- Songkran
- Phi Ta Kon
- Bang Fai Rocket Festival (or Bun Bang Fai)
- Loi Krathong
- Yi Peng
- Phuket Vegetarian Festival
- Chinese New Year
- Lopburi Monkey Festival
- Wat Bang Phra Tattoo Festival
- Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival
- Awk Phansa
- Bang Fai Phaya Nak
- Hmong New Year
- Chiang Mai Flower Festival
- Vesak
- What is the most famous festival in Thailand?
- What is the most popular event in Thailand?
- What is the biggest music festival in Thailand?
- When is the water festival in Thailand?
- When is the Songkran festival in Thailand?
- When is the Lantern Festival in Thailand
- What animal has its own festival in Thailand?
It’s always a good time to travel to Thailand. With that said, there is something special about visiting when a traditional Thai festival is on.
From raucous water fights in Chiang Mai’s ancient centre to the calming rivers of light stretching through cities during Loi Krathong, every festival in Thailand is unique, but all will linger long in your memory.
Want to see this corner of Southeast Asia in a new light? Then our list of 15 Thailand festivals you need to know about is the perfect place to start.
1. Songkran
Frantic, fun, and not the place to wear your finest clothes. Songkran festival is unlike anything else in the country. This Thai New Year celebration takes place in mid-August, and in most cities and towns is marked by a huge water fight.
Like many new year celebrations, this is all about washing away the old and starting fresh, but taken very literally. Chiang Mai is one of the most popular places to catch the festivities, but if you’re not in the mood to be splashed, head to a smaller town or stick to the indoors for the festive period.
Image source:Getty images / unsplash
2. Phi Ta Kon
Tucked away in the northern reaches of Thailand lies the district of Dan Sai. Across this small, sleepy slice of the Southeast Asian country, the locals take part in one of the most distinctive Thailand festivals: Phi Ta Khon Ghost Festival.
Held on the full moon of the sixth lunar month, this merit-making event is famous for the ornately decorated masks that locals wear during lively processions. Their aim is to earn protection from the spirit of the Mun River, although some say the festival commemorates a party held in honour of the returning Buddha that got so rowdy it woke the dead – a spirit that lives on in current-day celebrations. And yes, the mischievous locals do have some… interestingly shaped adornments they use to tease passers-by at this ghostly festival.
3. Bang Fai Rocket Festival (or Bun Bang Fai)
Many of Thailand’s festivals have roots that go beyond its long Buddhist history, and Bang Fai Rocket Festival is one of them.
Celebrated in the agricultural-dependent northeast, this is a harvest festival that honours local rain gods, although most of those celebrating do so for cultural rather than religious reasons. As implied by the name, fireworks are the main way of making merry. The province of Yasothon is known for the most elaborate celebrations, and here you can see a wealth of pyrotechnics. Some are as low-tech as gunpowder and bamboo shoots, whereas others are true marvels.
4. Loi Krathong
During Loi Krathong the waterways of Northern Thailand shimmer beautifully with candlelight.
This celebration is one of many festivals in Asia (and Thailand) that marks the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, and in Thailand they celebrate by sending small boats filled with candles and other religious offerings down rivers and streams. Translated, the name Loi Krathong roughly means “to float an offering,” and is another Thai festival with a name that points to its nature.
5. Yi Peng
Lantern making is at the heart of this northern Thai festival, which usually takes place around November and coincides with Loi Krathong. Those celebrating craft both floating and non-floating lanterns and hang them outside their homes or donate them to temples, in the hope that it will bring good luck.
Chiang Mai is the most popular place to celebrate Yi Peng, but you can see celebrations in smaller cities and towns all over the north.
Image source:Hisu Lee / unsplash
6. Phuket Vegetarian Festival
Not all Thailand festivals have English names that offer clues about them. This un-aptly named festival takes place all over the country, but celebrations are concentrated in Phuket.
There is vegetarianism here, but that is not the headline. Energetic processions are attended by devotees who have engaged in self-mutilation, with acts including piercing themselves in places piercings don’t usually appear, and burning themselves on hot coals.
The stranger side of the festivities are accompanied by more common fare like great food (vegetarian, of course), dances, and musical performances, but if you’re squeamish then we suggest skipping Phuket in late October and heading to one of the best islands in Thailand instead.
7. Chinese New Year
Thailand’s interesting religious and cultural history means that many of its traditional festivals have their roots in diasporas from neighbouring nations, and no other country has had more of an influence than the regional superpower, China.
There are large ethnic Chinese populations dotted throughout the country, so Chinese New Year celebrations are popular and well attended. if you’re in Thailand around January or February, you might catch some parades, shows, or other festivities – including the famous dragon dancing.
