Thai Festival Calendar 2026: Every Major Festival and When to Go

Thailand's Buddhist and animist traditions combine with Chinese cultural influence to produce a festival calendar that is genuinely extraordinary throughout the year. The biggest events — Songkran in April, Loy Krathong in November, and Yi Peng in Chiang Mai — are internationally famous and attract visitors from around the world. But the calendar is rich throughout, and understanding the full picture allows you to time your visit for specific experiences or, alternatively, to avoid the most crowded and expensive periods.

January begins with Bo Sang Umbrella Festival in Chiang Mai (mid-January) — artisans from the village of Bo Sang display hand-painted umbrellas and parasols in a parade through town; a beautiful, genuinely local event with minimal tourist infrastructure. February brings Chinese New Year celebrations, most spectacularly in Bangkok's Yaowarat (Chinatown) neighbourhood and in Phuket Town, where the festival is significant given the large Sino-Thai population. March marks the beginning of Kite Season in Bangkok — elaborate kite battles are held at Sanam Luang near the Grand Palace on weekends. April's Songkran (13–15 April) needs no introduction — the world's largest water fight, also a deeply meaningful New Year ceremony. May's Visakha Bucha (Buddha's birthday, based on lunar calendar) sees temples packed nationwide. July brings Asanha Bucha and the start of Buddhist Lent (Khao Phansa) — a period when monks retreat to their temples and many Thai people refrain from alcohol. October's Ok Phansa marks the end of Buddhist Lent with boat races across the country, most spectacularly in Nakhon Phanom on the Mekong. November's Loy Krathong (full moon) is perhaps Thailand's most beautiful festival — millions of small lotus-shaped floats bearing candles are released on waterways nationwide. In Chiang Mai, the simultaneously held Yi Peng fills the sky with thousands of paper lanterns.