Which Thai holidays affect your trip

Thai holidays shape a trip more than you might expect: on some days banks and immigration are closed, on others alcohol is off sale all day, and during Songkran anyone who steps outside gets soaked. Below are the 2026 dates from the Bank of Thailand calendar, the lunar calendar and TAT announcements, and what changes for visitors.

Holiday dates in 2026

Bank holidays follow Bank of Thailand Notification No. 31/2568. The Buddhist holy days match full moons in US Naval Observatory data, and according to the ORST dictionary Lent starts the day after Asanha Bucha. The Vegetarian Festival dates are from TAT, Chinese New Year from the Hong Kong Observatory.

The Bank of Thailand has already published its 2027 bank holiday calendar, shown below. Chinese New Year 2027 is on 6 February (Hong Kong Observatory). No official source has published the Loy Krathong 2027 date yet.

Bank holidays in 2027

The Bank of Thailand has published its 2027 calendar: Notification No. 37/2569 of 17 August 2026, with 18 holidays.

This is the banks’ list, not the full list of public holidays. Islamic banks and branches in Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Satun and Songkhla get extra days for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, and the southern branches also for Chinese New Year (6 February 2027).

12 August remains a holiday in the bank’s 2027 list: Mother’s Day, which the Bank of Thailand notification calls the Birthday Anniversary of the Queen Mother Sirikit.

Songkran: 13-15 April

Songkran is the Thai New Year of the old solar calendar. The ORST dictionary says it normally falls on 13, 14 and 15 April, with 13 April called Maha Songkran Day. Thais go home to their parents, visit temples and pour water over elders’ hands, while the streets of tourist towns turn into water fights with pistols and buckets.

Worth knowing:

• You will get wet even if you are just walking to the shop. Keep your phone and documents in a waterproof pouch
• Banks are closed on 13-15 April (Bank of Thailand). Plan bank errands and government business, such as visa extensions, before the holiday
• Many Thais leave the cities to see family, some small cafes and stalls close, and transport and tickets sell out
• Don’t splash monks or anyone who clearly doesn’t want to join in

The seven dangerous days

The week around Songkran is known as the seven dangerous days: the whole country drives home and back. In 2026, from 10 to 16 April, there were 1,242 crashes, 242 deaths and 1,200 injuries, according to the Road Accident Prevention Centre (ศปถ.) as reported by Thairath. The main risk factors were speeding and motorcycles. If you can, stay off scooters and avoid night driving on highways that week.

Loy Krathong: 24 November 2026

The ORST dictionary says Loy Krathong is held on the full moon of the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar, when people float krathongs, small rafts of banana trunk and leaves with a candle, incense and flowers. In 2026 that full moon falls on 24 November (US Naval Observatory). As of 17 October 2026, TAT had not yet published an official programme.

Where to go: any river, lake or park pond, where everyone heads in the evening. In Chiang Mai the Yi Peng lantern festival takes place at the same time (TAT). Krathongs made of natural materials are sold at park entrances and markets.

Chinese New Year: Phuket Town and Yaowarat

Chinese New Year falls on 17 February 2026 and 6 February 2027 (Hong Kong Observatory). It is not a national holiday: the Bank of Thailand gives a separate bank holiday only in the southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Satun and Songkhla. Still, in places with large Chinese communities it is hard to miss: Phuket’s old town and Bangkok’s Chinatown on Yaowarat Road have processions, fairs and crowded, incense-filled shrines.

Phuket Vegetarian Festival

The nine-day Jia Chai festival is held by Phuket’s Hokkien Chinese community from the first to the ninth night of the ninth Chinese lunar month. In 2026 it runs from 10 to 18 October (TAT):

• Iw Keng processions from the shrines through Phuket Town from 11 to 18 October, with residents setting up altars outside their homes
• A night procession on 11 October with more than 40 shrines taking part
• The Koi Han bridge-crossing and Koi Hoi fire-walking rituals
• The finale on 18 October: the Jade Emperor is sent off at around 22:30, then the procession heads toward Saphan Hin, with crowds along Thalang Road, Phuket Road and Surin Circle

One of the main processions sets out from Jui Tui Shrine. In 2018 the Department of Cultural Promotion listed the festival as intangible cultural heritage (TAT). During the festival, jay food is sold across the island: the ORST dictionary defines it as food without meat or certain vegetables such as garlic. Look for the word เจ on stall signs. Processions move in dense crowds, so with children it is easier to watch from the edge of the route.

Buddhist holy days with no alcohol sales

Alcohol is not sold all day on five Buddhist holy days, under a 2025 Prime Minister’s Office announcement:

Since May 2025, alcohol may be sold on these days at international airport terminals, licensed entertainment venues, hotels, similar venues in designated tourist zones and at major official events. An ordinary shop, 7-Eleven or small bar will not sell you a beer.

Many Thais go to the temple on these days. Visitors are welcome too; dress and temple manners are covered in Thailand etiquette.

Elections

Election days are dry too. Under Section 147 of the Organic Act on the Election of MPs, selling, handing out or serving alcohol is banned from 18:00 the day before until 18:00 on polling day, with up to 6 months in prison or a fine of up to THB 10,000. That applied, for example, to the general election of 8 February 2026 (iLaw). Local elections happen at different times, so watch for provincial announcements.

Read next

How to greet a monk at the temple is in how to greet people in Thailand. How to say no meat and not spicy in Thai at the Vegetarian Festival is in Thai for travelers. Holidays bring plenty of street sellers and self-appointed guides to tourist areas; common tricks are in scams in Thailand.

Found an error or outdated fact? Tell the editors, we will fix it and update the check date.