Thailand public holidays have a habit of ambushing people. You fly eleven hours, take the taxi into town, and discover the bars can’t sell you a beer because it’s Asahna Bucha, the banks are shut because the Cabinet moved a royal birthday to a Monday, and the entire city of Chiang Mai is booked out for a lantern festival nobody mentioned. This page exists so none of that ever happens to you: every public holiday, festival and Full Moon Party in Thailand for 2026 and 2027, with verified dates, what actually closes, which days ban alcohol sales, and a free calendar file so the whole lot lives in your phone.
Two honest caveats, because that’s the house style. First: Thailand’s Buddhist holidays follow the lunar calendar, and the government confirms each year’s official list (including the substituted Mondays) only a few months ahead – anything not yet gazetted is clearly marked provisional below. Second: village festivals like Phi Ta Khon set their dates weeks in advance, not months. We track the announcements and update this page the day dates land, so check back before you book flights around a festival.
Dates verified 31 July 2026 against the official Cabinet holiday list, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and festival organisers. 2027 lunar holidays and substitution days are astronomical projections until the Cabinet gazettes the official list – marked “provisional” below. We update this page the day anything changes.
The short version: Songkran 2027 is 13-15 April. Loy Krathong falls on 24 November 2026 and 14 November 2027, with Chiang Mai’s Yi Peng lanterns on 24-25 November 2026. The Phuket Vegetarian Festival runs 9-18 October 2026. Remaining 2026 Full Moon Parties: 31 Jul, 28 Aug, 26 Sep, 27 Oct, 24 Nov, 24 Dec and 31 Dec. Alcohol sales are banned on the five Buddhist holy days (with hotel, airport and licensed-venue exemptions since 2025).
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January 2026
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 1 Jan | New Year's Day Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Banks and government offices shut; the country nurses a collective hangover. The one morning Bangkok is genuinely quiet. Banks + govt offices closed. |
February 2026
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 17 Feb | Chinese New Year (Year of the Horse)
+ calendar |
Bangkok (Yaowarat) and nationwide Not a national public holiday, but Yaowarat becomes one enormous dinner table. Regional government holiday in the deep south. |
March 2026
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 3 Mar | Makha Bucha Day Public holidayNo alcohol sales
+ calendar |
Nationwide Candlelit triple circumambulations at every temple in the country. Alcohol sales banned outside licensed exemptions. Banks + govt offices closed. |
April 2026
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 6 Apr | Chakri Memorial Day Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Honours the founding of the current royal dynasty in 1782. Banks closed, temples busy, everything else normal. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| 13-15 Apr | Songkran (Thai New Year) Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide The world's largest water fight, officially three days, unofficially up to a week. Book transport a month out or stay put. Banks + govt offices closed. |
May 2026
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 May | National Labour Day Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Banks and private companies close; government offices stay open. The inverse of most holidays, just to keep you alert. Banks closed, govt open. |
| Mon 4 May | Coronation Day Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Marks the 2019 coronation of King Rama X. Standard public-holiday closures. Banks + govt offices closed. |
June 2026
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 Jun | Visakha Bucha Day Public holidayNo alcohol sales
+ calendar |
Nationwide The holiest day in the Buddhist calendar: birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha. Alcohol sales banned outside exemptions. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| Wed 3 Jun | Queen Suthida's Birthday Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Public holiday for Her Majesty the Queen. Banks and government closed. Banks + govt offices closed. |
July 2026
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 28 Jul | King Vajiralongkorn's Birthday Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide His Majesty's birthday. Government buildings dressed in yellow, candle ceremonies in the evening. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| Wed 29 Jul | Asahna Bucha Day Public holidayNo alcohol sales
+ calendar |
Nationwide Commemorates the Buddha's first sermon. Paired with Khao Phansa for a two-day alcohol sales ban. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| Thu 30 Jul | Khao Phansa (Buddhist Lent begins) Govt holidayNo alcohol sales
+ calendar |
Nationwide Start of the three-month rains retreat. Government offices close; banks stay open. Alcohol ban continues. Govt offices closed, banks open. |
| Fri 31 Jul | Full moon
+ calendar |
Haad Rin, Koh Phangan Buckets, body paint and fifteen thousand people on one beach. Held on the actual full-moon night in 2026. |
