Asalha Bucha and Khao Phansa

The dates for 2027

Asalha Bucha 2027 is Sunday 18 July and Khao Phansa 2027 is Monday 19 July.

Some calendars list 19 and 20 July instead, so we recheck the dates in June.

Pick your base for the two quiet days first; the rest of the week falls into place around it.

What is Asalha Bucha?

Asalha Bucha honours the Buddha's first sermon, given to five disciples at the deer park at Isipatana, now Sarnath near Varanasi in India. That sermon set out the Four Noble Truths, and the five became the first monks.

You'll also see it spelled Asanha Bucha or Asahna Bucha. It falls on the full moon of the eighth lunar month.

It's the third of the big Buddhist days, after Makha Bucha in February and Visakha Bucha in May.

Ask Tanner which temple suits your evening.

What is Khao Phansa?

Khao Phansa is the first day of Buddhist Lent, a three-month retreat when monks stay in their temples to study and meditate. The retreat began in the rainy season, when travel was hard. The Pali name is Vassa.

On the day, Thais give candles to the temple, and many young men are ordained as monks. Many Thais also give up alcohol or cigarettes for the three months.

Lent ends on Ok Phansa, three months later. Pick a temple for the morning, and the driver takes you there.

Is there an alcohol ban on Khao Phansa?

Yes. Shops stop selling alcohol on both Asalha Bucha and Khao Phansa, so the ban runs for 48 hours, from just after midnight on the first day to midnight on the second, under the Office of the Prime Minister's notice (checked November 2026).

On the Buddhist holy days, shops stop selling alcohol, but licensed hotels, international airport terminals and licensed bars and clubs in designated tourist areas can still serve. Convenience stores and ordinary restaurants aren't exempt.

The ban is on selling, not drinking, so a villa bar stocked the day before is fine. Our Thailand nightlife laws page has the full rules.

What to book first

Book the villa and the cars first, and the two quiet shop days won't touch your weekend.

• A villa for the two quiet days: a party-friendly pool villa from ฿18,500 a day.
• Cars: your own van for the group, to the temple in the morning and back to the villa.
• Ubon beds: the candle festival is expected from 17 to 19 July, with the parade on Monday morning.
• Koh Phangan beds: the Full Moon Party is expected on Tuesday 20 July, after both holy days.

Plan it with Tanner, and the bar is stocked before the shops close.

The candle parade in Ubon

The best Khao Phansa festival is in Ubon Ratchathani, where giant carved beeswax candles, some over three metres tall, parade through the city on Khao Phansa morning.

The parade starts around 8am on Monday 19 July 2027, around Thung Si Mueang Park. Entry is free. Temples compete to make the finest candle.

Ubon is about an hour's flight from Bangkok, or about 615 km by road. The 2027 dates are still expected, so we confirm them with the city in June.

See our Ubon Ratchathani guide, and book a room near the parade early.

Candle walks in Bangkok and Chiang Mai

For Asalha Bucha in Bangkok, Wat Pho and Wat Arun hold candle walks, and in Chiang Mai it's Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.

Photo: BerryJ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The walk starts around 6:30 to 7pm, three times clockwise around the main hall, with a candle set bought at the gate. At Doi Suthep, get there by 5:30pm to beat the queue for the 306 steps.

It's rainy season, so bring a small umbrella. See our Bangkok guide for the rest of the week, then finish the evening at a licensed hotel bar.

Does the Full Moon Party move for Khao Phansa?

Yes. The Full Moon Party steps off Buddhist holy days, and in July it moves around Asalha Bucha and Khao Phansa.

AI

Photo: AI-generated image

For 2027 we expect it on Tuesday 20 July, after both holy days. We check the Haad Rin schedule in June and send you the date.

Read our Full Moon Party guide, and ask Tanner to hold the beds on Koh Phangan.

Where to spend the week

A private pool villa is the easy answer: two quiet shop days don't touch a bar you stocked yourself.

Pattaya or Hua Hin is the villa weekend, a short drive from Bangkok: see Pattaya villas. Ubon Ratchathani has the candle parade on Monday morning, Bangkok has Wat Arun at dusk on Sunday and a licensed hotel bar after, and Koh Phangan has the Full Moon Party on Tuesday.

For a group, take the Pattaya villa and stock the bar on Saturday. That's Tanner's pick.

July is rainy season too; our rainy season guide says what to expect.

After the holy days

Tuesday 20 July is a normal day for bars and clubs, so plan the big evening for Tuesday or the weekend after.

The shop ban covers only the holy days, not the three months of Lent. Our Thailand in July page has the whole month and Thailand public holidays has the full year; check the week you land before you book.

Why the date moves every year

Asalha Bucha follows the moon. It falls on the full moon of the eighth lunar month, so the date changes every year, and Khao Phansa is always the day after.

That's why some calendars disagree by a day. Tanner rechecks the official dates in June, before anything is locked.

Ask Tanner to hold the villa now and confirm the dates in June.

Asalha Bucha and Khao Phansa in short

• Asalha Bucha 2027 is Sunday 18 July, and Khao Phansa 2027 is Monday 19 July.

• Asalha Bucha marks the Buddha's first sermon; Khao Phansa starts three months of Buddhist Lent.
• Shops stop selling alcohol for 48 hours, while licensed hotels and tourist-area bars can still serve.
• Ubon's candle parade is expected at about 8am on 19 July.
• The Full Moon Party is expected on Tuesday 20 July, after both holy days.
• Lent ends on Ok Phansa, three months later.

Checked October 2026. Plan it with Tanner.