Thailand is one of the most developed Southeast Asian countries today, but it still has long-standing traditional cultural values that are maintained and treasured over time. One of the cultural beauties of Thailand is most clearly shown in its annual traditional festivals, which is also a prominent factor that attracts tourists to the country. Let’s take a look at these attractive Thailand festivals that cannot be missed when visiting this “Land of a Thousand Smiles”!
Thailand Festivals: Where Tradition Meets Fun
Thai Lunar New Year
- Time: Usually on the 1st day of the Lunar calendar every year
- Location: Yaowarat (Chinatown, Bangkok)
Lanterns decorated in Bangkok to celebrate Lunar New Year
Thai Lunar New Year is a traditional festival celebrated by Thai Chinese, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. In Thailand, there are quite a few Thai people of Chinese origin, accounting for about 14% of the population. Many of them reside in the Chinatown area, a crowded entertainment venue in Bangkok. Therefore, on every Lunar New Year holiday, this place has an extremely bustling and vibrant atmosphere. You can enjoy the festive atmosphere with numerous lion and dragon dance parades, lantern parades, as well as delicious food markets if you travel to Thailand during this time.
Flower Festival
- Time: Usually held on Friday, Saturday, and the first Sunday of February every year
- Location: Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai Flower Festival
The flower festival in Chiang Mai is held every year when spring comes – right at the time of pleasant weather and brilliantly blooming flowers. You can take in the vibrant colors and fragrant scents of countless flowers, such as chrysanthemums, roses, carnations, orchids, etc..
The most prominent highlight of the festival is the flower parade. The flower boats are delicately woven into the shape of temples, animals, or even figures from traditional stories and Buddhist legends. The colorful, flowery sight is further accentuated by beautiful girls sitting on flower boats parading through the streets and dancers in traditional Thai costumes gracefully moving to the rhythmic music. Make sure to also check out handicrafts and other local products made by skillful Thai artisans, as many of them are also being exhibited and sold in this special event!
Songkran Water Festival
- Time: Usually on April 13, 14 and 15 every year
- Location: Everywhere in Thailand
Songkran Water Festival
To be precise, Songkran is not only a water festival, but also a traditional Thai New Year celebration. Thailand takes Buddhism as its official religion, which is why the country celebrates its New Year according to the Buddhist calendar. Therefore, the official Thai New Year, called Songkran, is also one of the most important festivals in Thai people’s culture, promoting family affection, connecting people in the community, and making merit. During the Songkran festival, Thai people will hold several traditional rituals, such as the Rod Nam Dum Hua or “Bathing the Buddha statue” ritual, since the festival also takes place on the Elderly Celebrations and Family Day in Thailand.
The water splashing activity makes Songkran one of the most fun and chaotic festivals ever, with most of the festival areas turning into walking-only routes, while participants use every “weapon” they have on hand – such as buckets, basins, ladles, water guns,… to splash water on others. It’s a great chance to blow off some steam, as even total strangers can freely walk by and splash water on each other in a friendly and playful manner. Everyone can play around and laugh to their heart’s content, as the cool and refreshing water does a great job of dispelling stress and alleviating the summer heat.
The major meaning behind splashing water during the Songkran festival is to wash away bad luck from the previous year and hope for good fortunes to come. That’s why Songkran is greatly welcomed to both natives and foreign tourists.
Bun Bang Fai Rocket Festival
- Time: Usually held in May – the time before the annual rainy season
- Location: Yasothon Town, Thailand
Bun Bang Fai Festival
One of the unique festivals in Thailand that must be mentioned is Bun Bang Fai. This is a rocket festival organized by Lao and Thai people in northeastern Thailand, to pray for good weather and fertile harvests.
The first day of the festival is for displaying the rockets in the form of a parade. You would be amazed at how elaborately these rockets are made, given that they are only homemade with materials like bamboo, PVC, needle tubes, and gunpowder! The highlight of the festival is on the third day when the competition to launch the rockets into the sky takes place.
According to local people, the rockets symbolize wishes sent to the gods to pray for abundant rain to help rice crops grow. In addition, there are also many special activities, such as live folk music performances, boat races, fair booths, etc.
Phi Ta Khon Ghost Festival
- Time: Usually held at the end of June every year
- Location: Loei Province, Northeast Thailand
Phi Ta Khon Ghost Festival
Combining multiple traditional elements, including religion, local handicrafts, and a distinctive festive atmosphere, the three-day Phi Ta Khon festival is famous for its unique, colorful masks. This is a festival with spiritual significance to express gratitude to the souls who have always watched over and protected their lives.
The Phi Ta Khon Festival will feature a number of exciting activities, including a parade on Friday (where everyone dresses up as ghosts), competitions and music performances on Saturday, and Buddhist ceremonies on Sunday. During the festival, Thai people wear a scary mask hand-decorated with pieces of paper and stickers, with extremely bizarre colors and shapes to conceal their faces. If you travel to Thailand on this occasion, you will surely have many memorable experiences.