Image source:Jesse Liddle / unsplash
8. Lopburi Monkey Festival
Not all of the best Thailand festivals have folkloric origins. Taking place in the heart of the Thai landmass, Lopburi Monkey Festival is held annually in the city of Lopburi, the capital of the province it is named after. Residents and visitors offer mounds of fruit and vegetables to the local macaque population, making them very popular among the primates.
9. Wat Bang Phra Tattoo Festival
The majestic monastery of Wat Bang Phra in Nakhon Pathom is a treasure on its own merits. However, there’s another reason visitors travel 50km from Bangkok to this relatively isolated spot: Sak Yant tattoos.
These geometric designs are hand etched onto skin via a sharpened bamboo stick, and once a year there is a large festival around the temple where a number of people are tattooed. Don’t worry, you aren’t just sitting around watching other receive their designs – although there is something mesmeric to that. There are processions and other forms of entertainment throughout the festive period.
These tattoos are highly spiritual, and getting one isn’t a decision to take lightly. There are also plenty of great souvenirs from Thailand you can get that won’t be on you forever.
10. Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival
The city of Ubon Ratchathani straddles the Mun River, in the eastern half of Thailand. While it is a storied and serene spot worth visiting at any time, there’s no doubt that its biggest draw is the yearly Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival.
Another Thailand festival with its roots in the country’s Buddhist tradition, the Candle Festival takes place around July and commemorates the first sermon of the Buddha. Gigantic, delicately chiselled and vibrantly coloured candle offerings are made and marched through the city. There are also flower floats, groups of dancers, and other events throughout the week.
11. Awk Phansa
Sometimes spelt as Ok Phansa, this celebration usually takes place in October, and is celebrated with more gusto in Northern Thailand. Marking the end of Vassa, as well as the return of the Buddha from heaven, local ceremonies involve launching offering-laden boats into bodies of water. And, of course, there’s plenty of food to go around, so you can try some of the best dishes in Thailand while watching flower-filled barges float away.
12. Bang Fai Phaya Nak
Even the most hardened skeptic will have trouble denying the magic of Bang Fai Phaya Nak – or the Naga Fireball Festival as it’s known in English. Also occurring in October, this festival takes place in northern Nong Kai, where the Mekong River slices Thailand and Laos apart.
The festival takes place over a long stretch of the surging river, but the main attraction is the same: giant flaming orbs shoot into the air, an unexplained phenomenon that local legend claims is caused by a giant serpent named Phaya Nak. More grounded explanations include methane or phosphene escaping from the marshy river exploding as it comes into contact with oxygen. The reason for the fireballs may be a mystery, but a memorable time is guaranteed.
13. Hmong New Year
The Hmong ethnic minority have a big presence throughout Southeast Asia. Their unique culture has flourished in the Annamite Range for centuries, and their new year celebration, which takes place between September and December, has origins dating back to the 10th century.
Like almost all of these festivals the date is decided by the lunar calendar. The turning of the year is marked by the wearing of bright, colourful clothing, and engaging in various rituals that can vary slightly depending where in Southeast Asia you are celebrating.
14. Chiang Mai Flower Festival
When it comes to Thailand festivals, few are as aesthetically stunning as the Chiang Mai Flower Festival.
Taking place in February, alongside the vibrant bloom of many local and imported plant species, this festival marks the end of the cool period in Thailand.
Aside from beautifully arranged flower gardens being on show, there are processions with floats that are drowning in bouquets, as well as stands with live music and dancing. Chiang Mai is already one of the most beautiful destinations in Thailand, but after experiencing the flower show, it’s a surprise anyone manages to leave.
15. Vesak
Vesak is one of the holiest days in the Buddhist faith, said to mark the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha – yes, they did all take place on the same day, just over different years.
Temples become hotspots during this auspicious time, with offerings made during the day and religious ceremonies to mark the occasion at night. Many of those celebrating also plant Bodhi trees, the species that the Buddha is said to have found enlightenment while meditating under. One of the more low-key Thailand festivals, but a celebration that is dense with meaning and tradition.
What is the most famous festival in Thailand?
Songkran is considered to be the most famous festival in Thailand.
What is the most popular event in Thailand?
People are drawn from all four corners of the earth to Thailand and for various reasons, but Songkran is the most popular for visitors.
What is the biggest music festival in Thailand?
The Big Mountain Music Festival (BMMF) is Thailand’s biggest musical festival, drawing 65,000 attendees per day to Khao Yai Bonanza Racetrack, a couple of hours northeast of Bangkok.
When is the water festival in Thailand?
Songkran is celebrated by mass water fights in the street, and takes place between 13-15 April every year, although celebrations often start a few days earlier.
When is the Songkran festival in Thailand?
Songkran festival in Thailand takes place between 13-15 April.
When is the Lantern Festival in Thailand
The date of the Lantern Festival in Thailand changes every year as it is based on the lunar calendar, but it usually takes place in November.
What animal has its own festival in Thailand?
Monkeys have their own festival in Thailand, the Lopburi Monkey Festival.
