Thailand is one of the best countries for tourists to visit, thanks to its stunning landscapes, breathtaking beaches, delicious cuisine, and vibrant cultural festivals. Beyond its natural beauty, Thailand offers a rich variety of traditional celebrations and events that every traveler should experience.

1. How many festivals are there in Thailand?

Thailand hosts over 30 nationally recognized festivals each year and hundreds of local celebrations across provinces. These events showcase Thailand’s spiritual traditions, community values, and fun-loving culture. Whether visitors love spiritual rituals, lantern releases, parades, or lively street parties, Thailand offers a festival for every travel style.

Here is the list of colourful  Thailand festivals

January

• New Year’s Day (public holiday): 1 January
• Children’s Day: 10 January 2026
• Teachers’ Day: 17 January 2026
• Bosang Umbrella and Sankampaeng Handicrafts Festival, Chiang Mai: 16-18 January 2026 (to be confirmed)

February

• Chiang Mai Flower Festival: 6-8 February 2026 (dates to be confirmed)
• Chinese Lunar New Year: 17 February 2026
• Trang Underwater Wedding: usually held mid-February to include Valentine’s Day
• Makha Bucha Day (public holiday): 2026 date to be confirmed

March

• National Thai Elephant Day: 13 March
• National Muay Thai Day: 17 March

April

• Poy Sang Long Festival: held at various locations around north Thailand, particularly in Mae Hong Son (late March/early April).
• Chakri Memorial Day (public holiday): 6 April
• Songkran Thai New Year Water Festival (public holiday): 13-15 April
• Songkran Thai New Year Water Festival

May

• Labour Day (public holiday): 1 May
• Coronation Day (public holiday): 4 May
• Royal Ploughing Ceremony, Bangkok: dates for 2026 to be confirmed
• Visakha Bucha Day (public holiday): dates for 2026 to be confirmed
• Rocket Festivals, Isaan: date varies, usually held mid/late May.

June

• Birthday of HM Queen Suthida (public holiday): 3 June

July

• Phi Ta Khon Ghost Festival, Loei: 28-30 June 2025
• Asahna Bucha Day (public holiday): 10 July 2025
• Khao Phansa: 11 July 2025
• Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival: 9-11 July 2025
• Birthday of HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) (public holiday): 28 July
• A novice monk in Chiang Mai meditates on Asahna Bucha Day

 

August

• HM Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother’s Birthday (public holiday): 12 August. Also celebrated as Mother’s Day.
• Por Tor (Hungry Ghost Festival), Phuket: dates for 2025 to be confirmed

September

• Thai National Flag Day: 28 September

October

• HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej Memorial Day (public holiday): 13 October
• Awk Phansa 7 October 2025
• Vegetarian Festival: Phuket Vegetarian Festival 21-29 October 2025
• Chulalongkorn Day (public holiday): 23 October

November

• Pattaya International Fireworks Festival: 28-29 November 2025 (to be confirmed)
• Loy Krathong: 5 November 2025
• Yi Peng Lantern Festival, Chiang Mai: 4-6 November 2025 (to be confirmed)

December

• King Bhumibol Birthday Commemoration Day (public holiday): 5 December. Also celebrated as Father’s Day and National Day.
• River Kwai Bridge Festival and Red Cross Fair, Kanchanaburi: dates for 2025 to be confirmed.
• Constitution Day (public holiday): 10 December
• New Year’s Eve (public holiday): 31 December

2.Top 5 Popular Festivals in Thailand (Asia Viva Travel recommend)

2.1. Songkran Thailand Festival – Thai New Year (Water Festival)

Songkran is Thailand’s most iconic celebration and one of the world’s largest water festivals that you shouldn’t miss, it’s memorable. The term Songkran refers to the sun’s annual movement into the Aries constellation, the first sign of the Zodiac. This transition marks the traditional beginning of the Thai New Year. Because the festival takes place in mid-April. After the rice harvest, Songkran becomes a time when Thai families reunite, honor their elders, and pay respect to ancestors and sacred Buddha images.

In 2023, UNESCO recognized Songkran as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, highlighting the festival’s deep cultural meaning and its connection to astronomical cycles, seasonal transitions, and Thai spiritual practices. That’s why there are more and more tourists coming Thailand for this festival.

