Songkran

When is Songkran 2027?

Songkran 2027 is expected on Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 April, three public holidays. The Cabinet sets the 2027 holiday list, and each city sets its own Songkran festival dates in early 2027.

Pick your days now. Plan it with Tanner and he builds the trip around them.

What is Songkran?

Songkran is the Thai New Year, the biggest holiday of the year in Thailand: temple blessings in the morning, then water on every street by the afternoon. On 6 December 2023, UNESCO added Songkran in Thailand to its list of the world's intangible cultural heritage.

The three days have their own names: Maha Songkran Day on 13 April, Wan Nao on 14 April and Wan Thaloeng Sok on 15 April.

Families go home, visit the temples and make merit. Then the water comes out. Ask Tanner to plan both sides of the holiday.

Is Songkran the Thai New Year?

Yes! Songkran is the Thai New Year, and in 2027 the Thai New Year runs from Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 April. The name means "movement": it marks the sun moving into Aries, the old start of the year in Thailand.

Thailand also has 1 January as a public holiday, but the Thai New Year that families travel home for is Songkran. People bless their elders with rod nam dam hua, make merit at the temples, build sand chedis and wish each other "Suk San Wan Songkran", Happy Songkran Day.

Want the full story behind the holiday? Read what Songkran means, then plan it with Tanner.

Why do people throw water at Songkran?

People throw water at Songkran because water is the blessing. It starts at home with Rod Nam Dam Hua: younger people pour scented water over the hands of parents, teachers and elders, ask their forgiveness and get their blessing.

At the temples, people pour water over the Buddha images. On the street, the same blessing turns into a giant Songkran water fight, with buckets, water guns and pickup trucks full of water.

The rule is simple: splash the people who are playing, and leave monks, older people and anyone not joining in dry. Plan it with Tanner.

Why is Songkran the Thailand water festival?

Songkran is called the Thailand water festival because water is how Thais welcome the new year: it stands for cleansing, respect and good luck. From 13 to 15 April 2027, the gentle splash of the temple turns into a country-wide water fight, and everyone on the street is fair game for a friendly soaking.

Some visitors call it the water gun festival, and you'll see why: water guns of every size come out on the street, next to buckets, hoses and bowls of cold water. Keep the aim friendly, below the head, and only at people who are playing.

Each city runs its own Thailand water festival around the holiday, and some go early or late:

• Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koh Samui on the holiday itself.
• Hat Yai Midnight Songkran, which starts before the holiday and goes on into the night.
• Khon Kaen Songkran on Khao Niao Road.
• Pattaya Wan Lai and Phra Pradaeng Songkran, which come after the holiday.
• The water-and-music parties: S2O and SIAM Songkran in Bangkok.

New to it? Learn the meaning of Songkran first, then ask Tanner to plan the days.

Where is the biggest Songkran in Thailand?

Bangkok throws the biggest Songkran in Thailand, with Silom, Khao San Road and Benchakitti Park all soaking wet in the same week. Every other city does it its own way.

• Songkran in Bangkok: Silom and Khao San Road are wall-to-wall water, and Benchakitti Park is the calmer side.
• Songkran in Chiang Mai: pickup trucks circle the Old City moat, and the Pi Mai Mueang festival ran 12 days in 2026.
• Songkran in Phuket: Bangla Road and Patong all afternoon, then the clubs.
• Pattaya Wan Lai: Beach Road keeps going latest, with Wan Lai after the holiday, around 17 to 19 April.
• Songkran on Koh Samui: Chaweng and Lamai on the beach, a week before the Full Moon Party.
• Phra Pradaeng Songkran: the late Mon Songkran next to Bangkok that closes the season (below).
• Hat Yai Midnight Songkran: the south's water fight that runs into the night (below).
• Khon Kaen Songkran: the Human Wave on Khao Niao Road, with the whole crowd moving down the road together (below).

Can't pick one? Ask Tanner and he puts two cities in one trip.

What is Hat Yai Midnight Songkran?

Hat Yai Midnight Songkran is southern Thailand's big city water fight, and the water keeps going from midday to midnight. Hatyai Midnight Songkran 2027 is expected from Saturday 10 to Tuesday 13 April, the same days as 2026, running into the national holiday. The city hasn't announced the 2027 dates yet.

It fills central Hat Yai in Songkhla province. The main stage is on Sanehanusorn Road, and the water play spreads along Sanehanusorn and Thamnoonvithi roads, with EDM stages and a foam party. In 2026 the city set out more than 200 free water tanks across the zone, and food stalls lined Niphat Uthit 3 Road.

It's free to join, and Hat Yai sits close to the Malaysian border, so the crowd is half Thai, half visitors from Malaysia.

