There are countless festivals and special events held in Thailand throughout the year. Some of these are celebrated nationwide (e.g. Songkran and Loy Krathong) whilst other festivals are specific to particular cities or provinces. With a number of Thai festivals and Buddhist holidays, the exact date varies each year because it depends on the lunar calendar and the night of the full moon. Listed below are some of the best-known annual Thai festivals and special events. The dates listed here are not public holidays in Thailand unless stated. Please note that dates of local festivals may be liable to change while others are still waiting for dates to be confirmed.
Public holidays in Thailand, 2025
January
- New Year’s Day (public holiday): 1 January
- Children’s Day: second Saturday in January (11 January 2025)
- Bo Sang Umbrella and Sankhampaeng Handicrafts Festival, Chiang Mai: usually held on the third weekend in January (16-18 January 2025)
- Chinese Lunar New Year: date falls in January/February. Celebrated in many areas of Thailand, but particularly in the Chinatown districts of Bangkok and Chiang Mai as well as Phuket and Trang (29 January 2025 – Year of the Snake)
February
- Chiang Mai Flower Festival: held on the first full weekend in February (7-9 February 2025)
- Makha Bucha Day (public holiday): date falls in February/March (12 February 2025)
- Valentine’s Day: 14 February
- Trang Underwater Wedding: Valentine’s Day. Events in Trang Town and Ko Kradan (13-15 February)
- Burapa Bike Week, Pattaya: mid-February. Regarded as the biggest gathering of motorbike enthusiasts in South-east Asia.
- Phuket International Blues Rock Festival: mid/late February
March
- National Thai Elephant Day: 13 March
- National Muay Thai Day: 17 March. Ayutthaya hosts the Martial Arts Festival and Wai Khru Ceremony and smaller events and ceremonies are held at various Thai boxing gyms and venues in Thailand
April
- Poy Sang Long Festival: various locations around north Thailand, particularly in Mae Hong Son (late March/early April)
- Chakri Day (public holiday): 6 April
- Songkran Thai New Year Water Festival (public holiday): 13-15 April
- Wan Lai Festival: mid-April at locations in Chonburi province including Pattaya
May
- Labour Day (public holiday): 1 May
- Coronation Day (public holiday): 4 May
- Royal Ploughing Ceremony, Bangkok: date usually falls in May (9 May 2025)
- Visakha Bucha Day (public holiday): date falls in May/June (11 May 2025)
- Rocket Festivals, Isaan: mid/late May. Various local events in areas of north-east Thailand with the most famous being the the ‘Bun Bang Fai Rocket Festival’ at Yasothon
- Hua Hin Jazz Festival: usually held in May/June
- Chiang Mai Inthakin City Pillar Festival: date usually falls in May
- Ko Samui Yacht Regatta: held in May/June
June
- Birthday of HM Queen Suthida (public holiday): 3 June
- Phi Ta Khon Ghost Festival, Dan Sai, Loei: (2025 date tbc)
July
- Asahna Bucha Day (public holiday): date usually falls in July/early-August (10 July 2025)
- Khao Phansa: falls on the day after Asahna Bucha (11 July 2025)
- Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival: held during July and associated with Asahna Bucha and Buddhist Lent (9-11 July 2025)
- Birthday of HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) (public holiday): 28 July
August
- HM Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother’s Birthday (public holiday): 12 August. Also celebrated as Mother’s Day.
- Por Tor Hungry Ghost Festival, Phuket: held August/September (2025 date tbc)
September
- Mahidol Day: 24 September. In remembrance of Prince Mahidol who is honoured as the father of modern Thai medicine and who was the grandfather of HM King Rama X.
- Thai National Flag Day: 28 September
October
- HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej Memorial Day (public holiday): 13 October. Commemorating the passing of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX)
- Awk Phansa: Marks the end of ‘Buddhist Lent’. Usually falls in October (7 October 2025)
- Buffalo Racing Festival, Chonburi: held in October/November
- Chulalongkorn Day (public holiday): 23 October
- Naga Fireballs, Nong Khai
- Vegetarian Festival: usually takes place in September/October. Celebrated at various locations in Thailand including Phuket, Trang, Krabi, Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
Phuket Vegetarian Festival: (2025 date tbc)
November
- Loy Krathong: (5 November 2025)
- Yi Peng Lantern Festival, Chiang Mai: held to coincide with Loy Krathong (4-6 November 2025)
- Monkey Banquet Festival, Lopburi: usually held on last Sunday in November
December
- King Bhumibol Birthday Commemoration Day (public holiday): 5 December. The day on which HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej was born is also celebrated as Father’s Day and National Day.
- Constitution Day (public holiday): 10 December
- Concert in the Park, Bangkok: Outdoor concert season begins in Bangkok. Hosted at Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park (previously at Lumphini Park). Free entertainment courtesy of the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra. Concerts on most Sundays from mid-December through to the end of February.
- New Year’s Eve: (public holiday if it falls on a weekday) 31 December. New Year Countdown events held at various locations in Thailand including Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Pattaya.