While travelers often know Songkran for its vibrant water fights in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Pattaya, the festival carries a powerful symbolic message. Pouring water is an act of purification, representing the washing away of misfortune and welcoming good luck for the year ahead. Beyond the lively streets, Songkran features meaningful traditions that reflect Thailand’s values during this festival. Families visit temples to bathe Buddha statues with perfumed water, prepare special holiday meals, and perform the beloved Rod Nam Dam Hua ceremony, where scented water is gently poured over the hands of elders to ask for blessings and express gratitude. At this time of year, you can see many young people, tourists, and locals splashing water on the streets, making the streets lively with rich cultural rituals. This remains one of the best experiences for anyone traveling to Thailand.

2.2. Phi Ta Khon Festival – Thailand Ghost Mask Festival

Unmissable festival – The Phi Ta Khon Festival, often called the Ghost Festival of Thailand, is one of the country’s most vibrant and culturally unique celebrations. This event reflects Thailand’s deep-rooted traditions surrounding spirits, folklore, and ancestral beliefs. It’s true that many travelers compare the festival to Mexico’s Día de los Muertos because both celebrations honor spirits with colorful costumes, joyful parades, and community rituals, but it’s different.

The festival takes place exclusively in Dan Sai District, Loei Province, where locals dress in handmade ghost masks crafted from rice husks, coconut leaves, and vivid fabric. Participants parade through the streets wearing towering headdresses, dancing with local musicians, and playfully interacting with visitors, that make everything becomes vibrant and buzzing. The lively music, creative masks, and energetic performances make Phi Ta Khon one of the most photogenic festivals in Thailand.

Phi Ta Khon forms part of the Bun Luang and Bun Bang Fai ceremonies, which merge Buddhist traditions with local folklore. According to legend, the masked spirits represent the ghosts that celebrated joyfully when the Buddha, in one of his past lives, returned home after a long journey. This blend of myth, faith, and community creates a festival atmosphere that is both spiritual and fun.

There are a lot of fun activities at the Phi Ta Khon Festival that you can join and visit:

• Visitors can take part in many unique cultural events, including:
• Grand Opening Ceremony at the Dan Sai District Office
• Ghost Mask Parade, featuring dancers, musicians, and traditional costumes
• Phi Ta Khon Costume Competition showcasing the most creative design
• Morning Almsgiving with Buddhist monks
• Bai Si Spirit Summoning Ceremony, a ritual believed to bring good fortune

Whether travelers want to photograph spectacular ghost masks, witness sacred rituals, or enjoy a lively community celebration, Phi Ta Khon offers an unforgettable cultural experience unlike any other in Thailand.

2.3. Loy Krathong – Festival of Lights in Thailand

Loy Krathong is widely considered one of the most beautiful and romantic festivals in Thailand, drawing travelers from around the world to witness its glowing river scenes. On this magical evening, Thai people release krathongs – small lotus-shaped baskets decorated with banana leaves, flowers, candles, and incense—onto rivers, lakes, and canals. As the candlelight drifts across the water, each krathong symbolizes letting go of negativity and inviting in good fortune, love, and prosperity.

Loy Krathong also pays homage to Phra Mae Khongkha, the goddess of water, reminding everyone to appreciate and respect Thailand’s waterways. This blend of beauty and spirituality makes the festival peaceful, meaningful, and incredibly photogenic, it’s perfect for travelers seeking cultural depth or unforgettable night photography.

Visitors can enjoy a variety of cultural experiences, including:

• Creating handmade krathongs from banana leaves and flowers
• Watching traditional Thai dance performances and cultural shows
• Viewing firework displays along riverfronts and city parks
• Joining community celebrations in major cities such as Bangkok, Sukhothai, and Ayutthaya

Best Places in Thailand to Celebrate Loy Krathong

• Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai offers one of the most enchanting Loy Krathong celebrations in Thailand. The Old City moat glows with thousands of floating krathongs, while the sky fills with lights during the overlapping Yi Peng Lantern Festival. Together, these two festivals create an unforgettable atmosphere of floating lanterns, glowing waterways, and heartfelt local traditions.

• Sukhothai

As the birthplace of Loy Krathong, Sukhothai Historical Park provides a truly majestic setting. The ancient ruins, illuminated sculptures, and traditional lantern processions transform the UNESCO-listed site into a living piece of Thai cultural heritage. Travelers can watch classical Thai performances, enjoy food markets, and participate in krathong workshops.

• Bangkok

Thailand’s capital city offers a lively and accessible Loy Krathong experience. Popular spots such as Asiatique, Lumpini Park, and the Chao Phraya River host grand celebrations with floating krathongs, music, fireworks, and temple rituals. Many hotels and river cruises also organize special events for visitors.

