Thailand public holidays

Thailand public holidays left in 2026

Thailand public holidays in 2026 aren't over yet. Three are still to come: the Father's Day day off on Monday 7 December, Constitution Day on Thursday 10 December and New Year's Eve on Thursday 31 December.

November has no public holidays: Loy Krathong on Tuesday 24 November is a festival, not a holiday, so bars stay open. Make it the big evening of your trip.

Ask Tanner to fit your December trip around the long weekend.

Thailand public holidays in 2027

Thailand public holidays 2027 run from New Year's Day on Friday 1 January to New Year's Eve on Friday 31 December, as Office Holidays lists them.

When a holiday lands on a weekend, the day off moves to the Monday, and that's where the long weekends come from.

The Bank of Thailand's 2027 holiday notice, published in the Royal Gazette on 25 August 2026, adds no extra Songkran bridge day, and no Cabinet special holiday is announced yet. Ask Tanner to check your dates again close to the trip.

The dry days, and what stays open

The dry days fall on five Buddhist holy days: Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asalha Bucha, Khao Phansa and Ok Phansa, the Office of the Prime Minister's 2025 notice names. The next is Makha Bucha on 21 February 2027, then Visakha Bucha on 20 May, on the Bank of Thailand's 2027 holiday notice. The July pair moves between calendars, so check it close to your trip.

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On these dry days, shops stop selling alcohol.

The ban covers shops, convenience stores, supermarkets and ordinary restaurants and bars.

There are exemptions. Licensed entertainment venues, hotels, international airport terminals, listed tourist-area venues and listed events can still sell, under the Office of the Prime Minister's notice, in force since 10 May 2025. Ordinary bars and restaurants stop selling.

Ok Phansa, which ends Buddhist Lent each October, isn't on the public holiday list, but shops pause sales that day too. In 2027 it's expected on Friday 15 October.

Insider tip: being inside a tourist area doesn't make every bar exempt, so ask the venue before you plan the night.

The Full Moon Party moves too: in February 2027 it's on the 22nd, a day after Makha Bucha. Ask Tanner to put your big evening on the day after a dry day.

Which long weekends sell out first?

Long weekends sell out first, because Thai families head for the coast too. Here is what goes, in order.

The December long weekends go first: 5 to 7 December and New Year's Eve this year, then 4 to 6 and 10 to 12 December 2027.

Songkran, 13 to 15 April 2027, goes next, so book villas by January.

Then comes the four-day break from 1 to 4 May 2027, the longest of the year.

Then the other long weekends: 1 to 3 January, 20 to 22 February and 23 to 25 October.

The weekday holidays are the last-minute ones; they barely move prices.

Insider tip: hold the villa before Thai families book the coast. Ask Tanner to hold it for the long weekend you want.

What each holiday looks like

Thailand public holidays mark Buddhist holy days, the royal family and the Thai New Year, and each one looks different on the street.

On Makha Bucha, temples hold candlelit processions after dark.

Songkran is three days of water fights across the country, and the biggest party of the year.

Khao Phansa starts Buddhist Lent, and Ok Phansa ends it in October.

New Year's Eve is the biggest party night, with countdowns in Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket.

See the Thailand party calendar for the festivals around them, and ask Tanner which one fits your trip.

Are bars open on Thailand public holidays?

Yes. Bars and clubs are open on Thailand public holidays, except on the five Buddhist dry days, and even then licensed entertainment venues and hotels can still serve.

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On a normal public holiday, only banks and government offices close.

Since 29 May 2026, shops can sell alcohol from 11am to midnight, the Department of Disease Control says (checked November 2026); the old 2pm to 5pm break is gone.

Licensed entertainment venues in Bangkok (Silom, RCA and Ratchada), Chonburi including Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Koh Samui district, plus licensed venues inside hotels, may open until 4am under Ministerial Regulation No. 3; ordinary bars and restaurants close earlier, usually by 2am, the Government Public Relations Department confirms (checked November 2026).

Long weekends mean busier clubs, so book VIP sections ahead.

See Thailand nightlife laws, and ask Tanner for a VIP section on the long weekend.

What's the biggest holiday in Thailand?

The biggest holiday in Thailand is Songkran, the Thai New Year, from Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 April 2027, when the whole country stops for three days of water fights.

All three days are public holidays, and none of them are dry days.

The other big night is New Year's Eve, with countdowns in Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket.

See the Songkran guide and New Year's Eve in Thailand, and ask Tanner to hold the villa early.

Planning around the dry days

The best way to plan a party trip around Thailand public holidays is to put the big party, the yacht day and the club on normal days, and keep the dry days for rest.

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On a dry day, plan something that doesn't need a bar: a spa, golf, a long lunch or a boat day.

Stock the villa bar the day before, because shops can't sell on the day.

Check the date again close to your trip, because a special holiday or an election ban can still be added. Plan it with Tanner.

Festivals that aren't holidays

Some of the best party dates aren't on the holiday list at all: Loy Krathong and the Full Moon Party are festivals, so bars and clubs stay open.

The best party date left in 2026? Loy Krathong, Tuesday 24 November, with the Full Moon Party at Haad Rin on Koh Phangan the same evening.

Because it's a festival, not a holiday, there's no long weekend to fight Thai families for.

Ask Tanner to build the trip around 24 November.

The holidays at a glance

What it is: Thailand's official days off, set each year, plus the Buddhist dry days when shops stop selling alcohol.

Left in 2026: 7 December, 10 December and 31 December.

Dry days left in 2026: none; the last was Ok Phansa on 26 October.

2027: Songkran 13 to 15 April; long weekends in January, February, May, October and December.

Dry days 2027: 21 February, 20 May, two July days still to be fixed, and Ok Phansa, expected on Friday 15 October.

Exemptions: licensed entertainment venues, hotels, international airport terminals, listed tourist-area venues and listed events.

Bars and clubs: open on every other holiday; 4am in five areas.

Book first: the December long weekends and Songkran.

Checked November 2026.

Ask Tanner to check your dates against the list.