Songkran and public holidays
Songkran is the Thai New Year water festival, 13 to 15 April. Book it on purpose, or leave the Old City that week. Thai holidays close banks and Immigration, not noodle shops. Buddhist holy days ban alcohol sales.
Songkran is known as the mid-April water festival that sells out trains and hotels. The Bank of Thailand 2026 holiday list runs to 19 dates plus substitution Mondays when a holiday hits a weekend. Songkran 2026 is 13 to 15 April. New Year stacked into a long break at the start of January. Father's Day on Saturday 5 December picked up a Monday 7 December substitution. Check the BOT PDF the month you fly. Cabinets add bridge days.
Songkran is a water festival, not a temple circuit in the Old City. Chiang Mai moat, Bangkok Khao San, and Pai turn into hose fights. If that is why you came, book the stay and the train 90 days out (SRT advance window). If it is not, leave the Old City or leave the north that week.
2026 dates that change a trip
| Date | Holiday | Planner note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 Jan 2026 | New Year plus a bridge day | Five-day New Year stack with 31 Dec 2025. Domestic flights fat. |
| 3 Mar 2026 | Makha Bucha | Nationwide alcohol sales ban for the holy day |
| 13 to 15 Apr 2026 | Songkran | Water. Sold-out sleepers. Wet phones. Book or avoid. |
| 1 May 2026 | Labour Day | Banks and private sector close. Many government offices open |
| 31 May and 1 Jun 2026 | Visakha Bucha plus Monday substitution | Sunday holy day, Monday off. Alcohol ban on the holy day |
| 29 to 30 Jul 2026 | Asahna Bucha and Khao Phansa | Two dry days. Khao Phansa is government-heavy |
| 26 Oct 2026 | Wan Ok Phansa | Alcohol ban. Not always an office holiday |
| 5 and 7 Dec 2026 | Father's Day / National Day plus Monday | Bangkok weekend crowds move |
What actually breaks
Immigration extensions that land on a holiday move to the next working day. Do not assume a specific office is open. TDAC is digital and does not care about Songkran. Park booths and Fine Arts sites usually sell tickets. Erawan and Cheow Lan still want cash when the ATMs have queues.
Alcohol bans on the five Buddhist holy days are 24 hours and nationwide. Fines hit the vendor. Your beach club will sell food and shrug. Election windows in 2026 add extra dry hours. Check on arrival that week.
Chinese New Year is not a Thai public holiday and still fills Phuket and Samui with regional visitors. Thai long weekends fill Hua Hin and Kanchanaburi. Island boats keep a board. Check on arrival.
Keep going
Book
Common questions
- Will my ferry run on Songkran?
- Usually. The people problem is the seat to the pier, not the catamaran. Book the Lomprayah or the USM hop early. Check on arrival if a swell shares the week.
- Can you tour temples during Songkran?
- Yes, early, in clothes you do not mind wet. After 10:00 in the Old City you are in the festival whether you booked it or not.
- Do I need extra cash?
- Yes. Banks close. ATMs run out in Pai and on small islands. Withdraw in Chiang Mai or Bangkok before you ride 1095.