Thailand festivals worth planning around
Four festivals genuinely justify moving your dates. The rest are pleasant local events that you should not build a trip around.
Four Thai festivals justify moving your dates: Songkran in mid-April, Yi Peng and Loy Krathong in November, and the Vegetarian Festival in October. Songkran shuts roads for three days and books out hotels; Yi Peng's mass lantern release is ticketed and sells out months ahead.
- Songkran13–15 April
- Yi PengNovember
- Loy KrathongNovember
- Book ahead3–6 months for Yi Peng
Songkran — mid-April
The Thai new year, and the most famous water fight on earth. For three days the country soaks itself: buckets, hoses, pickup trucks full of people. Bangkok's Silom Road and Chiang Mai's moat are the epicentres.
Worth it if you want the party and do not mind being wet for three days. Avoid if you want temples and museums — most close, roads are impassable, and every hotel is full. Chiang Mai is the better version: the whole old city becomes one event.
Yi Peng — November
The lantern festival in Chiang Mai, where thousands of khom loi rise into the sky at once. It coincides with Loy Krathong, when people float baskets of flowers and candles down the river.
The catch: the famous mass release is a ticketed event, often sold out months ahead and expensive. Free releases happen across the city but are increasingly restricted for aviation safety. If you are coming for the lanterns, Chiang Mai in November is the base, and Chiang Rai is the quieter alternative. We book the sanctioned events and are honest about the difference.
Loy Krathong — November
The gentler, country-wide version: floating krathong on rivers and canals, candles in temples, no tickets required. Sukhothai's version is the most atmospheric and the least crowded.
The ones not to plan around
Makha Bucha and Visakha Bucha are Buddhist holy days — beautiful at temples, but alcohol sales are banned nationwide and many businesses close. Chinese New Year is loud in Yaowarat and irrelevant elsewhere. The Full Moon Party happens every month and is not a festival, it is a party.
Do I need tickets for Yi Peng?
For the official mass release, yes, and they sell out months ahead. The city-wide releases are free but restricted.
Is Songkran good with children?
Small children love it in the daytime; the evening crowds on Silom are not suitable. Chiang Mai is gentler.
What closes during festivals?
Banks, government offices and some museums close on Buddhist holidays. Temples stay open and are busier.
The rest of the calendar, briefly
February. Makha Bucha, a Buddhist holy day with candlelit temple processions — beautiful, and alcohol sales are banned nationwide for 24 hours. April. Songkran, three days of water, roads closed, hotels full. May. Visakha Bucha, the most important Buddhist holiday, same alcohol ban. July. Asalha Bucha and Khao Phansa, when monks enter the rains retreat and some temples hold candle festivals in the north-east.
September–October. The Vegetarian Festival in Phuket, nine days of Chinese-Thai ritual including firewalking and body piercing, which is genuinely spectacular and not for everyone. November. Loy Krathong and Yi Peng, the ones worth planning around. December. Constitution Day and New Year, when Bangkok's countdown closes Ratchadamri and hotels charge double.
How to use this
If a festival is the reason for your trip, book the hotel first and the flights second — Yi Peng accommodation in Chiang Mai sells out in July for a November event. If a festival is something you would rather avoid, the three days of Songkran and the two alcohol-ban days are the ones to check against your dates.
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Written and checked by the Travel Thailand Tour team, Bangkok · Last updated · Prices are per person and were correct at the time of writing.