.

October

Festivals and celebrations to experience during an October trip to Thailand include:

Pavarana

After three months of Buddhist retreat, Lent ends the day after the full moon of the eleventh lunar month with a ritual called Pavarana. At this time, monks emerge from their temples and receive from locals new saffron robes and food.

Commemorative Day of King Rama IX's Passing

October 13th marks the death anniversary of King Bhumibol, Rama IX, Thailand's former monarch, who passed away in 2016. It is a national holiday when Thai people observe mourning.

Piyamaharaj Day

Translated as "day of the great beloved king," Piyamaharaj Day honors the memory of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), one of the most respected monarchs in the kingdom's history. It commemorates the anniversary of his death.

November

Festivals and celebrations to experience during a November trip to Thailand include:

Loi Krathong, the Festival of Lights

Loi Krathong takes place during the first full moon of the twelfth lunar month. It is one of Thailand's most enchanting traditional festivals. Also known as the Festival of Lights, this Brahmanical-origin celebration offers a magical experience to all travelers who witness it.

Thousands of candle-lit offerings are set upon the country's waters as prayers to Buddha. To present their offerings, Thai people craft small traditional lotus-shaped rafts called krathong. Additional festivities include fireworks, parades, and beauty contests.

Lopburi Monkey Festival

Located in central Thailand, Lopburi is a small city renowned for its impressive macaque population. Every year, on the last Saturday or Sunday of November, the Lopburi Monkey Festival takes place, during which locals offer a giant buffet to the monkeys. This banquet is a sacred ritual honoring Hanuman, the Monkey God (the macaques being considered his descendants).

December

Festivals and celebrations to experience during a December trip to Thailand include:

Birthday of King Rama IX and Father's Day

December 5th is a national holiday marking the birthday of King Bhumibol (Rama IX), Thailand's former monarch. Parades and celebrations take place throughout the country. This day also celebrates Father's Day.

Constitution Day

December 10th is a national holiday in Thailand commemorating the country's first constitution (dating from 1932), which transformed the nation from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy.

What about the Full Moon Party?

For party enthusiasts, the Full Moon Party takes place monthly on nights with a full moon at Haad Rin Beach on Koh Phangan Island. Thousands of tourists from around the world gather to dance through the night to pulsing music with sand beneath their feet. Discover all upcoming Full Moon Party dates.

Florine Dergelet

Florine Dergelet

A web writer for over 10 years, Florine Dergelet is a traveler driven by the desire to discover the world with an open heart. Each of her articles is an invitation to slow down, listen, and understand. For her, traveling isn't about ticking countries off a map—it's about weaving often-invisible but always-powerful connections with places, peoples, and creatures of the animal kingdom. Her philosophy? Advise travelers with integrity, awaken their consciousness about animal welfare, respect for cultures, and the importance of humble, sustainable tourism. Because the most beautiful memories often emerge far from the spotlight, in the shadow of a trail, in the midst of a conversation, or in the quiet breath of a world we finally take time to hear…