Thailand Festival Trips

What is a Thailand festival trip with Tanner?

A Thailand festival trip with Tanner is the festival plus everything around it: how you land, where you stay, how you get there and back, and the days after. It isn't a fixed tour package. You pick the festival and the dates, and Tanner builds the trip around your group.

Most Thailand festival travel packages are group tours with one hotel and a shared bus. With Tanner, you pick the festival and he does the rest: a host at the gate when you land, your own pool villa, a driver at the festival gate and a boat for the fireworks.

• Before: airport fast track on arrival, then a car straight to your villa.
• During: the festival days, with a driver who drops you at the gate and waits.
• After: the extra days, an island, a yacht day or a pool day to recover.

Plan it with Tanner: say which festival, your dates and how many of you are coming.

Which Thailand festival trip should you pick?

The best Thailand festival trips are Yi Peng and Loy Krathong in November, the December music festivals, New Year's Eve on 31 December and Songkran in April. Pick yours by the month you can travel and the kind of party you want. The table below shows the next dates, checked in November 2026.

Not sure which one fits? Ask Tanner with your dates and he'll tell you what's on.

Which city is best for your group

Thailand festival trips: the next dates (checked 21 Oct 2026)

How does the December weekend work?

The December festival weekend is Thailand's big music month, with four big festivals inside 18 days. Wonderfruit runs 3 to 7 December 2026 near Pattaya. Tomorrowland Thailand (11 to 13 December, sold out) and Big Mountain Village (12 to 13 December) share the same weekend. EDC Thailand closes the month in Phuket on 18 to 20 December.

Wonderfruit and Tomorrowland are a week apart in the same area outside Pattaya, so one Pattaya pool villa covers both. Then fly south for EDC and stay on in Phuket for New Year's Eve.

Read The December festival weekend for every date, ticket and two-festival plan.

Where should you be at midnight?

New Year's Eve is Thursday 31 December 2026, and New Year's Day is a bank holiday too, so the break runs four days to Sunday 3 January. Pick the river in Bangkok, where last year's big fireworks went up at ICONSIAM, Pattaya Bay, a Phuket beach or the Full Moon countdown on Koh Phangan.

• Phuket from the water: boats leave Chalong about 7pm, anchor off Patong for midnight, and are back after 1am.
• Pattaya Bay: the fireworks run across the bay, and the Pattaya Countdown on the beach is free.
• Your villa after: the after-party carries on at your own pool.

Phuket yachts book out from 20 December to 20 January, so book first. Read New Year on a yacht or villa.

Why is a pool villa best for Songkran?

Songkran in a pool villa gives your group a dry place to start and finish three days of water fights. Songkran 2027 is Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 April, all public holidays, and the whole country turns into one huge water fight.

• Bangkok: Silom Road and Khao San Road by day, RCA after dark. The SIAM Songkran Music Festival runs 10 to 13 April 2027.
• Pattaya: Pattaya keeps going latest, with Wan Lai after the holiday, around 17 to 19 April, when Beach Road becomes one long water fight.
• Phuket: Bangla Road and the beach road in Patong.

Stay on and the Full Moon Party lands on Wednesday 21 April 2027, a week after Songkran. Read Songkran in a pool villa for every base and the plan.

How do you plan the lantern trip?

The lantern trip is built around Loy Krathong on Tuesday 24 November 2026, the full moon of the 12th lunar month. In Chiang Mai, Yi Peng runs from 23 to 25 November. The city festival is free, and its main site is the Tonlamyai Market park.

Ticketed lantern releases are separate events, sold by their own organisers, and lanterns go up only in permitted areas at set times. Read Yi Peng tickets before you book one.

In Bangkok, Loy Krathong happens on the Chao Phraya River. Your own private river boat has its route and pier set with the river plan for the night. Three days later, the Pattaya International Fireworks Festival lights up Pattaya Beach on 27 and 28 November, and you can watch from the bay.

