Chinese New Year in Thailand

When is Chinese New Year in Thailand?

Chinese New Year in Thailand 2027 falls on Saturday 6 February 2027, the start of the Year of the Goat. Lunar New Year in Thailand is the same day, and Thais call it Trut Chin. Thai Chinese families mark three days: Wan Jai on Thursday 4 February, Wan Wai on Friday 5 February and Wan Tiao, New Year's Day, on Saturday 6 February.

The street festivals for 2027 aren't announced yet, so the table shows their 2026 dates. They move with the lunar calendar and usually run in the days around New Year's Day. Plan it with Tanner.

Does Thailand celebrate Lunar New Year?

Yes, Thailand celebrates Lunar New Year, and Thais call it Trut Chin (ตรุษจีน), Chinese New Year. In 2027 it falls on Saturday 6 February, the first day of the Year of the Goat, and Thai Chinese families mark it over three days, from Wan Jai on 4 February to Wan Tiao on 6 February.

So does Thailand celebrate Lunar New Year with a day off? Not nationally: it's a normal working day in most of the country. The party is in the streets instead:

• Bangkok: Yaowarat Road in Chinatown, lit up every night from 6pm to 11pm for more than three weeks in 2026.
• Nakhon Sawan: the Pak Nam Pho parade of gods, dragons and lion dances, 110 years old in 2026.
• Hat Yai and Suphan Buri: lion dances, acrobats and festivals of two to four days.
• Phuket Old Town: its own New Year fair, Trut Chin Duean Sam, later in February.

Pick your city and the nights fall into place. Plan it with Tanner.

Is Chinese New Year a public holiday?

No, Chinese New Year is not a national public holiday in Thailand. Offices, shops and banks stay open across most of the country; only bank branches in Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Satun and Songkhla close for it, and only when it falls on a weekday.

In 2027 it falls on a Saturday, so there is no extra day off anywhere. See every long weekend in Thailand public holidays 2027. Ask Tanner.

How many New Years does Thailand celebrate?

Thailand celebrates three New Years, and you can join all of them. The New Year countdown on 31 December leads into 1 January, a public holiday. Chinese New Year follows on Saturday 6 February 2027. Then Songkran, the Thai New Year, runs 13 to 15 April 2027, three public holidays and one giant water fight.

In Bangkok, the Red Cross Fair fills Lumpini Park from 18 to 31 January 2027, a week before Chinese New Year.

What happens in Yaowarat?

After dark Yaowarat turns red: lanterns from Odeon Circle to Chaloem Buri, lion dances, and every food stall on the street at full speed. That's Chinese New Year in Bangkok. In 2026 Yaowarat Road was lit up every night from 7 February to 1 March, 6pm to 11pm.

In 2025 the lights opened at the Chinatown Gate with a show. Come hungry, and come after dark when the lights are on.

The VIP move: skip the traffic and arrive by river on your own private boat. The price depends on the boat; Tanner quotes to your plan. Plan it with Tanner.

Where else is Chinese New Year big?

Outside Bangkok, the biggest night belongs to Nakhon Sawan, where the gods are carried through town with dragons and lion dances. Hat Yai and Suphan Buri put on their own festivals in the days around New Year's Day.

• Nakhon Sawan: the Pak Nam Pho festival and its parade of the Chao Pho and Chao Mae gods, with dragons and lion dances. In 2026 it ran 10 to 21 February and marked 110 years.
• Hat Yai: acrobats and lion dances on Saneha Nusorn Road, 17 to 20 February in 2026. In 2025 the city put on a 500-drone show.
• Suphan Buri: a two-day festival at the Dragon Descendants Museum, 17 to 18 February in 2026.

Make Nakhon Sawan a road trip north from Bangkok. A luxury van with a driver costs from ฿6,500 for 10 hours, for up to 4 guests. Ask Tanner.

What's the Phuket Old Town fair like?

Chinese New Year in Phuket peaks a little later, in Phuket Old Town. The town holds Trut Chin Duean Sam, its own New Year fair, a few days after New Year's Day.

In 2026 it ran 22 to 24 February, 6pm to 11pm, with a fire-dragon tunnel over 40 metres long on Thep Kasattri and Phuket Roads, seven stages, a parade and more than 400 food and craft stalls.

Make it a long stay on the island. A private pool villa costs from ฿18,500 a day. Plan it with Tanner.

What are Wan Jai, Wan Wai and Wan Tiao?

Wan Jai, Wan Wai and Wan Tiao are the three days of Chinese New Year in Thailand. Wan Jai is shopping day, when families buy food and gifts. Wan Wai is offerings day, when they set out food for the gods and their ancestors. Wan Tiao is New Year's Day, for visiting and going out.

On Wan Tiao, red is the lucky colour, and elders hand out red envelopes of money called ang pao. So many Thai families have Chinese roots that the day is marked at home all over the country, not only in the Chinatowns, and in Nakhon Sawan the New Year parade has run for 110 years. Wear red to Yaowarat and you'll fit right in. Ask Tanner.

Is Chinese New Year busy for travel?

Yes, Chinese New Year is one of Thailand's busiest travel weeks, so book your flights and hotel early.

Yaowarat gets packed after dark, so wear comfy shoes and go early in the evening. Shrines and offering tables are for prayer: don't touch the offerings, and ask before you take photos inside a shrine.

Then breeze through the airport: 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. Plan it with Tanner.

How do you plan Chinese New Year?

Plan Chinese New Year in Thailand around the weekend of Saturday 6 February 2027. Start in Bangkok for Yaowarat, then add Nakhon Sawan by road or Phuket for the Old Town fair.

• Bangkok by river: your own private river boat on the Chao Phraya.
• Day trips: a luxury van with a driver from ฿6,500 for 10 hours, for up to 4 guests.
• Phuket base: a private pool villa from ฿18,500 a day.
• Arrival: 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.

Plan it with Tanner: say which city and how many days, and he builds the whole trip. More: Bangkok festivals and festival trips in Thailand.

What should you bring to Chinese New Year?

For Chinese New Year in Thailand, bring something red, comfy shoes and an empty stomach for Yaowarat. Book your flights and hotel early, because it's one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.

Chinese New Year in short: what to know?

• Chinese New Year's Day: Saturday 6 February 2027, the Year of the Goat; not a national public holiday.

• Bangkok: the Yaowarat lights, 6pm to 11pm in 2026.
• Nakhon Sawan, Hat Yai and Suphan Buri hold big festivals; Phuket Old Town follows later in February.

Plan it with Tanner.