August 2026
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 12 Aug | The Queen Mother's Birthday (Mother's Day) Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother's birthday, celebrated as Mother's Day. Jasmine garlands everywhere; banks and government closed. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| Fri 28 Aug | Full moon
+ calendar |
Haad Rin, Koh Phangan August edition, peak green-season. Boats from Koh Samui run all night. |
September 2026
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 26 Sep | Full moon
+ calendar |
Haad Rin, Koh Phangan Saturday-night full moon: the biggest crowds of the low season. |
October 2026
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| 9-18 Oct | Festival
+ calendar |
Phuket Town (also Bangkok's Yaowarat, Trang, Hat Yai) Nine days of white clothes, firecrackers, spirit mediums and cheek-piercing that makes the evening news. Pole-raising on 9 October; processions from the 10th. Not one for the squeamish, unmissable for everyone else. |
| Tue 13 Oct | Navamindra Maharaj Day (King Bhumibol Memorial) Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Memorial day for King Rama IX, who reigned for seventy years. Banks and government closed. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| Fri 23 Oct | King Chulalongkorn Day Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Falls on a Friday in 2026: an automatic three-day weekend. Book beach transport early. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| Sun 25 Oct | FestivalDates TBC |
Chonburi town Water buffalo sprint 100 metres with jockeys clinging on bareback. Held around Ok Phansa; exact day confirmed close to the date. |
| Mon 26 Oct | Ok Phansa (end of Buddhist Lent) No alcohol sales
+ calendar |
Nationwide End of the rains retreat. Not a public holiday, but the alcohol-sales ban applies and the best folk festivals of the year cluster around it. |
| Mon 26 Oct | Festival
+ calendar |
Phon Phisai, Nong Khai Glowing orbs rise from the Mekong on Ok Phansa night. Science shrugs, locals grin, hotels sell out months ahead. |
| Tue 27 Oct | Festival
+ calendar |
Wat Sangkat Rattana Khiri, Uthai Thani Five hundred monks descend a naga staircase from a hilltop temple at dawn while the town fills their bowls. The most photogenic alms round in Thailand. |
| Tue 27 Oct | Full moon
+ calendar |
Haad Rin, Koh Phangan Tuesday full moon, the night after Ok Phansa's alcohol ban lifts. |
November 2026
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| 19-21 Nov | Festival
+ calendar |
Srinarong Stadium, Surin The famous elephant buffet breakfast and stadium shows. Read up on welfare arguments first and decide for yourself; our Surin guide covers both sides. |
| 20-24 Nov | FestivalDates TBC |
Sukhothai Historical Park Loy Krathong where it was allegedly invented: light shows and floating candles among 700-year-old ruins. Roughly five nights ending on the full moon; final programme announced by TAT nearer the date. |
| Tue 24 Nov | Loy Krathong Festival
+ calendar |
Nationwide Thailand's most beautiful night: millions of candlelit krathongs set afloat to carry the year's bad luck away. Falls on the full moon of the twelfth Thai lunar month. |
| 24-25 Nov | Festival
+ calendar |
Chiang Mai Thousands of lanterns released into the northern sky, coinciding with Loy Krathong. The mass-release events are ticketed and sell out; the free city celebration around the Old City moat is plenty. |
| Tue 24 Nov | Full moon
+ calendar |
Haad Rin, Koh Phangan Same night as Loy Krathong: krathongs on the water at sunset, buckets by midnight. |
| Sun 29 Nov | Festival
+ calendar |
Prang Sam Yot, Lopburi Two tonnes of fruit laid out for the city's macaques, who repay the town by stealing everything else. Last Sunday of November, as always. |
December 2026
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| 3-7 Dec | Festival
+ calendar |
The Fields at Siam Country Club, Chonburi Thailand's answer to a boutique Glastonbury: five days of music, art and wellness in a purpose-built field city near Pattaya. |
| Sat 5 Dec | King Bhumibol's Birthday (Father's Day / National Day) Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Rama IX's birthday, National Day and Father's Day at once. Falls on a Saturday, so Monday 7 December is the substitute day off. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| Mon 7 Dec | Substitution holiday (for 5 December) Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide The Monday off in lieu. Banks and government offices closed. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| Thu 10 Dec | Constitution Day Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Commemorates the 1932 constitution. A quiet public holiday in an otherwise loud month. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| Thu 24 Dec | Full moon
+ calendar |
Haad Rin, Koh Phangan Christmas Eve full moon. Santa hats, sunburn and 30-degree heat. |
| Thu 31 Dec | New Year's Eve Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Public holiday. CentralWorld hosts Bangkok's biggest countdown; riverside hotels fire the fireworks. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| Thu 31 Dec | Full moon
+ calendar |