Getting there: Hat Yai has its own airport, with flights from Bangkok. Book seats early, because Songkran is a 3-day public holiday. In town, a luxury van with a driver costs from ฿6,500 for 10 hours, for up to 4 guests.

Tip: arrive in the afternoon and stay to midnight. Hat Yai starts before the holiday, so it fits at the front of a longer Songkran trip.

What is the Khon Kaen Human Wave?

The Khon Kaen Human Wave is the night-time water fight on Khao Niao Road, where the whole crowd moves down the road together in rounds, soaking each other as it goes. Khon Kaen Songkran 2027 is expected over the holiday, Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 April. In 2026 the road ran on exactly those days.

Khao Niao Road is almost 3 kilometres of Si Chan Road, closed to traffic from the City Gate (Pratu Muang) intersection to the Tiao Hong intersection. It's free and alcohol-free. Khao Niao means sticky rice, and in 2026 thirty stalls under the Dok Khun Si Chan tunnel served sticky-rice dishes.

In 2026 the waves started at about 7pm from the City Gate stage, and the crowd grew every night, to nearly 100,000 Thai and foreign visitors on 15 April.

Getting there: Khon Kaen has its own airport, with flights from Bangkok. A luxury van with a driver costs from ฿6,500 for 10 hours, for up to 4 guests, and drops you at the edge of the closed road.

Tip: do the temples in the morning, when Buddha images from 20 temple quarters are set out on the road for bathing, then save your energy for the waves at night.

When is Phra Pradaeng's Mon Songkran?

Phra Pradaeng Songkran 2027 is expected from Saturday 24 to Monday 26 April, about ten days after the national holiday, the same days as 2026. It's the Mon Songkran, also called Songkran Pak Lat, held just south of Bangkok in Samut Prakan. The town announces the dates closer to the time.

The Mon of Phra Pradaeng have kept their own New Year for more than 200 years, since the reign of King Rama II. The first days are for merit-making and the Saba Raman games; the last day brings the parade and the biggest water fight.

On the last day in 2026, Sunday 26 April, the opening was at 3:30pm at Pom Phlaeng Fai Fa. The Nang Songkran parade set off at 4:30pm along Nakhon Khuean Khan Road, with flower floats and women in Thai-Mon dress carrying fish bowls and birdcages, and ended at Wat Prot Ket Chettharam for the bird and fish release.

Getting there: Phra Pradaeng is about 25 minutes by car from Asok and about 40 minutes from Suvarnabhumi. In 2026 the roads closed from 2pm on parade day, so arrive before lunch. A luxury van with a driver costs from ฿6,500 for 10 hours, for up to 4 guests.

Tip: splash the crowd, not the floats or the people carrying the birds and fish. Phra Pradaeng closes the season, so it ends a Songkran trip well. Plan it with Tanner.

Which music festivals are on at Songkran?

The Songkran music festivals mix water and EDM in Bangkok. SIAM Songkran Music Festival is confirmed for 10 to 13 April 2027 at Bravo BKK, with GA and VIP passes for 3 or 4 days.

S2O Songkran Music Festival hasn't announced 2027 yet. In 2026 it ran from 11 to 13 April at S2O LAND.

Read S2O Songkran Music Festival for the entry rules and tickets, and SIAM Songkran Music Festival for its passes.

Read more: Music festivals in Thailand. Buy your passes the day sales open, then plan it with Tanner.

How do you get ready for the water fight?

Get ready for the Songkran water fight with light clothes that dry fast, shoes with grip and a waterproof pouch for your phone. Covered beats skimpy, and you'll be wet within minutes.

Plan the water for the afternoon and a pool for the heat of midday. April is the hottest time of year in Thailand.

Read more: what to wear to Songkran and other festivals. Ask Tanner for a villa base.

How do you plan a Songkran trip?

Plan a Songkran trip around the 13 to 15 April holiday, then add the cities that start early or finish late. The whole country travels at Songkran, so book flights, cars and your base first.

• Arrive: 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 around: a luxury van with a driver costs from ฿6,500 for 10 hours, for up to 4 guests.
• Your base: a private pool villa from ฿18,500 a day, with your own pool for the water fight.

Read more: Thailand festivals in April 2027 and Songkran in a pool villa. Plan it with Tanner: say how many days you have and he builds the whole trip.

What's the short version?

• Songkran 2027: Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 April, expected as three public holidays.

• Water is the blessing: at home, at the temples, then on the street.
• Biggest in Bangkok; the moat in Chiang Mai; latest in Pattaya and Phra Pradaeng.

Plan it with Tanner.