Thailand Events Calendar 2026: Month-by-Month Guide to Festivals, Holidays & Celebrations
Thailand packs more festivals into a single year than most countries manage in a decade. This month-by-month calendar covers every major event — Buddhist holidays, cultural festivals, music events, and local celebrations worth planning a trip around.
Lunar-dependent dates (Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Loy Krathong, and others) shift every year, so where a date below carries a year, that is the next confirmed edition. Festivals whose next dates have not been announced yet say so. Events marked with a link have detailed guides with tickets, travel tips, and what to expect.
January
1 January — New Year’s Day (Public Holiday)
16–18 January 2027 — Bo Sang Umbrella Festival, near Chiang Mai — the umbrella-making village celebrates its craft: hand-painted parasols, lantern-lit evenings, and the famous bicycle parade
January – early March — Concert in the Park, Bangkok — outdoor concerts at Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park, most Sundays, free admission
February
5–7 February 2027 — Chiang Mai Flower Festival — parade floats, flower decorations, and beauty contests at Suan Buak Hat Park
6–7 February 2027 — Chinese New Year — Bangkok’s Yaowarat (Chinatown), Phuket Old Town, and Hat Yai. Dragon dances, firecrackers, street food. Year of the Fire Goat.
14 February — Valentine’s Day (the Trang Underwater Wedding is held around it)
Mid February — Burapa Bike Week, Pattaya — Southeast Asia’s biggest motorcycle gathering
Mid February — King Narai Reign Fair, Lopburi — week-long historical festival at the Phra Narai Ratchaniwet palace, with sound-and-light shows and period dress; 2027 dates to be announced
21 February 2027 — Makha Bucha Day (Public Holiday) — Buddhist holiday commemorating 1,250 disciples gathering to hear the Buddha teach. Candlelit wien thien processions at temples nationwide.
Late February — Phuket International Blues Rock Festival
Late February – early March — MotoGP Thailand, Chang International Circuit, Buriram — the season opener; 2027 dates to be announced with the provisional MotoGP calendar
March
13 March — National Thai Elephant Day
17 March — National Muay Thai Day — Ayutthaya hosts the Martial Arts Festival and Wai Khru Ceremony
Late March – mid April — Poy Sang Long Festival — Shan Buddhist ordination ceremony in Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai; 2027 dates to be announced
April
6 April — Chakri Memorial Day (Public Holiday) — honouring the founding of the ruling Chakri dynasty
13–15 April — Songkran Festival (Public Holiday) — Thai New Year, the same dates every year. Nationwide water fights, temple ceremonies, and family reunions. Biggest celebrations in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Pattaya.
13–15 April — S2O Songkran Music Festival, Bangkok — EDM meets Songkran water fights. International DJs, water cannons, 30,000 capacity.
Mid April — Phuket Bike Week
Mid April — Wan Lai Festival, Chonburi Province (including Pattaya)
May
1 May — Labour Day (Public Holiday)
4 May — Coronation Day (Public Holiday) — marking the coronation of King Vajiralongkorn
Early–mid May — Royal Ploughing Ceremony, Sanam Luang, Bangkok — ancient Brahmin ritual predicting the year’s harvest; the date is set by royal astrologers each year (2027 date to be announced)
Mid May — Bun Bang Fai Rocket Festival, Yasothon — homemade bamboo rockets fired skyward to summon rain. Isan’s wildest festival. 2027 dates to be announced.
Mid–late May — Inthakin City Pillar Festival, Chiang Mai — week of offerings at Wat Chedi Luang’s city pillar (lunar dates vary)
20 May 2027 — Visakha Bucha Day (Public Holiday) — Buddhism’s most sacred day: the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death commemorated on one full moon night
Late May — Koh Samui Yacht Regatta
Late May – early June — Bangkok Pride — one of Southeast Asia’s largest Pride festivals, with the headline parade along Silom Road; 2027 dates to be announced
June
3 June — Birthday of HM Queen Suthida (Public Holiday)
20–22 June 2026 — Phi Ta Khon Ghost Festival, Dan Sai, Loei — ghost mask parades, spirit rituals, Isan celebrations. Free entry. The exact days are set each year by the village spirit medium.
