Festivals in Thailand 2026: A Month-by-Month Guide to Dates, Places and What to See

Every major festival below, in calendar order. Lunar-calendar festivals shift each year, so the 2026 dates are the ones to plan around.

Songkran is Thailand’s New Year and its most famous festival, and in 2026 it runs from 13 to 15 April. What began as a gentle ritual, pouring scented water over Buddha images and the hands of elders for blessings, has grown into three days of open water warfare. Buckets, hoses and pump-action water guns come out on every street, and nobody is a bystander. Chiang Mai’s moat and Bangkok’s Silom and Khao San roads are the wildest fronts; smaller towns keep more of the temple-visiting, elder-honouring side alive.

If you only see one festival, this or Loi Krathong is the pick. April is peak heat, so getting drenched is a relief rather than a nuisance, but seal your phone and cash in a waterproof pouch before you step outside.

For a deeper look at how the day unfolds up north, see our guide to Songkran in Chiang Mai.

This is the festival that puts Thailand on so many bucket lists, and in 2026 it falls on 24 to 25 November, on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month. Two celebrations overlap. Loi Krathong is nationwide: people float small lotus-shaped baskets (krathong) carrying a candle, incense and a coin down rivers, canals and ponds to let go of the past year’s misfortune. Yi Peng is the northern, Lanna version in and around Chiang Mai, where thousands of paper sky lanterns (khom loi) are released at once and the night sky fills with drifting light.

Sukhothai’s old-city ponds host the most historic Loi Krathong, and Bangkok’s riverbanks and Chiang Mai’s Ping River are the other classic spots. One thing travellers often get wrong: releasing sky lanterns inside Chiang Mai city limits is illegal, for aviation safety and fire reasons. The legal mass releases happen at ticketed venues outside the city, which sell out early, so book the moment your dates are fixed.

Visiting in November anyway? Our Thailand in November guide covers the weather, beaches and what else is on that month.

Also called the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, this nine-day Taoist event turns Phuket’s Chinese shrines into a swirl of white robes, drums and smoke. In 2026 it runs from 10 to 18 October, with the Go Teng pole-raising ceremony opening it on 9 October. Devotees keep a strict vegetarian diet for purification, and the processions build to the festival’s notorious moments: firewalking across glowing coals, climbing bladed ladders, and mah song mediums piercing their cheeks in trance. It is intense and not for the squeamish, but it is one of Southeast Asia’s most extraordinary sights.

Wear white if you join the crowds at the shrines, arrive early for the morning street processions, and eat your way through the yellow-flagged vegetarian food stalls that pop up across the island.

Phi Ta Khon (Ghost Festival), Loei

In the small town of Dan Sai in Loei province, young men dress as playful spirits in towering, brightly painted masks with long carved noses and parade through the streets. It blends Buddhist merit-making with older animist belief, and the exact dates are set locally by village mediums each year, usually landing in June or early July 2026. It is one of Isan’s most photogenic and least touristy celebrations.

Boon Bang Fai (Rocket Festival), Yasothon

Isan villages build enormous home-made rockets and fire them skyward to nudge the gods into sending rain before the planting season. The biggest event is in Yasothon, usually the second weekend of May (around 9 to 10 May 2026), with parades, folk music, dancing and plenty of local rice whisky. Whoever’s rocket flies highest wins; whoever’s fizzles gets thrown in the mud.

Full Moon Party, Koh Phangan

On Haad Rin beach, up to 20,000 to 30,000 people gather on every full moon for what is fairly called the world’s biggest beach party. Fire ropes, buckets of drink, body paint and DJs run until sunrise. It happens year-round on the full-moon calendar, so it is easy to slot into almost any trip. Book your ferry and a room on Koh Phangan well ahead, because both fill up around party nights.

Surin Elephant Round-up

Surin province in Isan has a centuries-old bond with elephants, and its round-up (usually the third weekend of November, roughly 21 to 22 November 2026) gathers hundreds of them for parades, tug-of-war and re-enacted historical processions. Look for the more welfare-conscious daytime events if elephant welfare matters to you.

Lopburi Monkey Banquet

Lopburi, about 150 km north of Bangkok, throws an annual feast for the thousands of macaques that already run the town. On the last Sunday of November (around 29 November 2026), locals lay out tonnes of fruit, vegetables and sweets on long tables in front of the old Khmer temple. The monkeys demolish it while tourists watch. Keep a firm hold of your sunglasses and snacks.

Naga Fireballs, Nong Khai

On the Ok Phansa full moon, around 26 October 2026, glowing red balls of light rise silently out of the Mekong River near Nong Khai and vanish into the night sky. Locals attribute them to the Naga, a mythical river serpent; scientists still argue about the cause. Either way, crowds line a long stretch of the river to watch this genuinely strange spectacle.

