Songkran 2027: dates, where to celebrate and the rules

Songkran is the Thai New Year, and in 2027 it falls from Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 April. Temples hold quiet rites in the morning, and the streets of Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Phuket turn into a water fight that lasts several days. We checked dates, rules and figures on 14 November 2026, and we mark every figure that is only reported.

Songkran tours and activities to book

GetYourGuide sells no Songkran tour, so these are bookings in Bangkok and Chiang Mai that take place away from the street water fights. Check the calendar of each one for your dates.

See more activities in Bangkok

When is Songkran 2027? Dates and public holidays

The 2027 holiday is set. The Bank of Thailand lists 13, 14 and 15 April 2027 as Songkran holidays, from Tuesday to Thursday. The days do not touch a weekend, and no bridging day had been announced on 14 November 2026. The government has added extra days in past years, so check again in early 2027.

Chakri Day falls a week earlier, on Tuesday 6 April 2027. The traffic starts before the holiday itself: in 2026 the road safety campaign began on 10 April, three days before Songkran.

Songkran dates in each city

Each city sets its own programme, and the water does not stop on the 15th everywhere. The 2027 programmes come out a few weeks before the festival, so the table gives the 2026 dates as a guide.

What is Songkran? The Thai New Year and its rites

The word comes from the Sanskrit sankranti, the passage of the sun from one sign of the zodiac to the next. Songkran marks its entry into Aries, the start of the traditional year. It was Thailand's official New Year until 1888, and the calendar year has started on 1 January since 1940.

UNESCO added Songkran in Thailand to its list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity in December 2023. Its listing describes the pouring of water as an act of cleansing, respect and good fortune.

The three days of Songkran

13 April is Maha Songkran, the day the old year ends. 14 April is Wan Nao, a day in between, and 15 April is Wan Thaloeng Sok, the first day of the new year. Families gather in their home province, which is why Bangkok feels half empty outside the party zones.

Rod nam dum hua and bathing the Buddha

In the morning, families offer food to monks at the temple. They then pour scented water over Buddha images and over the hands of monks and elders. This rite, rod nam dum hua, asks the elders for their blessing for the year. Many families also honour relatives who have died.

In temple courtyards, people also build small sand stupas decorated with paper flags, as in the photo above at Wat Pho in Bangkok. Visitors can join in. Dress as for any temple, with shoulders and knees covered, and keep the water fight outside.

Why Thais throw water at Songkran

The water stands for washing away the old year. In the street the gesture turned into a water fight, helped by the heat. April is the hottest month in the Thai calendar of seasons, and Bangkok can reach 40°C.

The white paste you see on faces is din sor pong, a marl clay smeared on to protect the skin from the sun. Smearing it, or powder, on someone who did not agree is now fined.

Songkran food

The dish of the season is khao chae, rice in cool jasmine-scented water served with small savoury sides. April is also the height of the mango season, so mango sticky rice is sold on every corner.

Where to celebrate Songkran in Thailand

Every town has its water fight, but a few places draw the biggest crowds. The choice is between a city party, a multi-day festival in the north or a beach town that keeps going after the official dates.

Songkran in Bangkok: Silom, Khao San and Siam

The city counted about 4.95 million participants across 94 venues from 10 to 15 April 2026, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Siam Square drew 1.53 million, the riverside IconSiam mall 1.47 million and Silom Road about 653,000.

Silom Road is closed to traffic for nearly 2 km from the Sala Daeng junction. In 2026 the water play ran from about 1 pm to 9 pm from 12 to 14 April, as reported by local media. It drew a record 160,000 people on 13 April, and the governor ended the last day at 8 pm.

If you go, leave the BTS one station before Sala Daeng, as the city asked in 2026, and stay away from the most packed junctions after dark. Silom is also one of the busier areas to stay in Bangkok, with many hotels within walking distance.

Khao San Road played from 13 to 15 April 2026, from noon to 10 pm. Police checkpoints kept out powder and high-pressure guns, and alcohol could be sold only from 11 am to midnight.

For a calmer day, the Tourism Authority of Thailand ran a free festival in Benchakitti Park from 11 to 15 April 2026. It had regional food stalls, sand stupas, Buddha bathing, a water zone from 4 pm and a drone show each night. Mornings are still a good time for the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and the other temples among the things to do in Bangkok, before the water starts.

Songkran in Chiang Mai: the moat and Tha Phae Gate

Chiang Mai has the longest Songkran. The city programme ran from 6 to 17 April in 2026, according to reports of its press conference, and the water play around the moat of the old city starts before the 13th. Pickup trucks loaded with water barrels circle the moat and fill buckets straight from it.

The centre is Tha Phae Gate. In 2026 the city closed Tha Phae Road for a 130-metre water tunnel with DJs, from 6 pm to midnight on 13, 14 and 15 April. A procession of Buddha images is reported to leave Nawarat Bridge for Tha Phae Road on the afternoon of 13 April.

