Songkran festival
In our opinion, a festival which you must see at least once in your lifetime.
Songkran is the Thai New Year’s festival.
Songkran is one of our favourite times of the year and one of the absolute best festivals in Thailand. Traditionally it’s a time of ritual washing both of Buddha statues and of one’s parents and other elders. That still exists, but it’s also become a massive water fight that in some places pretty much lasts for an entire week. It’s fueled by copious amounts of alcohol, and it’s unbelievably fun. It’s got a different vibe depending on where in the country you celebrate.
Bangkok
Bangkok gets insanely crowded, but it’s one of the best places to get your Songkran on.
Trat and Chanthaburi
The year after Bangkok, we decided to go local in Trat and Chanthaburi provinces in the East. We only saw a few other foreigners over all three days. Songkran is ridiculously fun, and anyone who can should experience it sometime.
Buriram
Each year the Buriram Songkran Carnival puts on a HUGE show with thousands of attendees, lots of alcohol, live music and motor racing. This is one of the best cities to celebrate Songkran with that ‘unseen’ factor.