Wonderfruit, Pattaya

Thailand’s answer to Glastonbury meets a design fair, Wonderfruit runs over several days in mid-December 2026 [EDIT: official dates are 3-7 December 2026 per wonderfruit.co] at The Fields at Siam Country Club near Pattaya. Expect a mix of Thai, Asian and Western music, large-scale art installations, wellness sessions and standout food from invited chefs. Most people camp on-site for the full effect.

Chinese New Year, Bangkok

Bangkok’s Chinatown around Yaowarat Road erupts for Chinese New Year, which in 2026 falls on 17 February. Dragon and lion dancers weave between red lanterns and firecrackers, and the food stalls run late into the night. Nakhon Sawan and Phuket also hold big celebrations.

Wing Kwai (Buffalo Racing), Chonburi

Just before Ok Phansa (in late October 2026), Chonburi holds its famous water-buffalo races: jockeys ride bareback down a short dirt track on animals that would much rather not run. Alongside the racing there are buffalo beauty contests and decorated-buffalo parades. It is pure, joyful local fun.

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day

Two royal birthdays double as national festivals. Mother’s Day (12 August 2026) marks the Queen Mother’s birthday, when Bangkok and towns nationwide light up in blue. Father’s Day (5 December 2026), the late King Bhumibol’s birthday and Thailand’s National Day, is marked with candlelight and yellow decorations.

Beyond the big spectacles, Thailand’s calendar is shaped by Buddhist holy days. They are quieter, but temples fill with candlelit processions and alcohol sales pause nationwide, which is worth knowing if a bar-free evening would catch you out. The 2026 dates below follow the lunar calendar.

The Candle Festival in Ubon Ratchathani is the one to build a trip around: to mark the start of Buddhist Lent, temples parade enormous, intricately carved beeswax sculptures through the city on 29 to 30 July 2026.

Not sure which one to time your visit for? Match the experience you want to the festival, the month and the place.

For visitors from India, the sweet spot is November: Loi Krathong and Yi Peng, cooler and drier weather, and calm seas if you tack on an island stretch. April (Songkran) is the other unmissable window, though it is hot and flights run pricey over the long weekend. October rewards the more adventurous with the Phuket Vegetarian Festival and the Naga fireballs.

Visa: 30 days, visa-free

Indian passport holders can enter Thailand visa-free for up to 30 days. There is no visa fee and no application to fill in. The one thing you must not skip is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC), the online arrival form every visitor files before flying; complete it in advance so you are not stuck at immigration.

Getting there

Direct flights from Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad reach Bangkok in roughly four to four and a half hours. For Yi Peng, take a short domestic hop or connecting flight from Bangkok on to Chiang Mai (about 70 minutes). Phuket also has direct and one-stop connections from several Indian metros.

Budget

As a rough guide, a five to six night festival trip from India works out to around Rs 55,000 to Rs 95,000 per person including flights, mid-range stays and daily spends, depending on the season and city. Festival dates (Songkran, Loi Krathong) push accommodation prices up, so booking early saves the most.

When you are ready to turn this into a plan, browse our Thailand tour packages, or read the wider Thailand travel guide for routes, stays and itineraries. If you want to pair a festival with the coast, our guide to the best islands in Thailand pairs perfectly with a November trip.

A simple sequence that works for any of the festivals above.

1. Pick your festival and lock the dates. Start from the month-by-month table and choose one headline festival (November’s Loi Krathong or April’s Songkran are the safest first picks).
2. Book flights early. Fly into Bangkok (about 4 hours from most Indian metros); add a Chiang Mai leg for Yi Peng. Prices climb close to festival dates.
3. File your TDAC and confirm visa-free entry. Indians get 30 days visa-free with no fee, but the online Thailand Digital Arrival Card is mandatory before you fly.
4. Reserve accommodation months ahead for the big dates. Chiang Mai over Yi Peng and beach towns over Songkran sell out first.
5. Buy festival tickets where needed. Lantern-release venues outside Chiang Mai and camping passes for Wonderfruit need booking in advance.
6. Pack for the festival. A waterproof pouch for Songkran, white clothes for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, and light layers for cool November evenings up north.

Thailand gives you a reason to visit in almost any month, but if you have to choose, November’s lanterns and April’s water fight are the two that live up to every photo. Fix your festival first, then build the trip around it, because the headline dates are exactly when rooms and tickets vanish.

When you are ready to go, our Thailand holiday packages can be customised around any festival date on this page, from a Songkran city break to a full Loi Krathong and islands loop.