Here are the wildest festivals in Thailand: 20 festive traditions you can't miss – from Songkran to Loy Krathong is written by The editorial staff, RejsRejsRejs in cooperation with Tourism of Thailand.
Festivals in Thailand provide unforgettable experiences
Festivals in Thailand are festive, colorful, silly, wet and occasionally wild, noisy and bloody.
The Thais are happy to celebrate life and at the same time keep their traditions alive, and in the fantastic travel country Thailand There are therefore also unique festivals all year round where you can experience the many traditions in Thailand.
If you've only tried to experience a Thai festival, where you can feel the locals' enthusiasm and dedication to tradition, you'll want more, so here are our picks for 20 festivals in Thailandthat you shouldn't miss - all year round.
Chinese New Year: One of Thailand's Colorful Festivals
When Chinese New Year falls at the beginning of the year, Thailand transforms into a sea of red and gold.
In Bangkok, and especially in lively Chinatown around Yaowarat Road, the streets are filled with dragon and lion dances, colorful parades and the smell of freshly prepared street food.
The drums are pounding, the lanterns are lit, and people in red are wishing each other luck with a “Gong Xi Fa Cai.” The atmosphere is electric, and even the smallest side streets vibrate with energy and good cheer. It’s quite cheerful.
The festivities also extend far beyond the capital. In Phuket, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Sawan and Koh Samui, local Chinese temples are buzzing with life.
Here, Thai hospitality blends with Chinese traditions in a unique cultural celebration. It is a time of joy, family and new beginnings – and an adventure for any traveler who wants to experience Thailand at its most colorful and festive.
The Chinese New Year does not have a fixed start date, but is in January or FebruaryPlease note that hotels at this time may be particularly full in places where Chinese New Year is celebrated in Thailand.
The Chiang Mai Flower Festival is one of the beautiful traditions in Thailand.
I have experienced Chiang Mai Flower Festival up close, and it's one of those events that really sticks in your mind.
At the beginning of February, the city transforms. Here it is not with noise and glitter like for Chinese New Year, but with colors, scents and a quiet joy that spreads through the streets of the cozy, traditional city.
Everywhere there is the scent of roses and chrysanthemums, and even the air feels milder, as if nature itself is joining in the party.
In Suan Buak Haad Park, you walk between flower stalls and small local exhibitions, where people show their passion for plants and gardening. There is something down-to-earth and genuine about it all – the smiles, the craftsmanship and the calmness that characterizes the northern Thais.
On Saturday morning, everyone gathers along the main street as the lavish flower carts move through the city like fragrant works of art.
Young women sit on flower-adorned floats and wave to the crowd – they are competing to be this year’s ‘Flower Queen’. And as music plays softly in the background, you can see why Chiang Mai is called the “Rose of the North”, because at this Chiang Mai flower festival in February, both the city and the people are in bloom.
The Chiang Mai Flower Festival often takes place during the first weekend of February, and it is undoubtedly one of the beautiful traditions in Thailand that you must experience.
Songkran: Thailand's Wet New Year in April
I experienced Songkran in Khon Kaen and Bai Phan in eastern Isan, and I don't think I've ever been so soaked in my life. Songkran, also sometimes spelled Song Kran, is Thailand's New Year and the country's biggest festival.
However, it is first and foremost a folk festival, where everyone participates – from small children to elderly grandparents. Many stand on the main streets or are ready on the back of a pickup truck or scooter, armed with buckets and water guns, and no one goes unpunished.
The tradition dates back to the 13th century, when water was poured over Buddha figures to wash away the sins of the past and start anew.
Today it is still a time for looking forward to the new, but also for laughter, water fights and fellowship. On the streets of Khon Kaen you are greeted by music, laughter and a twinkle in the eye from everyone who is ready with a bucket of water to bless you with a cooling touch.
Amidst all the chaos, Songkran is still a religious holiday, and at the city's temples you can feel the calm and respect that lies behind the celebration.
Do as the locals do: wear a colorful floral shirt, protect your eyes with sunglasses or the goggles sold everywhere, and leave your cell phone and nice shoes at home. You won't be allowed to stay dry anyway.
Remember to come out and visit some of the temples during those days, because there is lots of music and partying.
You can experience Songkran all over Thailand, including central Bangkok, where it can get quite wet and wild. Therefore, it is also recommended to go to another city if you really want to experience how the locals celebrate.
The UNESCO-recognized Songkran festival is underway April 13-16.
Phuket's Autumn Vegetarian Festival is Not for the Faint: Thailand's Unusual Traditions
When Phuket's Vegetarian Festival kicks off, there's no doubt – you're in the middle of something truly extraordinary.
The island explodes in smoke, drums, colors and rituals, and the atmosphere is electric from day one. The festival takes place for nine days in the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, typically in September or October, and combines religion with a very special kind of drama.
Although the festival is about purification and vegetarian living, it is the ecstatic ceremonies that bring people together. Participants enter a trance and perform extreme rituals: they walk on hot coals, and many pierce their cheeks and faces with spears, swords and everything else. It can be bloody and violent, but it is also a way to show faith, endurance and spirituality.
I Phuket There is also a more peaceful side to the festival. The food stalls are full of vegetarian dishes in every imaginable variety – from crispy tofu dishes to fragrant curries and freshly squeezed juices.
The festival is also celebrated in Krabi and other cities, but it is in Phuket that you experience the full range: from bloody ecstasy to quiet contemplation and everything in between.
Loy Krathong, the festival of lights in historic Sukhothai in Thailand
You must experience Loy Krathong – the festival of lights – in beautiful and historic Sukhothai, where traditions and atmosphere go hand in hand.
