Songkran 2027: Dates 13–15 April, Best Cities and Hotels

Songkran 2027 runs Tuesday 13 – Thursday 15 April 2027, the official Thai New Year holiday window. For three days the country stops work, visits family, makes merit at temples and throws water at anyone on the street. Bangkok’s Silom Road and Khao San Road, Chiang Mai’s Old City moat and Pattaya’s Beach Road are where the biggest crowds gather.

The name comes from the Sanskrit sankranti (astrological passage), the sun’s move into Aries. The original ritual is gentle: pouring scented water over Buddha images and over the hands of elders to ask for their blessing. The street water fight grew out of it, and the temple side still happens every year alongside the water guns.

Quick answer: where should I go for Songkran 2027? Plan around 13–15 April 2027. Pick Chiang Mai if you want the longest celebration and the temple traditions, Bangkok if you want Silom and Khao San and a short trip, and add Pattaya only if you can stay until its Wan Lai finale (18–19 April in 2026). The street festival is free, so the one thing to book early is a room close to the action: see hotels we like. If you want a guide and kit for your first Silom water fight, a Songkran day and night tour is available.

Book the room before the flights. The Silom, Khao San and Chiang Mai moat streets are the most convenient bases and they fill early, and with the roads closed a bed outside the zone means a long walk or no ride at all. These open on 13–16 April 2027: The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon for Silom and Tamarind Village on the Chiang Mai procession street. More picks in Hotels We Like for Songkran.

Songkran 2027 dates (verified vs pending)

Verified official holiday window (2027): Tuesday 13 April – Thursday 15 April 2027.

The three-day 13–15 April window is fixed every year. For trip planning, lock hotels and flights around 13–15 April 2027, then add city extension days once that city’s 2027 programme is out.

Songkran falls in April, the hottest month of the year, which is part of why the water caught on. Offices and banks close for the three days and many Thais travel back to their home provinces, so Bangkok empties out a little while bus stations, trains and domestic flights fill up. Families also use the holiday to clean their homes and visit their local temple.

The Three Days of Songkran

13 April, Wan Maha Songkran: the day the sun enters Aries, also National Elderly Day. People pour scented water over Buddha images at temples and at home, and the water fights start in earnest.

14 April, Wan Nao: the “day of staying”, the day between the old year and the new one. It is also National Family Day: families prepare food for the temple, and many carry sand to the temple to build sand chedis.

15 April, Wan Thaloeng Sok: the day the new era begins, the first day of the Thai New Year. Younger relatives pour scented water over their elders’ hands to ask for blessings. In the north it is also called Wan Phaya Wan, regarded as the most auspicious day of the year (The Nation).

Activities During the Songkran Festival

Water Splashing

Water fights are the part everyone knows. Streets are closed to traffic and turned into arenas where crowds fight with water pistols, buckets and bowls. Pickup trucks carrying barrels of water circle the main roads, and anyone on foot is a target. Thais of every age join in and foreigners are welcome.

Merit Making

Songkran is a Buddhist festival first. Families go to the temple early, give food to the monks, listen to a sermon and receive a blessing of sprinkled water. Offerings include cooked food, fruit, dried goods and new robes. Many people also pay respect to their ancestors.

Cleaning

Homes, schools, offices and temples get a thorough clean before the New Year, in the same spirit as a spring clean. Temple grounds are swept and Buddha images are washed.

Releasing Birds and Fish

Some people release fish or birds as an act of merit, in the belief that giving freedom to living creatures brings good fortune. Fish are usually released into rivers and canals near temples.

Parades, Pageants and Folk Performances

City programmes include parades of Buddha images, Songkran queen processions, beauty pageants in traditional dress, Thai dance and long-drum troupes. Street food stalls line the parade routes.

Building Sand Chedis

People carry sand to their temple and build small sand chedis (pagodas), decorated with flags and flowers. The tradition replaces the sand carried away on people’s feet during the year, and the sand is later used for temple repairs.

Best Spots to Celebrate Songkran

Bangkok

Bangkok has several official water zones. In 2026 the city made them alcohol-free, with checkpoints screening for powder and high-pressure water guns.

• Silom Road: the best-known water fight. In 2026 the road closed from Sala Daeng intersection to the Narathiwat (Nararom) intersection, about 2 km, on 12–14 April from 1pm to 9pm, with long-drum processions, concerts and Buddha-image bathing alongside the water play (The Nation). Use BTS Sala Daeng or MRT Silom.
• Khao San Road: the backpacker street. In 2026 water play was allowed 13–15 April from noon to 10pm (The Nation). The bars and guesthouses along Soi Rambuttri make it the easiest zone to stay right next to.
• Sanam Luang and Ratchadamnoen Road: the cultural side, with the Maha Songkran World Water Festival parade and ceremonies near the Grand Palace (11–15 April in 2026, per Thairath).
• Siam Square and ICONSIAM: gentler, family-friendly programmes in 2026, with water tunnels and a riverside Songkran procession at ICONSIAM.

Temples are the other half of Songkran in Bangkok. Visit one in the morning to see families giving food to the monks and pouring scented water over the Buddha images, then join the water fights in the afternoon.

A guided option in Bangkok

If you’d rather not work Silom out on your own, the Bangkok Songkran Water Festival day and night tour runs only on the festival days. It takes about 4 hours with an English-speaking host, includes a water gun, waterproof bag, Songkran shirt and goggles, and heads for the Silom water fight. It is new, with no reviews of its own yet, and costs far more than going yourself, so it suits first-timers who want someone to lead the way.

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai has the longest Songkran in Thailand and keeps more of the old Lanna traditions. The water fight runs around the Old City moat: pickup trucks loop the moat roads while people on the banks scoop water straight from the moat, and nobody near it stays dry.