Rayong Fruit Festival
- Time: Usually held in June and July every year
- Location: Rayong Province
Rayong Fruit Festival
When talking about Thai festivals, it is impossible not to mention the renowned fruit festival. The people of Rayong province organize an annual fruit festival to pray for a bountiful harvest and promote tropical fruits to international tourists visiting Thailand. This is also the festival to express gratitude to Mother Nature, honor gardeners, and promote the essence of agricultural cultivation.
You can take part in many diverse activities here, such as going through the fruit exhibition and fruit buffet, shopping for fresh and flavorful fruits, witnessing creative works of fruit art made by talented artisans, and joining cooking classes to learn the secret recipes for many tasty dishes from fruits.
Ubon Wax Candle Festival
- Time: Usually held from July 11 to 17
- Location: Ubon Ratchathani, Northeast Thailand
Ubon Wax Candle Festival
The Ubon Wax Candle Festival is a long-standing traditional festival of the people in Northeast Thailand as an opening to the next three-month Buddhist Lent. The highlight of the festival is the candle parades with intricately carved wax statues made by Thailand’s leading artisans, lavishly decorated with different colors and images, expressing Buddhist themes, traditional culture, and the lives of local people.
The candle parade is an important ritual to show respect for Buddhism, as well as to pray for luck and prosperity for the community. Coming here, visitors can take extremely impressive photos, admire the creativity and skillful sculpting techniques of local people, and learn about the meaning behind each wax candle. The giant wax candleworks are lit brightly, creating a shimmering and magical scene, that will for sure captivate your heart in just a moment.
Yi Peng Sky Lantern Festival
- Time: Usually held in October every year
- Location: Chiang Mai
Yi Peng Sky Lantern Festival
Yi Peng Sky Lantern Festival is an important event held in Chiang Mai, the center of attraction for tourists. This is one of the most well-known Thai festivals that has fascinated many international visitors.
This festival is a religious event where numerous lanterns are hung in front of residents’ houses to show respect to Buddha, as well as floating lanterns to worship the gods in the sky. During the festival, there are a number of activities, such as parades, religious ceremonies, and fireworks displays, but the most favored of them all is still the sky lantern-releasing ceremony by the Peng River banks. The highlight of the Yi Peng festival is the evening when thousands of lanterns are released into the sky and gently fly away with the wind, creating an extremely eye-catching scene.
Witnessing that dazzling, dream-like scenery, which is thought to only exist in movies, will truly be an unforgettable memory for visitors. You can watch over the lantern and take stunning photoshoots, while wishing for the magical lanterns to take away bad luck and welcome a bright future ahead.
Loy Krathong Water Lantern Festival
- Festival time: Usually on the 15th day of the 12th lunar month
- Location: Everywhere in Thailand
Loy Krathong Water Lantern Festival
Loy Krathong is Thailand’s very own ‘festival of lights’. This festival is an opportunity for Thai people to express their respect and gratitude to the water god, Phra Mae Khongkha, for always providing abundant water sources and blessing their lives. Along with the flowing water, people also send their wishes into the shining lanterns, praying that difficulties and misfortune will also drift away from their lives. Nowadays, the festival is also a chance for couples in love to wish for a peaceful and happy-ever-after life, making it an even more meaningful occasion.
During these days, the whole city is decorated brightly, especially at the Chao Phraya River and many lake areas in the park, where Thai people will release Krathong (flower lanterns) into the water, wishing for the best to come.
Monkey Festival
- Time: Usually held in November every year
- Location: Lopburi Province, Central Thailand
Monkey Festival
The Monkey Festival was first held in 1989 to promote local tourism and also to pay tribute to the monkeys living here, as they are the main source of tourist attraction for this city.
During the festival, monkeys will gather in front of Prang Sam Yod temple at 10 am. Local people will fill the tables around the temple with fruits, sticky rice, salad, and vegetables for the monkeys to savor. It is estimated that about 4 tons of food are used for this party. At the festival, you can admire the sight of hundreds of long-tailed macaques enjoying delicious food and mischievously playing around with visitors.
In conclusion, Thailand festivals offer a glimpse into the heart and soul of Thai culture. Each festival, with its unique customs, dazzling celebrations, and deep-rooted traditions, provides a window into the values and beliefs that shape Thai society.
It will undoubtedly be an unforgettable memory to experience these vibrant celebrations firsthand. By participating in Thailand festivals, you’ll not only witness the country’s festive spirit but also connect more deeply with its people and traditions. So, how about contacting us and planning your trip around these spectacular events to immerse yourself in the magic of Thailand festivals?
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