Every year in November, during the full moon of the twelfth month of the Thai lunar calendar, thousands of people gather to launch small wicker boats called krathong out onto the water as a symbol of letting go of the old and starting over.
The songs of the Goddess of Water, Mae Khong Kha, are heard from loudspeakers and crowds, while the small lights drift on lakes and rivers. It is unusually atmospheric.
Sukhothai is the birthplace of Loy Krathong, and here the festival is celebrated with an impressive show in the historical park.
Light, sound, dance and fireworks form a backdrop around the city's ancient temples, lit by candles and lanterns. It is a festival where Thailand's history and present come together in the most beautiful way.
The festival is for everyone – families, locals and tourists – and in many places you can try making your own. krathong of banana leaves and flowers, as is tradition.
Accommodation can be a challenge, as Sukhothai quickly sells out in the days leading up to the festival. But if you plan well in advance, you'll get an authentic and atmospheric experience that shows Thailand at its most traditional.
Thailand's fascinating festivals and traditions
Thailand is truly a country where the calendar is filled with festivals and traditions. Between the big events of Chinese New Year, the Chiang Mai Flower Festival, Songkran, Phuket's Vegetarian Festival and Loy Krathong, you'll find a wide range of other unique experiences spread throughout the year.
Each region has its own distinctive characteristics, and together they provide a vivid picture of a country where joy, faith and community are celebrated in the streets, in the temples and in the parks throughout the country.
As early as January, northern Thais celebrate the Bo Sang Umbrella Festival near Chiang Mai in the north. It's a colorful tradition where the village of Bo Sang celebrates its crafts with hand-painted umbrellas, music and local markets.
February marks Makha Bucha Day, one of Thailand's most important religious traditions, where people make pilgrimages to temples to commemorate the Buddha's teachings with lighting ceremonies at sunset. An exceptionally beautiful tradition in Thailand.
As the rainy season approaches in May, Bun Bang Fai, also known as the Rocket Festival, is celebrated in the eastern Isan region, one of the liveliest and most boisterous festivals in Thailand. Here, villagers launch homemade rockets into the sky to bring rain.
The summer months also feature two significant Buddhist traditions: Asanha Bucha and Khao Phansa, which mark the beginning of the three-month period during the rainy season when monks are required to stay in a specific location. It is a time when temples are filled with light, meditation and silence.
In July and August, Thailand once again shows its love of celebration and faith. During Phi Ta Khon, also known as the Ghost Festival, in the northeastern Dan Sai, locals dress up in colorful masks in a mix of fun, dance, and spiritual symbolism.
In Ubon Ratchathani, in the far east, the impressive Candle Festival is celebrated, where large wax figures are carried through the streets in a procession that is both religious and artistic. August is also the month of the Queen's Birthday, which is celebrated throughout the country with parades and lights - a national tradition that is also Thailand's Mother's Day.
Autumn brings several major festivals in Thailand. In October, the skies light up during the Bang Fai Phaya Naga Festival, where mysterious fireballs rise from the Mekong River in the east, a natural phenomenon that has given rise to many local legends.
At the same time, Ok Phansa, the end of Buddhist Lent, is marked with light processions and boat festivals in Nakhon Phanom, also located in eastern Thailand.
In November, Chiang Mai celebrates the Yi Peng Lantern Festival, where thousands of lanterns are released into the air, and Surin to the east hosts the spectacular Elephant Round-Up, a celebration of the historical importance of elephants in Thailand. In the same month, the city's monkeys are pampered during the festive Lopburi Monkey Festival, where long tables are set with fruit and rice for the animals of central Thailand.
The year ends with King Bhumibol Memorial Day on December 5, when the entire country commemorates the legacy of the beloved king, followed by New Year, which is celebrated with fireworks, music and street parties throughout Thailand – from Bangkoks roof bars for the islands in the south.
The many festivals and traditions in Thailand showcase a country where religion, nature, music and joie de vivre all come together. No matter when you travel, you'll almost always be able to join in a celebration and experience how festivals in Thailand tie the past and present together with a smile.
Good trip to your next festival you are always lovely Thailand, where traditions are alive and well. Whether you're more into the cheerful Thai New Year Songkran or rockets and flowers, there's something for everyone here - all year round.
20 Amazing Festivals in Thailand Where You Can Experience the Beautiful Traditions of the Country
- Bo Sang Umbrella Festival – colorful parasol festival near Chiang Mai in January
- Chinese New Year – celebrated across the country in January or February
- Chiang Mai Flower Festival – flower parades and exhibitions in February
- Makha Bucha Day – Buddhist lighting ceremony in February
- Songkran – the Thai New Year with water fun in April
- Bun Bang Fai (Rocket Festival) – rocket festival in Isan in May
- Asanha Bucha Day – Buddhist holiday in July
- Khao Phansa – the start of the monks' rainy season in July
- Phi Ta Khon (Ghost Festival) – colorful masked festival in July
- Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival – wax procession in July
- The Queen's Birthday and Mother's Day – celebrated in August
- Phuket Vegetarian Festival – nine-day purification festival in September or October
- Bang Fai Phaya Naga Festival – fireballs over the Mekong in October
- Ok Phansa – the end of monks' fasting in October
- Loy Krathong – lights and small boats on the water in November
- Yi Peng Lantern Festival – lanterns are sent into the sky in November
- Surin Elephant Round-Up – elephant shows in November
- Lopburi Monkey Festival – monkeys celebrated with fruit in November
- King Bhumibol Memorial Day – commemoration day for the king in December
- New Year – fireworks and parties all over Thailand in December
Did you know: Here are editor Anna's 7 favorite islands in Thailand
7: Koh Mai Thon south of Phuket
6: Koh Lao Lading at Krabi
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