What's the VIP way to the Full Moon?

The VIP way to the Full Moon Party is your own speedboat from Koh Samui, at the return time you choose, with no queue for the shared boats. The ride from Samui to Haad Rin takes 20 to 30 minutes.

The next parties are Tuesday 24 November and Thursday 24 December 2026, the New Year countdown on Thursday 31 December, then 22 January, 22 February, 22 March and 21 April 2027. Samui boat days are best from late December to April. Read Full Moon Party.

What's in a VIP festival trip to Thailand?

A VIP festival trip to Thailand is made of five parts, and you take only the ones you need. Every price is a "from" price with VAT inside.

• Land fast. 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.
• Get met. An airport meet-and-greet on arrival from ฿6,500, or from ฿9,500 with the car to your villa.
• Get a base. A private pool villa from ฿18,500 a day, or a Pattaya pool villa from ฿12,500 a day.
• Move together. A luxury van with a driver from ฿6,500 for 10 hours, for up to 4 guests. Tanner matches the cars to your plan.
• Add the water. In Pattaya, a private boat day is from ฿49,000 for 8 hours, up to 16 guests. Tanner quotes motor yachts, catamarans, river boats and the Full Moon boat to your plan.
• Throw the villa party. A DJ with villa sound from ฿27,500 an evening and a private bartender from ฿9,000 an evening, set up by Tanner.

In a hurry? Take a helicopter charter from Bangkok, quoted by Tanner.

How much does a festival trip cost?

A festival trip to Thailand with Tanner costs what you add to it, because every trip is built from parts: the villa, the cars, the arrival and the boat. Festival tickets are extra and bought from each festival's official seller.

Club tables are priced to your trip and quoted by Tanner. Plan it with Tanner.

When should you book a festival trip?

Book a festival trip as soon as you have your festival tickets, then lock the villa and the cars. On festival weeks, lock them early.

• Tomorrowland Thailand 2026 is sold out, and Wonderfruit's September and October ticket rounds sold out.
• Phuket yachts book out from 20 December to 20 January.
• Big Mountain's Special Cow pass is on sale only until 11 December.

Book first, then relax. Ask Tanner.

Which festival customs should you know?

Each Thailand festival has its own customs: Songkran starts at the temples, krathongs float after dark, and lanterns go up only in permitted areas. Here's the short list.

• Songkran: the day starts with blessings at home and at the temples, with water poured for elders, and the street water fights come after. UNESCO added Songkran to its heritage list in 2023.
• Loy Krathong: a krathong is a small banana-leaf float with a candle. It isn't a public holiday, so shops and offices stay open and the floating starts after dark.
• Yi Peng: lanterns go up only in permitted areas, at set times, and never in Chiang Mai city.
• Buddhist holy days: shops stop selling alcohol, but licensed venues in tourist areas can still serve. The Full Moon Party moves to the next day when it falls on a major Buddhist day.
• EDC Thailand: every ticket is for ages 20 and over.

How does planning with Tanner work?

Planning a Thailand festival trip with Tanner takes three steps and one form, whether it's a weekend with friends, a group trip or a full VIP week.

• Pick the festival, your dates and your group size. Add anything you already have, like flights or tickets.
• Get one plan back. Tanner sends the villa, the cars, the boat and the extras, with the prices.
• Say yes and land. A host at the airport gate, a driver at the door, and the festival on your schedule.

Coming from the UK, US, Australia, Canada or the EU? You can stay up to 30 days visa-free on a tourist trip. Fill in the Thailand arrival card before you fly.Thailand arrival card before you fly.

What's the short version?

• Loy Krathong and Yi Peng, 23 to 25 November 2026, Chiang Mai or Bangkok.

• New Year on a yacht or villa, Thursday 31 December 2026.
• Songkran in a pool villa, 13 to 15 April 2027.

Plan it with Tanner.