FESTIVALS OF THAILAND FOR 2026

The main tourist new year countdowns in Thailand is in Bangkok city. Two of the biggest crowd-draws are CentralwOrld Countdown being the most mainstream city-center countdown with a big stage, live concerts, and huge crowds. The other is ICONSIAM Countdown which is the most iconic riverside countdown for tourists  with a Chao Phraya river setting including fireworks and an exciting vibe.

The painted paper umbrellas and parasols have made Bo Sang in Chiang Mai province famous. There is the workshop at the rear of the umbrella shop where you can watch the process on how the artists create umbrellas and parasols from scratch and then paint them by hand. Other colorful craft items are also made here. The Bo Sang Umbrella and San Kamphaeng Handicrafts Festival is one of Chiang Mai’s best-known festivals and well worth you visiting. You can visit the sales shop and workshop at any time during the year.

During the festival, the village and nearby roads become a showcase for northern Thai craftsmanship. You will find stalls and displays featuring umbrellas, lacquerware, silk, woodwork, and other handmade products. Sometimes there are artisan demonstrations, decorative street displays, and performances that give the event a lively community atmosphere.

If you go, it’s worth arriving early to enjoy the craft areas before peak crowds and to combine the visit with other San Kamphaeng attractions in the same part of Chiang Mai.

Red lotus blossoms float in a fresh water lake called the 'Red Lotus Sea' and locally known as 'Talay Bua Daeng'.
Take a tour guide covered pontoon boat ride out into the lake from Ban Diam Pier at Nong Han Kumphawapi. Best time to view the blooming water lillies is in the early morning before the afternoon heat.
The season runs from the beginning of December the year befor and is open until the end of February the following year, but the best time to see the full bloom is in January.

Red Lotus Lake is located south east of Udon Thani city.
Drive about 50 km (31 miles) which takes approximately one hour from the Udon Thani Airport.

Every year as Chiang Mai’s cool season peaks, the city bursts into color for the Chiang Mai Flower Festival. This three day celebration usually takes place on the first or second weekend of February. The heart of it all is Suan Buak Haad Park next to the moat (see the Chiang Mai Old City map), where you will discover landscaped “mini gardens,” floral arches, and competition displays.

As you can see in the photo, the "not to miss" event is the grand flower parade, when enormous floats covered in fresh blooms roll through town alongside marching bands, performers, and Lanna-style dance groups. The classic route starts near Nawarat Bridge, passes Tha Phae Gate, then loops by the moat before finishing at Suan Buak Haad Park The floats are often parked afterward so you can admire the details up close and take photos.

What you’ll love about this festival is how it feels both like a major event and a truly authentic local celebration.

Chinese New Year is celebrated across Thailand, especially in areas with large Thai-Chinese communities. The best-known celebrations are in Bangkok’s Chinatown on Yaowarat Road. This is where you will experience the biggest street atmosphere. Yaowarat in Bangkok is the one most people go to.

Other major places in Thailand that regularly host celebrations include Hat Yai in Songkhla Province, Nakhon Sawan, Suphan Buri, Phuket Old Town in Phuket city, and Chiang Mai which is a more local and family orientated festival with a temple based focus.

Pattaya’s beachfront gets a playful makeover each year when the Pattaya International KITE on the Beach Festival begins, turning an ordinary seaside beach into an amazing colorful sky show. Event dates can change so always check closer to the advertised time. For 2026, it runs from the 25th of February to the 1st of March along Pattaya Beach, right in front of Central Pattaya Shopping Center.

What makes it special is the scale of the festival. You will see giant character and inflatable kites drifting overhead, flown by teams from multiple countries, stretching across about a one kilometre run of shoreline. The official concept is framed as a “Sky Parade of Happiness,” with a colourful parade in the air. You will have constant photo moments as different designs take turns in stealing the spotlight.

If you’re planning your visit, check the wind and weather for the day beforehand. The public flying window is typically around noon to 6pm daily , so pack water, sun protection, and a bit of patience for the perfect photo shot.