July
28 July — Birthday of HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Public Holiday)
29 July 2026 — Asanha Bucha Day (Public Holiday) — commemorates the Buddha’s first sermon and the founding of the Buddhist Sangha
30 July 2026 — Khao Phansa — start of Buddhist Lent. Ubon Ratchathani’s spectacular Candle Festival parade.
August
12 August — Queen Mother’s Birthday & Mother’s Day (Public Holiday) — the country turns blue. Jasmine garlands, candlelit ceremonies, merit-making.
August – September — Por Tor Hungry Ghost Festival, Phuket (lunar dates vary)
September
24 September — Mahidol Day — commemorating Prince Mahidol, father of modern Thai medicine
28 September — Thai National Flag Day
October
10–18 October 2026 — Phuket Vegetarian Festival — nine days of street processions, ritual body piercing, and vegetarian food. Also celebrated in Trang, Krabi, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai.
13 October — HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej Memorial Day (Public Holiday)
23 October — Chulalongkorn Day (Public Holiday) — honouring King Rama V with wreath-laying at his equestrian statue in Bangkok
25 October 2026 — Buffalo Racing Festival, Chonburi — 100+ year tradition of buffalo races, beauty contests, and Isan food. 80km from Bangkok.
26 October 2026 — Ok Phansa — end of Buddhist Lent, and the one night of the Naga Fireballs in Nong Khai, when mysterious glowing orbs rise from the Mekong River
27–29 October 2026 — Chak Phra Festival, Surat Thani — Buddha images pulled through the streets and along the Tapi River on decorated barges
29 October 2026 – 28 February 2027 — Bangkok Art Biennale — city-wide contemporary art across temples, galleries, and riverside venues
November
19–21 November 2026 — Surin Elephant Round-Up — Thailand’s biggest elephant festival: processions, the famous elephant breakfast buffet, and cultural shows
24 November 2026 — Loy Krathong — floating krathong baskets on rivers and canals nationwide
24–25 November 2026 — Yi Peng Lantern Festival, Chiang Mai — sky lantern releases coinciding with Loy Krathong
25 November 2026 — Chiang Rai Lantern Festival — a quieter alternative to Yi Peng, with fewer crowds and a more intimate atmosphere
27–28 November 2026 — Pattaya Fireworks Festival — international pyrotechnic teams light up Pattaya Bay over two nights
27 November – 7 December 2026 — River Kwai Bridge Week, Kanchanaburi — nightly light-and-sound show at the WWII bridge, plus the Red Cross Fair night market
29 November 2026 — Monkey Buffet Festival, Lopburi — 4,000kg feast for around 2,000 macaques at Prang Sam Yod temple
December
3–7 December 2026 — Wonderfruit Festival, The Fields at Siam Country Club, near Pattaya — music, art, wellness, and sustainability. Thailand’s answer to Burning Man — running a week earlier than usual in 2026 to avoid clashing with Tomorrowland.
5 December — National Day & Father’s Day (Public Holiday) — honouring the late King Bhumibol. Yellow decorations, candlelit ceremonies nationwide.
10 December — Constitution Day (Public Holiday) — commemorating Thailand’s first constitution of 1932
11–13 December 2026 — Tomorrowland Thailand, Pattaya — Asia’s first Tomorrowland edition at Wisdom Valley. 6 stages, 50,000+ daily capacity. From 12,500 THB.
Mid-December — Hua Hin Jazz Festival — free beachfront jazz in front of the Centara Grand. Timing moves around the calendar; the 2025 edition ran 19–20 December and the 2026 dates are not yet announced.
31 December — New Year’s Eve — countdown events in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond
The Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan happens every month on the night of the full moon — see our guide for the complete schedule of upcoming dates.
See also: Thailand Festivals Guide — in-depth guides to the major events worth planning a trip around.