Escape to Thailand

Escape to Thailand

Holidays & Events

Public holidays in Thailand

Thailand has a well-defined public-holiday calendar, but some dates move when lunar observances or replacement days are involved. For practical planning, the Bank of Thailand holiday calendar is one of the cleanest official references for national holiday dates and bank closures.[1]

  • 1 January 2026: New Year’s Day
  • 2 January 2026: Additional special holiday for financial institutions[1]
  • 3 March 2026: Makha Bucha Day
  • 6 April 2026: Chakri Memorial Day
  • 13 to 15 April 2026: Songkran Festival public holidays
  • 1 May 2026: National Labour Day
  • 4 May 2026: Coronation Day
  • 31 May 2026: Visakha Bucha Day, with public substitution on 1 June 2026
  • 3 June 2026: H.M. Queen Suthida’s Birthday
  • 28 July 2026: H.M. the King’s Birthday
  • 29 July 2026: Asarnha Bucha Day
  • 30 July 2026: Buddhist Lent Day
  • 12 August 2026: H.M. Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother’s Birthday and Mother’s Day
  • 13 October 2026: King Bhumibol Memorial Day
  • 23 October 2026: King Chulalongkorn Memorial Day
  • 5 December 2026: Father’s Day and King Bhumibol’s Birthday
  • 10 December 2026: Constitution Day
  • 31 December 2026: New Year’s Eve holiday[1]

Festivals tourists tend to care about most

  • Songkran
    Dates: 11 to 15 April 2026, with the national public holidays on 13 to 15 April 2026.[2]
    Thailand’s best-known festival combines Thai New Year customs, temple visits, family gatherings, merit-making, and major public water celebrations.
  • Loy Krathong
    Date: 24 November 2026.[3]
    One of the country’s most visually memorable nights, centred on floating decorated krathongs as an act tied to gratitude, release, and renewal.
  • Yi Peng in Chiang Mai
    Expected dates: around 24 to 25 November 2026. Confirm final organiser timing before booking.[4]
    Yi Peng overlaps seasonally with Loy Krathong in the North and is especially associated with Chiang Mai because of the lantern tradition and the atmosphere across the city.
  • Phuket Vegetarian Festival
    Expected timing: October 2026. Confirm exact dates once the official schedule is published.[5]
    A highly ritualistic and visually dramatic event that reflects Phuket’s Chinese-Thai cultural roots and should be approached respectfully.
  • Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival
    Dates: 28 to 30 July 2026.[6]
    Held around the start of Buddhist Lent, this festival brings together religion, craft, parade culture, and regional identity in one of Thailand’s standout annual events.

Why this matters for visitors

Public holidays affect banks, government offices, transport patterns, and domestic travel demand. Festivals affect hotel pricing, crowd levels, road closures, and the mood of entire neighborhoods. If you are planning a research trip, retirement scouting visit, family relocation tour, or extended stay, these dates can either improve the trip dramatically or make logistics harder if you are not ready for them.

The best approach is simple: use the official holiday calendar for closures and use official tourism and event organisers for festival timing and city-specific planning.[1][2]

Sources