The 2026 Singha Park International Balloon Fiesta is one of Northern Thailand’s standout February events, held at Singha Park Chiang Rai around Valentine’s week.
It’s a large hot air balloon festival with an international lineup of pilots and includes the popular Balloon Magic Night Glow evening show. The fiesta includes balloon competitions, live concerts, and cultural performances.
This is an ideal festival for both families and couples visiting Chiang Rai in February.

This years Pattaya Music Festival for 2026 is a month long event that is held every Friday and Saturday during March held across various Pattaya locations. This free festival features top Thai artists and genres from rock to pop.

Songkran is the Thai New Year which lands in mid-April, but with many cities stretching the fun beyond the official dates. This festival is equal parts tradition and total mayhem in a fun way.

Start early if you want to experience the traditional side of Songkran with temple visits, merit-making, and gentle water blessings. You’ll see local families carefully rinsing Buddha images and offering perfumed water to elders in a respectful ritual that’s all about cleansing the old year away and stepping into the new one.

By the afternoon, Songkran becomes a friendly, city-wide water ambush on the streets with super soakers, water buckets, and spontaneous splash zones popping up everywhere as locals and travelers join in the fun. Often, the locals set up large tubs of ice cold water to thow over the tourists, which makes it a welcome relief from the heat. The larger tourist destinations usually organize stages, music, and festival zones.

Small neighborhoods and towns that are not the usual tourist destinations hold a more traditional event with dance parades as well as water throwing, but in a respectful way.

Pack a waterproof pouch, keep your valuables sealed, play with good manners and keep it lighthearted.

Every May, just as the dry season ends, the Yasothon Rocket Festival begins. Better known as Bun Bang Fai, this classic Thai folk festival which is rooted in older fertility and rainmaking traditions launches rockets to remind Phaya Thaen, the local rain deity, that the rice fields are ready for the wet season.

Friday warms up with folk music and dance, then Saturday brings the big street parade of towering decorated rockets. There are also dancers, drummers, and performances as the procession moves through the town. The festival action is centered around Chaeng Sanit Road in front of the city hall area, with festivities continuing around to Phaya Thaen Public Park.

Sunday is launch day with teams competing as rockets roar into the sky from the launch area near Phaya Thaen Park. Always follow safety barriers and staff directions. This is a spectacular pyrotechnics event, so expect some serious noise and excitement.

The Phi Ta Khon Ghost Festival at Dan Sai in Loei Province is steeped in local folklore fantasy. This amazing delebration is part of the bigger Bun Luang merit-making celebration which runs for three days on dates chosen each year by local spirit mediums, usually sometime between March and July.

Masked “ghosts” pour into the streets in loud colors, ringing bells, dancing, and entertaining the crowd with an energetic theatrical performance. The masks are handmade from natural materials and topped with woven sticky-rice steaming baskets, then painted with scary, intricate faces that look playful yet fierce at the same time. Behind the costumes sits a legend tied to the Vessantara Jataka, where a celebration was said to be so noisy it “woke the dead,” giving the festival its ghostly identity.

Over the three days, festivities revolve around Wat Phon Chai temple with rituals, parades, performances, and community contests. You can watch the town go from spiritual ceremony to street party and back again. One day highlights the big masked procession while another celebrates classic Isan-style fun, including a rocket festival.

The final day brings everyone back to the temple atmosphere to listen to the monks’ teachings and everyone completes the merit-making side of the celebration. Please dress respectfully whenever entering temple grounds and inside temples. Dress modestly, covering shoulders, chest and below the knees.

At the end of every July, Ubon Ratchathani puts on Thailand’s “welcome to Buddhist Lent” celebration called the Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival. Timed around Asalha Puja and Khao Phansa which is the start of the rains retreat, it begins with offering candles to temples so monks had light during the season. This celebration then evolved into a magnificent showcase of faith and craftsmanship.

The main attraction is the parade of giant ornately carved wax candles looking more like floating temples. Local temples and communities create competing masterpieces, often sculpting dramatic scenes from Buddhist and Hindu mythology. They are built up using wood and plaster and finished with wax, then mounted on huge floats with dancers and musicians in traditional dress.

After the parade, make your way to Thung Si Mueang which is the city park where the candles are typically gathered, and displayed.

