Songkran festival
The next upcoming date is Tuesday, 13th April, 2027.
In our opinion, a festival which you must see at least once in your lifetime.
Songkran is the Thai New Year’s festival. It’s on 13-15 April every year (Tuesday to Thursday in 2027), and in December 2023 UNESCO added it to its list of intangible cultural heritage.
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. The most famous is Chiang Mai, where the moat around the old city becomes a warzone (it’s busiest around Tha Phae Gate).
Bangkok
Bangkok gets insanely crowded, but it’s one of the best places to get your Songkran on. The biggest street water fights are on Silom Road and Khao San Road. In 2026 Silom ran 12-14 April and Khao San 13-15 April. There’s also the Maha Songkran World Water Festival in Benjakitti Park, which ran 11-15 April in 2026 and was free.
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.