When is Songkran 2027?
Songkran 2027 runs from Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 April 2027. All three days are national public holidays on the Bank of Thailand's official 2027 holiday notice.
Banks and government offices close for the three days. Chakri Day, another holiday, falls a week earlier on Tuesday 6 April 2027. No Cabinet decision on extra bridge days for 2027 has been published yet. See our Thailand public holidays 2027 page for the full list.
Some cities hold their water festivals on other days. In 2026, Pattaya's Wan Lai ran from 17 to 19 April. Hat Yai's Midnight Songkran ran from 10 to 13 April, and Phra Pradaeng's from 24 to 26 April. Each city announces its 2027 dates shortly before the festival, and we add them here.
Two ticketed parties sit around the holidays. The SIAM Songkran Music Festival runs from 10 to 13 April 2027 at Bravo BKK. S2O Bangkok has not announced 2027 dates; in 2026 it ran from 11 to 13 April.
Our call: arrive by 11 April and stay until at least 16 April. Airports are busiest on the days just before and after the holidays. Inside the three days, Bangkok's roads are often quieter than usual, because many residents go home.
What is Songkran, and why do people throw water?
Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year. The name comes from Sanskrit and means the sun passing into Aries, the first sign of the zodiac. Water stands for cleansing and blessing for the year ahead.
The heart of Songkran is family. People clean their homes, give food to monks at dawn and visit the temple. They build small sand stupas in the temple grounds and bathe Buddha images with scented water.
The most moving custom is rod nam dam hua. Younger family members pour a little jasmine water over the hands of their parents and grandparents. The elders answer with wishes for health and luck.
The street water fight is the modern, playful form of the same blessing, helped by April's heat. The greeting you hear everywhere is sawasdee pi mai, which means happy new year.
UNESCO added Songkran in Thailand to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2023. The listing honours its family, temple and community customs.
The classic Songkran dish is khao chae: rice in cool, jasmine-scented water with small, rich side dishes. It began as a summer dish of the royal court. Try it at a Thai fine-dining room in Bangkok; see our royal Thai cuisine guide.
Where is the best place to celebrate Songkran?
Chiang Mai has the most traditional big festival, around the Old City moat. Bangkok has the largest street parties. Phuket and Pattaya give you water fights plus a beach. Here is how each one compares.
- Bangkok, Silom: the biggest street party, under the skytrain · best mid-afternoon on 13 April · one hour is enough
- Bangkok, Khao San and the old town: a young party crowd near the Grand Palace · late afternoon · lively, not a luxury setting
- Bangkok, the riverside: temple blessings and calm hotel terraces · morning and sunset · our pick for a first Songkran
- Chiang Mai, the Old City moat: buckets filled straight from the moat, plus temple parades · 13 to 15 April · the most traditional
- Phuket, Patong: beach-road water fights near Bangla Road · afternoons · easy to step out to a villa or a boat
- Pattaya, Wan Lai: the Beach Road water party after the holidays · dates set by the city · 17 to 19 April in 2026
- Koh Samui: small water fights in Chaweng and quiet resorts on the other coasts · any day · the calm island choice
- Phra Pradaeng: the Mon community's parades just south of Bangkok · a week after Songkran · culture rather than party
Not sure which one suits your group? Our Thailand in April guide compares the weather and the crowds by region.
Songkran in Bangkok
Bangkok gives you every kind of Songkran in one city: street parties, temple blessings and calm river hotels. At three in the afternoon on Silom, the skytrain runs overhead and the whole road below is one water fight.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration sets the official water-play zones each year. In 2026, its water-play events ended at 22:00 and were alcohol-free. High-pressure water guns were banned, and smearing powder on strangers carried a fine. The city publishes the 2027 rules shortly before the festival, and we send them to you before you arrive.
Stay above the water fight. Mandarin Oriental, The Peninsula and Capella sit on the river, with pools and quiet terraces. Rosewood Bangkok is close to the street parties but calm inside. See our riverside hotels guide and where to stay in Bangkok.
Start the morning at a riverside temple, with a guide who explains each step. Spend one hour on Silom with your driver waiting. End the day on a rooftop bar, dry, with the whole city below you.
For the rest of your stay, our things to do in Bangkok guide lists the best private days. Our Bangkok city guide covers the areas.
Songkran in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai holds Thailand's best-known traditional Songkran. Water fights circle the moat of the Old City for days, and the temples hold their biggest ceremonies of the year.
In 2026 the festival ran from 6 to 17 April, said Chiang Mai Municipality, the organiser. On 13 April a procession carries the Phra Buddha Sihing image through the city so people can pour water on it. Wat Phra Singh, the image's home temple, is the place for the morning rites.
Stay outside the Old City. Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai sits among rice terraces in Mae Rim. Anantara Chiang Mai and 137 Pillars House are on the river, away from the moat. Read our full Songkran in Chiang Mai guide and our Chiang Mai guide.
One warning: April can be smoky in the North. The haze season peaks in late March or early April. With asthma or young children in the group, choose a beach Songkran instead.