The Royal Barge Procession is a major royal and religious waterborne ceremony on the Chao Phraya River. It is not an annual event and only held on auspicious occasions, so best to go this year or you may be waiting years for next time.
The river procession has traditionally had 52 royal barges arranged in five formations with 2,200 Royal Thai Navy oarsmen. The 4km (aprox.) route starts at Wasukri Pier and concludes at Wat Arun and can be watched from both banks of the Chao Phraya River.

Free Public Viewing Areas usually include Santi Chai Prakan Park, Rama VIII Bridge on the Thonburi side, the huge Luang Rama VIII Park, Siriraj Hospital Health Park and Sathan Phimuk Garden on the Thonburi side, and designated public Piers including Tha Chang, Tha Tien, and Wat Pho Pier, which often have grandstands or open viewing.

For reserved and private viewing options you can typically reserve seating at piers such as Tha Wang Lang, Tha Phra Chan, and Tha Maharaj.
While the river is closed to regular traffic during the event, some operators offer specialized viewing packages from stationary boats.
Riverside Restaurants such as The Deck, Rongros, and Supanniga Eating Room at Tha Tien offer prime views of the barges passing Wat Arun. Reservations for these spots are essential and often sell out months in advance.

You are strongly advised to wear yellow clothing, the color associated with the King, and avoid black, red, or dark-colored clothing, as well as wearing sun protection.
There can be security checkpoints at entries to viewing areas, so best to carry your passport.
The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) typically provides free shuttle buses to the designated viewing areas on the day of the event.

Each year around Wan Ok Phansa which is the full-moon night marking the end of Buddhist Lent, and usually held in October on the banks of the Mekong River in Nong Khai Province, the Bang Fai Phaya Nak begins. This is the mysterious Naga Fireball Festival where people come to see this spectacle which is described as reddish glowing balls rising from the river and shooting upward before fading out.

Other entertainment is also on show, you can expect to see boat racing, cultural and music performances, fireworks, rockets, and fireboats.

The main viewing action is typically centered near Phon Phisai District, where people line the riverbank for kilometers, arriving well before sunset with mats, snacks, and cameras. Many locals attribute the lights to the Phaya Nak (Nāga), the mythical serpent of the Mekong.

Phuket city is where travelers from around the world descend for the Vegetarian Festival. You will see amazing ceremonies, processions, and fire-walking rituals.

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is also called the Nine Emperor Gods Festival or Kin Jay. It is held in the ninth lunar month which usually occurs in late September and into October. This festival runs for nine days, with the aim of gaining purification. People dress in white, head to Chinese shrines, and keep themselves “clean” in body and mind while honoring the Nine Emperor Gods.

Look for the bright Jay (เจ) flags outside shops and stalls which tells you the food is festival compliant.

Around key shrines including Jui Tui Shrine which is often mentioned as a focal point, you’ll see incense, chanting, and rituals being performed. Spirit mediums known as ma song are believed to enter trance states and perform dramatic acts of devotion, including body piercing and other intense rituals, as they parade through the streets in an atmosphere that’s both reverent and electrifying.

If you’re sensitive to the sight of blood or do not like being around huge crowds, then pick your viewing spot carefully, and keep a respectful distance because this is a sacred event.

This is also a nationwide event throughout Thailand and dates can vary between locations, so check local festival times prior to traveling.

Every November in Surin, located in Thailand’s Isan northeast region, the annual Surin Elephant Round-Up cultural festival is held. This event is typically held on the third weekend of the month. You will see parades, markets, and an amazing stadium show, with major events centered at the Surin Elephant Showground at Sri Narong Stadium.
Elephants and mahouts take part in the city procession, and there’s a famous elephant buffet breakfast tradition where long tables are piled high with fruit and vegetables for the herds to feast on.

Inside the showground, the program typically leans into spectacle of strength displays like tug-of-war, playful “sports” demonstrations, and themed cultural performances that highlight Surin’s long history with elephant handling and training, especially among the local Kuy people.

