Bangkok Festivals

What is the most famous festival in Bangkok?

The most famous festival in Bangkok is Songkran, the Thai New Year water festival. In 2027 it runs from Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 April, three public holidays, and the whole city turns into a water fight.

Silom Road is the big street party, and Khao San Road is the backpacker side. In 2026 the free Maha Songkran World Water Festival filled Benchakitti Park over the holiday.

Songkran is also Bangkok's music festival week. SIAM Songkran runs at Bravo BKK from 10 to 13 April 2027, and S2O usually runs over the same days at S2O LAND on Ratchada: 11 to 13 April in 2026.

Read Songkran in Bangkok for every water zone, or spend the week in Songkran in a pool villa.

Where do you float a krathong in Bangkok?

Loy Krathong in Bangkok is on Tuesday 24 November 2026, the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, and the city heads for the water with candles and krathongs. The city has named five main sites: Wat Saket and Rama 8 Bridge from 17 to 29 November, and Phra Sumen Fort and two spots on Prem Prachakorn Canal from 23 to 25 November.

Float a krathong made of natural materials, like banana leaves and flowers. Bread krathongs, firecrackers and sky lanterns aren't allowed. The river is the centre of it all, and the best seat is your own boat on it; Tanner quotes boats to your plan.

Loy Krathong isn't the only date that month. From 17 to 29 November the Golden Mount Fair, the temple fair of Wat Saket, runs below the hilltop stupa.

Read Loy Krathong in Bangkok for where to float yours.

What's on in Bangkok in Nov and Dec?

November and December 2026 are Bangkok's arts season, and the river is the stage: Vijit Chao Phraya lights up the Chao Phraya and its riverside landmarks every night from 13 November to 13 December 2026.

The Bangkok Art Biennale runs at the same time, from 29 October 2026 to 28 February 2027, with art in temples, museums and malls across the city.

Do the Biennale by day and the river lights by night. Read Bangkok arts festivals for the whole season.

Which Bangkok music festivals are confirmed?

Bangkok music festivals run almost every weekend in the cool season, from big EDM nights to J-pop and indie. Here's the line-up, with dates not yet confirmed marked Expected:

808 Festival, Bangkok's long-running EDM festival, has postponed its 2026 edition and hasn't set a new date.

Read music festivals in Thailand for the big ones outside Bangkok, and Bangkok clubs for festival week for where the night goes after.

Where do you see New Year's Eve in Bangkok?

The biggest New Year's Eve in Bangkok is on the Chao Phraya at ICONSIAM, where the fireworks go up over the river at midnight. New Year's Eve is Thursday 31 December 2026 and New Year's Day is a bank holiday, so the break runs four days to Sunday 3 January 2027.

At the end of 2025 the city counted down in more than one place: ICONSIAM on the river, CentralWorld at Ratchaprasong, fireworks along Sukhumvit and the NEON Countdown at Rajamangala Stadium. The 2026/27 line-ups come out in December.

Read New Year's Eve in Bangkok for every countdown zone, or see New Year on a yacht or villa.

When is Chinese New Year in Bangkok?

Chinese New Year in Bangkok is on Saturday 6 February 2027, and Yaowarat Road, the city's Chinatown, is the party, lit up for weeks around it. It isn't a national holiday.

Come a week early and you catch the Red Cross Fair in Lumpini Park too.

Read Chinese New Year in Thailand for the days and the events.

When is the Red Cross Fair in Lumpini Park?

The Red Cross Fair is a January fair in Bangkok: it runs from 18 to 31 January 2027 in Lumpini Park, 14 days in all, and entry is free.

The Thai Red Cross Society holds the fair every year, and Thais call it Ngan Kachat. Gates open from 11am to 10pm. Think of a giant night market in the park: food and local goods from every province, crafts from the royal projects, games, the Red Cross raffle, and khon, the masked dance drama, on stage. There's an online fair at the same time, and the money goes to the Red Cross.

The Thai name counts it as the 2026 fair, but it moved into January this time; the last one ran from 11 to 21 December 2025.

Getting there: take the train. In 2025 the closest exits were BTS Sala Daeng exit 6, MRT Lumphini exit 3 and MRT Silom exit 1. With a group, a luxury van with a driver costs from ฿6,500 for 10 hours, for up to 4 guests.

Tip: go at 11am on a weekday for the calmest walk. Evenings and the weekends of 23 to 24 and 30 to 31 January are the busiest. Bring cash and a cloth bag, because the fair asks visitors to skip plastic bags and foam boxes.

It lands in the cool, dry weeks after New Year, and a week before Chinese New Year in Yaowarat, so one trip can take in both. Ask Tanner for a car between the two.

What other festivals does Bangkok have?

Bangkok also has festivals in the months the big guides skip. Two to know:

• Vegetarian Festival in Yaowarat: each October, the food stalls of Yaowarat go vegetarian, centred on the Odeon Circle gate. In 2026 it ran from 9 to 18 October.
• Bangkok's International Festival of Dance and Music: opera, ballet and orchestras at the Thailand Cultural Centre. The 28th festival ran from 5 September to 17 October 2026, with tickets from ฿2,000.

How do you plan a Bangkok festival trip?

Plan a Bangkok festival trip around the festival nights, with your own car and driver, a base to come back to and a table booked for after. Tanner sets it up to your dates.

• Arriving: airport fast track at Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang, ฿2,400 a person: a greeter meets you at the gate and walks you through the fast immigration lane.
• Getting around: a luxury van with a driver from ฿6,500 for 10 hours, for up to 4.
• On the river: a private river boat on the Chao Phraya for Loy Krathong or the countdown.
• Your base: a private pool villa from ฿18,500 a day.
• After the festival: a club table, priced to your trip and quoted the same day.

Heading on after Bangkok? Read Bangkok to Pattaya, Bangkok to Phuket and Bangkok to Chiang Mai.

Plan it with Tanner, or see every festival trip in Thailand.

What are the top events in Bangkok?

• Loy Krathong is on Tuesday 24 November 2026, on the Chao Phraya and in the parks.

• New Year's Eve is Thursday 31 December 2026, with fireworks over the river at ICONSIAM.
• Songkran is Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 April 2027, with the big street party on Silom Road.

Plan it with Tanner.