What's celebrated and when — with 2026 and 2027 dates, crowd levels, and booking tips.
Loi Krathongnationalreligious
25-October-2026 · 2027: 14-November-2027 · 3 days · Best in Sukhothai · Crowds: high
Festival of Lights where thousands of lotus-shaped lanterns are floated on rivers and waterways to honor the water spirits.
Visions of Domino (CC BY 2.0)
- Floating krathongs on rivers
- Fireworks displays
- Beauty pageants
Booking: Book 3-4 weeks ahead for Chiang Mai or Sukhothai
Songkrannationalcultural
13-April-2026 · 2027: 13-April-2027 · 3 days · Best in Chiang Mai · Crowds: high
Thai New Year water festival - the world's largest water fight.
PhiPhiUbon (CC0)
- Water fights
- Temple visits
- Sand pagodas
Booking: Book 1 month ahead
Yi Peng Lantern Festivallocalcultural
25-October-2026 · 2027: 13-November-2027 · 3 days · Best in Chiang Mai · Crowds: high
Thousands of sky lanterns released simultaneously into the night sky over Chiang Mai.
Takeaway (CC BY-SA 3.0)
- Mass sky lantern release
- Mae Jo University event
- Temple celebrations
Booking: Book 2 months ahead; buy lantern release tickets early
Phuket Vegetarian Festivallocalreligious
11-October-2026 · 2027: 1-October-2027 · 9 days · Best in Phuket · Crowds: high
Nine-day Taoist celebration with dramatic street processions, fire walking, and extraordinary vegetarian street food across Phuket's Chinese shrines.
Roberto Trm from Venice, ITALY (CC BY 2.0)
- Street processions
- Fire walking
- Vegetarian street food
Booking: Book 3-4 weeks ahead for Phuket Town area
Monkey Buffet Festivalregionalcultural
November typical month · 1 days · Best in Lopburi · Crowds: moderate
The Monkey Buffet Festival is Lopburi's quirky annual event in which the town's resident population of 3,000+ long-tailed macaques is treated to an elaborate feast of fresh fruit, vegetables, and sweets laid out on banquet tables near the ancient Prang Sam Yod temple. Started in 1989 as a tourism promotion, it has become a genuinely unusual and photogenic spectacle.
- Enormous banquet of fresh fruit and vegetables laid out for the resident macaques
- 3,000+ long-tailed macaques descend on the food tables simultaneously
- Set against the ruins of Prang Sam Yod temple
Booking: Last Sunday of November. Lopburi is a 3-hour day trip from Bangkok by train. The monkeys are aggressive and numerous — secure your belongings. Arrive early morning for the best interaction before the midday crowds.