Plan for an early start on the biggest days, bring sun protection, and treat it as a whole-town festival rather than a single show, then settle in for the main performance. Event schedules and exact locations can vary by year with some spreading activities across multiple venues and days. Check the official listing before you lock in your travel plans.

The Yi Peng festival is held in Northern Thailand, and it’s most famously celebrated in Chiang Mai. The biggest Yi Peng celebrations are closely associated with Chiang Mai, especially around the city’s temples and areas near the Ping River. It’s a Lanna festival of lights rooted in Theravada Buddhist tradition, typically held over about three days and culminating around the full moon of the Lanna lunar calendar which often falls in November.

The iconic moment is the release of khom loi sky lanterns. These paper lanterns lifted by heat, are set free as a symbolic “letting go” of misfortune and sending wishes upward. Around the same time, Chiang Mai also celebrates Loy Krathong, so you’ll often get the best of both worlds with lanterns drifting overhead while decorated floating krathongs offerings glow on rivers and canals.

Yi Peng is also about merit-making, temple visits, and the gentle magic of lantern-lit neighborhoods. Do keep an eye on local rules where authorities have tightened regulations in recent years because of fire risk, waste, and aviation safety, with releases restricted to certain areas and materials encouraged to be biodegradable.

This famous festival is also celebrated in other northern provinces, including Lamphun, Lampang, and Chiang Rai.

Loy Krathong is the night Thailand’s waterways turn into a river of flickering stars made up of candlelit Krathongs drifting across rivers, canals, and lakes. The festival is held on the full moon of the 12th month in the Thai lunar calendar, which usually falls in November, so the exact date changes each year.

The Krathong is a small floating offering which is traditionally made from banana stalk and folded leaves, decorated with flowers, a candle, and incense.

You can participate in this ritual by carring a krathong, pause at the water’s edge, and set it afloat with a wish. Many people do it to express gratitude to Mae Khongkha, the water goddess, and symbolically “float away” bad luck, stress, or anything they’re ready to leave behind.

The vibe is part spiritual, part festival magic, especially in the north where Loy Krathong often overlaps with Yi Peng. When you buy a locally made Krathong, choose one that is biodegradable krathongs (banana-leaf or bread styles are common) and skip polluting materials—some places actively restrict things like foam because of the environmental impact.

In late November, the old Khmer-style ruins of Phra Prang Sam Yot in Lopburi holds the Lopburi Monkey Buffet Festival. This is where the guests of honor are the town’s macaques. The event is typically held on the last Sunday of November, and it’s designed as a playful appreciation to the monkeys that helped put Lopburi on the tourist map.

It's a chaotic scene as macaques feed from the long tables of piled up fruit and vegetables that are arranged into bright, over-the-top displays right beside the temple ruins. The festival is commonly traced back to 1989, started by a local hotel owner as a tourism friendly celebration of Lopburi’s famous monkey residents.

Lopburi’s monkey to human relationship has become more complicated in recent years, with reports of growing numbers and aggressive behavior leading to government capture and sterilization plans and other management efforts. Enjoy the spectacle, but keep any of your snacks and shiny objects hidden away else you may become a target. Don’t try to touch or feed monkeys outside permitted areas, and give them some space because this is their neighborhood, you’re just visiting for the party.

Tomorrowland is officially landing in Thailand in 2026, bringing its big “storybook” festival universe to Wisdom Valley in Chonburi province near Pattaya. It’s being framed as a brand new chapter for the “People of Tomorrow”, the same larger-than-life production style Tomorrowland is known for, but dropped into a warm, tropical setting that’s a very different vibe from the Belgium fields.

What makes the Thailand version especially attractive is the promise of a purpose built site and a festival layout designed for spectacle. Wisdom Valley is being promoted as a 560 acre venue comprising of six stages, including the legendary Mainstage, plus CORE and FREEDOM. It is envisioned to have a target crowd of 50,000+ people per day across the three days.

The big difference is that there’s no DreamVille camping in Thailand, so the festival experience relies on local hotel accommodation and shuttle busses instead. Pre-registration is required for access to sales, with the official schedule listing Hotel Package Sales on February 28th 2026, followed by the WorldWide Ticket Sale on March 7th 2026 with multi-day and single-day passes available.