2.4. Yi Peng Lantern Festival (Chiang Mai)

The Yi Peng Lantern Festival is one of the most breathtaking cultural celebrations in Thailand, transforming Chiang Mai into a glowing sky of shimmering lights. During this magical event, locals and visitors release thousands of khom loy delicate lanterns made from bamboo and rice paper—into the night sky. Many people believe that releasing a lantern helps them let go of misfortune, cleanse past worries, and invite good luck for the future.

Yi Peng is deeply rooted in Lanna culture, the ancient kingdom of Northern Thailand, and the festival combines spiritual rituals with visually stunning traditions. Throughout the city, temples host ceremonies where monks lead prayers, chants, and lantern blessings. Streets and riverside areas become illuminated with candles, lanterns, and decorative displays that highlight the beauty of northern Thai craftsmanship.

Visitors can enjoy a variety of cultural experiences, including:

• Lantern release ceremonies at temples and designated festival grounds
• Traditional Lanna music and dance performances
• Illuminated parades with lantern floats and cultural displays
• Craft workshops where travelers learn to create their own handmade lanterns

Many people travel to Chiang Mai specifically for Yi Peng because the city hosts the largest, most beautiful, and most traditional lantern celebrations in Thailand. Photographers, couples, and culture-seekers find the festival especially enchanting, as the glowing lanterns rising above the city create unforgettable scenes.

Yi Peng, combined with Loy Krathong, offers one of the most romantic, spiritual, and visually stunning travel experiences in Southeast Asia—making it a must-visit festival for anyone exploring Thailand in late October or early November.

2.5. Phuket Vegetarian Festival (Nine Emperor Gods Festival)

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival, also known as the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, is one of the most dramatic and spiritually significant festivals in Thailand. This nine-day celebration focuses on cleansing the mind, body, and spirit through a strict vegetarian or vegan diet. Devotees believe that abstaining from meat and impurities brings good health, inner peace, and spiritual renewal. Throughout the festival, shrines and temples across Phuket host daily ceremonies, merit-making rituals, firecrackers, and guided meditation sessions that draw thousands of devotees and curious travelers.

One of the most famous and intense elements of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival is the ritual performed by Ma Song, or spirit mediums. These individuals enter deep trance states, allowing deities to possess them. During this spiritual empowerment, the Ma Song perform extreme acts such as walking across fire, piercing their cheeks with metal rods, and climbing ladders lined with sharp blades. Locals believe these acts demonstrate the power of the divine and help protect the community from misfortune.

Despite the festival’s intense imagery, the overall atmosphere remains deeply spiritual, respectful, and culturally rich. Streets across Phuket fill with vegetarian food stalls, offering unique Thai-Chinese dishes that appear only during this festival. Travelers can try everything from spicy stir-fries and herbal soups to traditional noodles and desserts – each prepared according to sacred dietary rules.

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival offers a rare opportunity for travelers to witness a truly extraordinary blend of religion, ritual, and culture, making it one of Thailand’s most unforgettable annual celebrations.

3.FAQs About Thailand Festivals

When is the best month to experience festivals in Thailand?

The best months are October, November, and April, when Thailand hosts its biggest festivals.

Are the Thailand festival dates the same every year?

Most festivals follow the lunar calendar, so dates change slightly each year.

Can tourists participate in all Thailand festivals?

Yes. Most festivals welcome everyone, although some spiritual rituals are reserved for locals.

What should I pack for a festival trip to Thailand?

Bring light clothing, waterproof bags (especially for Songkran), comfortable shoes, and a respectful outfit for temple ceremonies.

Which Thai festival is best for families?

Loy Krathong and Yi Peng are the most family-friendly festivals because the atmosphere is calm, peaceful, and visually spectacular.

 

Inconclusion

Thailand festivals offer a vibrant blend of culture, rituals, customs and unforgettable experiences. From the water-filled fun of Songkran to the amazing beauty of Loy Krathong, the spooky charm of Phi Ta Khon, each festival showcases the soul  and the beauty of Thai culture. With cultural respect and a sense of adventure, these festivals promise memories that will last your lifetime. Don’t wait to start the trip to Thailand with Asia Viva Travel now! We will create a thoughtfully crafted  itinerary capturing the true essence of Thailand, with private, flexible services tailored to families, couples, or small private groups.