Haad Rin, Koh Phangan Not an actual full moon, but the year's biggest edition anyway. Accommodation triples in price; book by October. |
January 2027
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 1 Jan | New Year's Day Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Falls on a Friday: a built-in three-day weekend to start the year. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| Fri 22 Jan | Full moonDates TBC |
Haad Rin, Koh Phangan Monthly, on or near each full-moon night. Organisers publish the confirmed 2027 list late in 2026; we will update this page the day they do. |
February 2027
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| 5-7 Feb | FestivalDates TBC |
Chiang Mai Flower-covered floats parade the Old City on the first weekend of February, when the north is at its coolest. Dates to be confirmed by the city. |
| Sat 6 Feb | Chinese New Year (Year of the Goat)
+ calendar |
Bangkok (Yaowarat) and nationwide Lion dances and closed shophouses across every Chinatown in the country. Regional government holiday in the deep south only. |
| Sun 21 Feb | Makha Bucha Day Public holidayNo alcohol salesProvisional
+ calendar |
Nationwide Falls on a Sunday; Monday 22 February expected as the day off in lieu. Alcohol sales banned outside licensed exemptions. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| Mon 22 Feb | Substitution holiday (for Makha Bucha) Public holidayProvisional
+ calendar |
Nationwide Expected Monday off in lieu, pending the official Cabinet list. Banks + govt offices closed. |
April 2027
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 6 Apr | Chakri Memorial Day Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Dynasty day, one week before Songkran. Use it to position yourself for the water fight. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| 13-15 Apr | Songkran (Thai New Year) Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Tuesday to Thursday in 2027, which in practice means a full week off for most of the country. Chiang Mai keeps going until the 16th; Pattaya's Wan Lai runs to the 19th. Banks + govt offices closed. |
May 2027
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 1 May | National Labour Day Public holidayProvisional
+ calendar |
Nationwide Falls on a Saturday; Monday 3 May expected in lieu for banks and private business. Government offices work both days. Banks closed, govt open. |
| Tue 4 May | Coronation Day Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Standard closures. With 1 and 3 May, an awkward stop-start week for anything official. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| 7-9 May | FestivalDates TBC |
Yasothon Isaan fires homemade rockets the size of telegraph poles at the sky to order up rain. Traditionally the second weekend of May; dates confirmed locally. |
| Mon 10 May | Royal Ploughing Ceremony Dates TBC |
Sanam Luang, Bangkok Sacred oxen predict the harvest; the palace sets the date each year (usually mid-May). Government offices close; banks stay open. Govt offices closed, banks open. |
| Thu 20 May | Visakha Bucha Day Public holidayNo alcohol salesProvisional
+ calendar |
Nationwide The holiest Buddhist day. Alcohol sales banned outside licensed exemptions; temples at their most atmospheric after dark. Banks + govt offices closed. |
June 2027
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 3 Jun | Queen Suthida's Birthday Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Thursday public holiday; many will bridge the Friday for a four-day weekend. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| 25-27 Jun | FestivalDates TBC |
Dan Sai, Loei Villagers in carved ghost masks and patchwork robes parade through a mountain town. Dates are set by Dan Sai's spirit mediums only weeks in advance – June or early July; check before booking. |
July 2027
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| 17-19 Jul | FestivalDates TBC |
Thung Si Mueang, Ubon Ratchathani Wax sculptures the size of buses, carved over months and paraded for Asahna Bucha. Isaan's finest spectacle; exact programme confirmed nearer the date. |
| Sun 18 Jul | Asahna Bucha Day Public holidayNo alcohol salesProvisional
+ calendar |
Nationwide Falls on a Sunday; expect Tuesday 20 July in lieu pending the Cabinet list. Two-day alcohol ban with Khao Phansa. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| Mon 19 Jul | Khao Phansa (Buddhist Lent begins) Govt holidayNo alcohol salesProvisional
+ calendar |
Nationwide Rains retreat begins. Government offices close; banks open. Alcohol ban continues. Govt offices closed, banks open. |
| Wed 28 Jul | King Vajiralongkorn's Birthday Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Wednesday public holiday. Yellow shirts, ceremonies, closed banks. Banks + govt offices closed. |
August 2027
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 12 Aug | The Queen Mother's Birthday (Mother's Day) Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Thursday holiday; another natural four-day weekend if you take the Friday. Banks + govt offices closed. |
October 2027
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 13 Oct | Navamindra Maharaj Day (King Bhumibol Memorial) Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Mid-week memorial holiday. Standard closures. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| Fri 15 Oct | Ok Phansa (end of Buddhist Lent) No alcohol salesProvisional