Songkran in Phuket, Pattaya and the islands
Phuket and Pattaya hold big beach-town water festivals, and the islands keep it gentle. April is dry on both coasts, so a beach Songkran is a safe choice for the weather.
In Phuket, the main water fights run along Patong's beach road. Spend an afternoon there, then go back to a pool villa on the quiet west coast. Our things to do in Phuket guide fills the other days.
Pattaya's Wan Lai comes after the national holidays, so you can do Bangkok first and Pattaya second. The city announces the 2027 dates in early spring. See our Pattaya guide.
Koh Samui has small water fights in Chaweng and calm resorts elsewhere. On Koh Phangan, the Full Moon Party falls on 21 April 2027, the week after Songkran. Stay on Samui and take a private speedboat across for the night.
The private and VIP ways to enjoy Songkran
The best Songkran is the one you control. You choose when to get wet, who is with you and when it ends. These are the four ways we plan it.
Hotel pool parties. The big Bangkok hotels run Songkran pool parties with DJs and water guns, for in-house guests and ticket holders. You get the fun without the street. See our pool parties guide.
A private boat on the river. Your own boat leaves the hotel pier at ten. You stop at a temple for the blessing, then watch the riverbank water fights from the deck. Book a private boat in Bangkok.
A villa party. We book a private pool villa in Phuket, Samui or Bangkok, with a chef, a bar and a DJ. The water fight stays inside your own garden. This is the one we would book for a family. See villa parties.
Above the crowd. A riverside terrace or a rooftop restaurant gives you the view and a dry table. Book it months ahead, because Songkran lunches sell out.
Want a day off from the water? A crewed yacht, such as a Princess of 65 feet, takes you to a quiet bay in Phang Nga. See yacht charter in Phuket. For a fully dry week, Chiva-Som in Hua Hin is the one to book.
Songkran rules and etiquette: what not to do
Splash gently, and only people who are clearly playing. Never throw water at monks, novices, elderly people, babies, police on duty or anyone dressed for work.
Never use ice water, powder or high-pressure guns. Keep away from riders on motorbikes, because a splash can cause a fall. Ask before you splash a stranger at a temple.
Put your phone and passport copy in a waterproof pouch on a cord. Leave watches and jewellery in the hotel safe. Our drivers carry towels, spare shirts and sealed bags.
What to wear: quick-dry clothes in dark colours, sandals with grip and sunglasses. White clothes turn see-through when wet. For the temple, cover your shoulders and knees; see our temple dress code.
Road accidents rise sharply over the holiday, so let a driver take you and skip motorbikes. The drink-drive limit is 50 mg per 100 ml of blood. Alcohol sale hours are on our alcohol rules page.
What is closed during Songkran, and how do you travel and book?
Banks, government offices and many family-run shops and restaurants close from 13 to 15 April. Big hotels, malls, hotel restaurants and the airports stay open.
Many small restaurants close for the whole week while staff go home. Book hotel restaurants and the best tables early. We check each sight's 2027 notice before your trip.
Flights and the best hotels fill first. The busiest flying days are just before and just after the holidays. Book three months ahead, and fly on the 11th or 12th. See Bangkok to Chiang Mai and Bangkok to Phuket.
At Suvarnabhumi, our host meets you in the arrivals hall and walks you through, using the priority lane where your ticket or status allows. See Suvarnabhumi fast track.
Insider tips only a Songkran planner knows
Wondering what to do at Songkran once the water starts? These are the moves our Thai team uses every April.
- Go early on 13 April: the morning blessings are calm and beautiful, and the water fights grow after lunch.
- Keep a dry route: your driver waits on a side street, out of the water zone, with towels and clean shirts.
- Book the second hotel: split the week between a city and a beach, so you get both kinds of Songkran.
- Join the hotel blessing: many luxury hotels hold a small water blessing on 13 April. Ask to join; it is the gentlest hour of Songkran.
- Watch the haze: if Chiang Mai's air is poor, we move your plan to the coast without losing a day.
- Skip Khao San with a family: it is loud and rough by evening. Silom for an hour is enough for children.
Plan your Songkran with Tanner
Every Songkran trip we plan starts with one question: do you want to join the water fights, watch them, or avoid them?
Example plan: Bangkok riverside, three nights. A river suite and a private boat to a temple on the morning of 13 April. One hour on Silom with a guide, then a dry rooftop dinner.
VIP Luxury Services has planned trips in Thailand since 2008. One planner runs the whole week for a couple or a full company: villa, boat, driver, tables and temple guide. A Thai team in every main town checks the water zones each day.
Example plan: Phuket villa and yacht, four nights. A private pool villa from ฿18,500 a day, with a chef from ฿11,500 a day. Add a DJ with villa sound for the Songkran pool party, from ฿27,500 an evening. Then a day on your own yacht in Phang Nga Bay, far from the crowds.
We tell you honestly what is not worth it, and private means private. Tell us your dates and who is coming. We get back to you right away.
