Thailand celebrates its traditional new year with water in the hottest days of April, and in November floats candles on its rivers under the full moon — two festivals that follow the sun and the moon of older calendars.
Photo: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Thailand has kept 1 January as its official New Year since 1940, but its traditional festivals still follow older reckonings: Songkran the sun’s passage into Aries in April, Loy Krathong the full moon of the twelfth month of the Thai lunar calendar.
Both are among the country’s best-loved celebrations — and among its busiest travel periods.
ลอยกระทง
On the full-moon night of the twelfth Thai month, people float small decorated baskets bearing a candle, incense and a wish on rivers, canals and ponds across Thailand. In Chiang Mai the night coincides with Yi Peng, when sky lanterns drift up into the dark.
November 25, 2026Estimated
สงกรานต์
The traditional Thai New Year falls in mid-April, in the hottest weeks of the year. Families gather, pour water over the hands of their elders and over Buddha images — and in the streets, the gentle blessing becomes a nationwide water fight.
April 13 – 15, 2027Calculated