Public Holidays & Buddhist Festivals in Thailand 2026

King Bhumibol Memorial Day on 13 October is a statutory public holiday in Thailand, marking the anniversary of the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) on 13 October 2016. Rama IX was the world's longest-reigning monarch at the time of his death, having ruled Thailand for 70 years, and is deeply beloved by the Thai people for his decades of rural development projects, agricultural innovations, and personal connection with ordinary Thais. The day is observed with solemn national ceremonies, the wearing of black or white, and merit-making at temples in his honour.

• ✦Government offices, institutions, and many businesses display portraits of King Bhumibol and observe a minute of silence at the time of his passing, with national television broadcasting memorial programmes and documentary tributes to his life and legacy.
• ✦Thais visit temples to make merit in honour of Rama IX's memory, with royal-sponsored merit-making ceremonies held at temples across the country — reflecting the depth of affection and reverence with which he is remembered across all segments of Thai society.

Chulalongkorn Day on 23 October is a statutory public holiday in Thailand, honouring King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), who reigned from 1868 to 1910 and is credited with modernising Siam, abolishing slavery, reforming the legal and administrative systems, and successfully preserving Thai sovereignty during the European colonial era. He remains one of the most beloved figures in Thai history, and the day is observed with genuine popular devotion rather than merely formal ceremony. The equestrian statue of Rama V in Royal Plaza in Bangkok is the focal point of public commemoration.

• ✦Crowds gather throughout the day — and especially overnight into the early hours — at the equestrian statue of Rama V in Royal Plaza in Bangkok to lay flowers, incense, and offerings in a spontaneous outpouring of reverence that has grown organically over decades into one of Thailand's most distinctive public commemorations.
• ✦Government offices, schools, and many businesses close on Chulalongkorn Day, and official ceremonies at the Royal Plaza and at Sanam Luang include wreath-laying by government ministers and royal representatives, while Thais nationwide visit local monuments and temples to make merit in Rama V's memory.

Halloween on 31 October is an informally observed occasion in Thailand, celebrated primarily within expatriate communities and the entertainment industry through themed parties, costume events at bars and clubs, and decorations at hotels and shopping malls in Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai. It carries no public holiday status and has no roots in Thai cultural or religious tradition. Tourist-heavy areas such as Khao San Road in Bangkok and Patong in Phuket typically stage the most visible Halloween events. ---

Loy Krathong Festival is one of Thailand's most beautiful and beloved cultural celebrations, observed on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month — typically falling in November — when Thais release small lotus-shaped floats (krathong) made of banana leaves, flowers, incense, and candles onto rivers, lakes, and waterways as offerings to the goddess of water and as a symbolic act of letting go of grudges and misfortune. While not a statutory public holiday, it functions as a major national celebration, with the most spectacular observances in Chiang Mai — where it is celebrated simultaneously with the Yi Peng lantern festival — and along the riverside in Bangkok, Sukhothai, and across the country. ---

King Bhumibol's Birthday / Father's Day on 5 December is a statutory public holiday in Thailand, honouring the birthday of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) — born on 5 December 1927 — and simultaneously observed as Thailand's official Father's Day. The date was established as Father's Day during Rama IX's reign in recognition of his role as the symbolic father of the Thai nation, and it continues to be observed in that dual capacity following his passing in 2016. Public spaces display royal portraits alongside the yellow flower (dok phuttaruk) associated with Rama IX.

• ✦Official ceremonies are held at national monuments and temples across Thailand, with government ministers and Royal Family representatives participating in merit-making and wreath-laying activities honouring Rama IX's memory, while communities hold local merit-making events and Father's Day celebrations in schools and community centres.
• ✦Thais honour their own fathers on this day by presenting yellow flowers — particularly the dok phuttaruk (canna flower), which was associated with Rama IX — and by participating in charitable activities aligned with King Bhumibol's lifelong emphasis on giving, self-sufficiency, and service to others.

Constitution Day on 10 December is a statutory public holiday in Thailand, marking the anniversary of the promulgation of Thailand's first permanent constitution on 10 December 1932, following the transition from absolute to constitutional monarchy. Thailand has had a complex constitutional history with numerous constitutions enacted since 1932, but the date is maintained as a day of civic recognition of constitutional governance. Government offices, schools, and banks close for the day.

• ✦Formal Constitution Day ceremonies are held at the Royal Plaza in Bangkok, where government officials lay wreaths at the Democracy Monument — itself a symbol of the 1932 constitutional revolution — and at government buildings across the country.
• ✦Schools and civic institutions use Constitution Day as an opportunity to promote constitutional literacy and civic education, with programmes highlighting the rights and responsibilities of Thai citizens under the current constitutional framework.

Christmas Eve on 24 December is an informal cultural observance in Thailand, primarily celebrated by Thailand's small Christian community and embraced by the tourism and hospitality industry in Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, and resort destinations. Shopping malls and hotels are typically decorated throughout December, and midnight church services are held at Catholic and Protestant churches in major cities. It carries no public holiday status in Thailand. ---

Christmas Day on 25 December is an informally observed occasion in Thailand with no public holiday status, though it is warmly acknowledged in a country that has a significant tourism industry and a culturally open attitude toward international celebrations. Retail venues, hotels, and entertainment precincts in tourist areas maintain Christmas decorations and programming, and some international schools and companies observe the day. Thailand's Buddhist majority does not observe Christmas religiously, but the festive season is commercially embraced. ---

New Year's Eve on 31 December is a statutory public holiday in Thailand, marking the final day of the Gregorian calendar year with nationwide celebrations. Bangkok's CentralWorld hosts one of Asia's largest countdown events, with concerts, light shows, and a fireworks display broadcast across the country and internationally. The Chao Phraya River and major landmarks across Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket are focal points for public celebrations.

• ✦Bangkok's CentralWorld New Year's Eve countdown is broadcast live across Thailand and internationally, drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators to the Ratchaprasong intersection for concerts, light displays, and midnight fireworks that rank among Asia's most watched annual celebrations.
• ✦Beyond the city spectacles, many Thais mark New Year's Eve by visiting temples for late-night merit-making and prayers, blending the Gregorian occasion with Buddhist practice in a characteristically Thai way that gives the celebration both a festive and a reflective dimension.