+ calendar |
Nationwide End of the rains retreat; alcohol-sales ban applies. Naga fireballs in Nong Khai and illuminated boat processions follow the same lunar date. |
| Sat 23 Oct | King Chulalongkorn Day Public holidayProvisional
+ calendar |
Nationwide Falls on a Saturday; Monday 25 October expected in lieu, pending confirmation. Banks + govt offices closed. |
November 2027
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 14 Nov | Loy Krathong FestivalProvisional
+ calendar |
Nationwide The twelfth full moon falls on Sunday 14 November in 2027. Chiang Mai's Yi Peng lanterns rise the same weekend. |
| 18-20 Nov | FestivalDates TBC |
Srinarong Stadium, Surin Third week of November as usual; exact days confirmed by the province. |
| Sun 28 Nov | Festival
+ calendar |
Prang Sam Yot, Lopburi Last Sunday of November. The monkeys have not yet declined an invitation. |
December 2027
| Date | Event | Where + what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 5 Dec | King Bhumibol's Birthday (Father's Day / National Day) Public holidayProvisional
+ calendar |
Nationwide Sunday in 2027; Monday 6 December expected as the substitute day off. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| Fri 10 Dec | Constitution Day Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Friday public holiday: a three-day weekend two weeks before Christmas. Banks + govt offices closed. |
| Fri 31 Dec | New Year's Eve Public holiday
+ calendar |
Nationwide Friday. Thailand rolls straight into a long weekend to open 2028. Banks + govt offices closed. |
Thailand holidays & festivals: quick answers
When is Songkran in 2027?
Songkran 2027 runs Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 April 2027 – the official public holidays. In practice the water fighting starts earlier and ends later: Chiang Mai usually continues to 16 April and Pattaya's Wan Lai celebrations run to around the 19th.
When is Loy Krathong in 2026 and 2027?
Loy Krathong falls on Tuesday 24 November 2026 and Sunday 14 November 2027, on the full moon of the twelfth Thai lunar month. Chiang Mai's Yi Peng lantern festival happens on the same dates – 24-25 November in 2026.
When is the next Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan?
Remaining 2026 Full Moon Party dates: 31 July, 28 August, 26 September, 27 October, 24 November, 24 December and the New Year's Eve countdown on 31 December. In 2026 parties are held on the actual full-moon night.
Can you buy alcohol on Buddhist holidays in Thailand?
Mostly no. On Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asahna Bucha, Khao Phansa and Ok Phansa, alcohol sales are banned nationwide – including in 7-Elevens, supermarkets and most bars and restaurants. Since a 2025 rule change there are exemptions: licensed hotels, international airport terminals, licensed entertainment venues and designated tourist zones may serve. Penalties for shops that break it run to six months in jail or a 10,000 baht fine.
What closes on Thai public holidays?
Banks, government offices and immigration offices close on public holidays (and on substitution days). Shopping malls, restaurants, 7-Elevens, tourist attractions and public transport run normally on almost all of them. The two quirks: on Labour Day (1 May) banks close but government offices stay open, and on Khao Phansa government offices close but banks stay open.
How many public holidays does Thailand have in 2027?
Expect around 17 national public holidays in 2027 plus several substitution days for holidays that land on weekends (Makha Bucha, Labour Day, Chulalongkorn Day and Father's Day all fall on weekends in 2027). The Cabinet publishes the final official list, usually late in the preceding year.
When is the Phuket Vegetarian Festival in 2026?
The Phuket Vegetarian Festival (Nine Emperor Gods Festival) runs 9-18 October 2026: the pole-raising ceremony on the evening of Friday 9 October, then nine days of processions and rituals from 10 to 18 October, following the ninth Chinese lunar month.
Sources: Royal Thai Government Gazette and Cabinet announcements, Bank of Thailand financial-institution holiday list, Tourism Authority of Thailand, and festival organisers (CAD Yi Peng, Wonderfruit, Full Moon Party organisers). Lunar dates follow the Thai lunisolar calendar and are confirmed officially each year.
Planning around these dates
A few practical notes from living with the Thai calendar rather than just reading it. Long holiday weekends – Songkran above all, but also the December cluster – are when the entire country travels at once: trains sell out weeks ahead, buses fill, and Bangkok’s bus terminals become an anthropology experiment. Book intercity transport early or travel a day either side. Immigration offices close on every public holiday and substitution day, which matters if you’re timing a DTV application or a visa extension – our visa checker covers what you need before you ever stand in that queue.
And if a festival on this list is the reason you’re coming, go to the province properly rather than day-tripping it: the Loei ghost festival, Yasothon’s rockets and Nong Khai’s naga fireballs all happen in provinces that deserve two or three days on their own, and all 77 of them have a guide on this site.