Smoke from farm fires can be heavy in March and April. Hotels expected only 50 to 60% occupancy at Songkran 2026, against 80 to 90% in earlier years, partly because of the haze. Check the air quality index before you book, and pair the festival with things to do in Chiang Mai such as Doi Suthep.

Pattaya and Wan Lai, a week later

Pattaya keeps the water for later. In 2026 the Wan Lai festival took place in Naklua on 18 April and in Pattaya on 19 April, with decorated floats along the streets. Other towns of Chon Buri province carried on until 20 April.

Beach Road is reported closed to traffic on the main day, and the water play spreads along it. High-pressure guns are banned but were still reported on sale from street stalls in 2026. Jomtien beach and the Sanctuary of Truth fill the rest of a stay in Pattaya.

Songkran in Phuket: Patong and the Old Town

The 11th Phuket Water Festival ran at Patong Beach from 11 to 13 April 2026, from 3 pm to 9 pm, and Bangla Road stays wet late into the night. Phuket Town is the family side, with an alcohol-free event on Dibuk Road on 13 April 2026 from 4 pm to 10 pm, reported by Bangkok Airways.

Beaches stay open and boat trips run, so you can split the days between the sea and the water fight. The things to do in Phuket work as well in April as in high season, with hotter afternoons.

Khon Kaen and the north-east

Isan, the north-east, is where many Bangkok workers come from, and they go home for Songkran. Khon Kaen holds the biggest party of the region on Khao Niao Road, closed for nearly 3 km from 13 to 15 April 2026. More than 50,000 people filled it on the night of the 14th.

Quieter places to spend Songkran

No town escapes the water completely. Village temples, small towns and the islands play for a day or two, mostly with buckets and hoses, and the rites stay at the centre. Expect a soaking on the main road all the same.

Songkran rules in 2026: what is banned and who not to splash

Thai authorities published ten rules with fines for Songkran 2026. The 2027 list is usually announced just before the festival, and these are the rules to expect.

Police added their own list. Weapons, real or fake, are banned in the zones. Drinking inside a vehicle on a public road is illegal for passengers too. Throwing water at a moving vehicle can lead to a charge of causing death by negligence, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, if it causes a fatal crash.

Thai police also ask players to check that a passer-by wants to join in before soaking them. Inside shops, restaurants and stations, the water stops.

Songkran road safety: the seven dangerous days

Thais call the Songkran period the seven dangerous days. Millions drive home at once, often after drinking. In 2026 the road safety campaign ran from 10 to 16 April and counted 1,242 crashes, 1,200 injured and 242 deaths, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

Deaths were down 9.7% on the average of the three previous Songkran periods. Speeding and motorcycles remained the main causes. Between 2009 and 2013, road deaths averaged about 52 a day during Songkran against 27 on a normal day.

The safest plan is to stay off a scooter for the whole week. Water and clay make the roads slippery, and riders get hit with buckets at every junction. Take the BTS or the MRT in Bangkok, walk in the old city of Chiang Mai and use ride-hailing apps elsewhere.

What to wear at Songkran and how to protect your phone

Wear light clothes that dry fast and do not turn see-through when wet. Revealing outfits were fined 5,000 THB in 2026. Floral shirts are the unofficial uniform, sold in every market before the festival.

Put your phone in a waterproof pouch that seals tightly, and carry it close to your body. Thai police warned in 2026 that pouches hanging loose around the neck invite slash-and-grab thefts. Leave your passport in the hotel safe and carry a photocopy.

Swimming goggles or sunglasses protect your eyes, which police say high-pressure guns can damage for good. Keep your mouth closed when a bucket comes. Water from the Chiang Mai moat and from barrels is not clean.

Booking Songkran 2027: flights, hotels and what closes

Songkran is one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. Domestic flights, trains and buses out of Bangkok fill up with people going home, so book them as early as you can. Hotels on Silom, Khao San and the Chiang Mai moat sell out first.

Demand dropped in 2026. Fuel prices and smoke kept travellers away, hotels cut room rates by 20 to 40%, and Thailand's aviation authority worked with six airlines to lower fares by 15 to 30% on 11 domestic routes, including Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Hua Hin was still close to full.

If you combine Songkran with a long trip, check how long your visa exemption lasts, because it dropped from 60 to 30 days on 15 September 2026.

What is closed during Songkran

Banks close on 13, 14 and 15 April 2027, and so do government offices, including immigration. Many small family shops and restaurants close too, while malls, 7-Eleven stores and most hotels stay open. Third-party listings give the Grand Palace as open every day except during royal ceremonies, so check before you go.

How many days to stay for Songkran

Three to four days are enough for most people. In Bangkok, arrive on 12 April and stay to the 15th. In Chiang Mai, arriving a day or two earlier lets you see the moat before the crowds peak.

To catch two parties, start in Bangkok or Chiang Mai from 12 to 15 April, then move to Pattaya for Wan Lai, which fell on 19 April in 2026. Two hours by road from Bangkok, it is the easiest second stop.