In 2026 the city programme started on 12 April. The main procession, the Phra Phuttha Sihing image with other sacred Buddha images, set off from Nawarat Bridge on 13 April at 2.09pm and travelled along Tha Phae Road to Ratchadamnoen Road, the street that leads to Wat Phra Singh, so people along the route could pour water over the images (Chiang Mai Citylife). Tha Phae Road also held the World Songkran Tha Pae event in the evenings, with a 130-metre water tunnel open 13–15 April from 6pm to midnight (Chiang Mai Citylife). Expect the 2027 procession on or around 13 April; check the city schedule once it is out.

On the 13th and 14th families go to the wat to give food to the monks and build sand chedis decorated with coloured flags. If you’re building a longer trip around the festival, our guide to things to do in Chiang Mai covers the temples, markets and day trips worth adding.

Pattaya

Pattaya runs the latest Songkran in the country. Water play starts on 13 April along Pattaya Beach Road and the surrounding streets, with music stages and pickup trucks working the traffic. The city then holds its own finale, Wan Lai: in 2026 it was 18 April in Naklua and 19 April in Pattaya, centred on Wat Chai Mongkol and Beach Road (Pattaya Mail). Beach Road closes to traffic on Wan Lai day. Treat the 2027 Wan Lai dates as pending until Pattaya City announces them.

Songkran Rules (2026)

Thai authorities publish Songkran rules each year. The 2026 list, reported by The Nation and Thairath, is the best guide to what to expect in 2027:

• High-pressure water guns: banned, including PVC-pipe guns and modified guns. Up to 2 years in prison or a fine of up to 4,000 THB. Ordinary plastic water pistols are fine.
• Powder, paint and foam: banned in the safe zones and main water-play areas such as Silom and Khao San. Putting powder on someone without consent can bring a fine.
• Alcohol: the official Bangkok water zones were alcohol-free in 2026, with screening at the entrances. Normal Thai rules on sale hours and the 20-year minimum age apply everywhere.
• Clothing: revealing clothing in public water-play areas can be treated as public indecency, with fines of up to 5,000 THB.
• Vehicles: no riding on the roof or sitting on the edge of a moving pickup. Drink-driving carries up to 1 year in prison and a fine of 5,000–20,000 THB, and helmets are compulsory for riders and passengers.
• Consent: splashing people who are clearly trying to avoid it, and any groping or harassment, can be prosecuted.

What to Bring

• Waterproof phone pouch: essential. Phones are the first casualty of Songkran. Pouches are sold at 7-Eleven and street stalls.
• Quick-dry clothes: light clothes you don’t mind getting soaked and that stay decent when wet. Leave valuables at the hotel.
• Sunscreen: you’ll be wet and in direct sun for hours, so reapply often.
• Waterproof bag: a dry bag for your wallet, passport copy and hotel key card.
• Cash: small notes. Street food vendors and water-gun sellers mostly take cash.
• Sandals or water shoes: roads flood and trainers stay wet for days.

Songkran Etiquette

• Monks and elders: never splash monks, elderly people or anyone carrying a baby. Gently pouring scented water over an elder’s hands is the original Songkran tradition.
• Motorbikes: do not throw water at moving motorbikes. It causes crashes every year.
• Ice water: iced water is common but many Thais find it aggressive. Room-temperature water is the traditional choice.
• Temples: if you visit a temple during Songkran, cover your shoulders and knees despite the water fight outside.
• People who want to stay dry: someone in work clothes, carrying a camera or walking with luggage is not a target.

Safety warning: road deaths rise sharply over the Songkran holiday every year. Avoid driving, especially motorbikes, during the festival. Use Grab, Bolt or songthaews, and if you must drive, expect checkpoints and stay completely sober.

Hotels We Like for Songkran

Staying within walking distance of the water zones saves you trying to find a taxi when the roads are closed and every driver is avoiding the splash streets. Each name opens Booking.com for 13–16 April 2027, the three festival nights.

Bangkok, Silom

• The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon: a 5-star hotel on Narathiwat Road by BTS Chong Nonsi, a short walk from the Narathiwat end of the Silom water-play stretch. Our review.
• W Bangkok: a 5-star hotel on North Sathorn Road next to BTS Chong Nonsi, one stop from Sala Daeng and Silom. Our review.

Bangkok, Khao San

• Pranakorn Heritage Hotel: a 4-star hotel in a restored heritage building on Prachathipatai Road, a short walk from Khao San Road but away from its late-night noise. Our review.
• Riva Surya Bangkok: a 4-star riverside hotel on Phra Athit Road, about a 5-minute walk from Khao San and a short walk from Sanam Luang. Our review.

Chiang Mai, Old City

• Tamarind Village: a 4-star Lanna-style hotel on Ratchadamnoen Road, the street the Buddha image procession follows towards Wat Phra Singh. Our review.
• Kiri Hotel: a 4-star hotel on Moon Muang Road Lane 5, just off the eastern moat road near Tha Phae Gate, in the middle of the moat water fight. Our review.
• Rachamankha: a 5-star boutique hotel near Wat Phra Singh, on a quiet lane inside the walls when you need a break from the water. Our review.

Compare live prices: the hotel map below shows real availability around the festival dates, or start from our Bangkok and Chiang Mai guides to pick an area first.

Plan Your Songkran Trip

Book flights and rooms 2–3 months ahead: mid-April is a peak travel week for Thais as well as visitors, and the best-placed hotels near Silom, Khao San and the Chiang Mai moat go first. Domestic flights and buses on 12 and 16 April are the hardest to get. Check our Thailand Events Calendar for more festivals, and our complete festivals guide for planning a trip around Thailand’s main celebrations.