Etiquette & CultureBy Clever Tourists · Published · Last updated
Songkran, the Thai New Year, runs 13 to 15 April 2027, Tuesday to Thursday, and those three days are national public holidays. Chiang Mai celebrates longest: the water fights around the old city moat usually start a day or two before and go on after. In Bangkok the main water-play zones are Silom Road and Khao San Road, where in 2026 play was limited to noon to 10pm with screening for banned high-pressure guns. As of 26 October 2026 no extra "bridge" holiday for 2027 has been announced; the Cabinet typically decides a couple of months before. Below: Chiang Mai vs Bangkok, the rules and fines, what to protect, a planning timeline, and how to book around the closures.
Songkran follows the solar calendar, so the official dates do not move: 13 April (Songkran Day), 14 April (Family Day) and 15 April are public holidays every year. In 2027 that is Tuesday to Thursday. The Cabinet has added extra holidays in some past years (in 2024 it declared Friday 12 April a special holiday about two months ahead), so check again in February 2027 for a possible Friday 16 April bridge day.
Local programmes run longer than the national days. In 2026, Chiang Mai's events were listed from around 11 to 19 April, and Pattaya's Wan Lai is held after the main days, usually around 18 to 19 April. City programmes, road closures and Bangkok's water-play hours are announced only a few weeks before the festival.
Chiang Mai is the one most travellers come for. The whole moat around the old city becomes a water fight, with people scooping buckets straight from the moat and pickup trucks with water barrels circling the ring road. Tha Phae Gate is the centre, with stages and spray tunnels. It is also the most traditional: the Phra Buddha Sihing image is carried in procession through the old city for people to pour water on, and temples build sand chedis in their grounds. The catch: April is the tail of the northern burning season, and some years Chiang Mai's air quality is poor, so check the AQI before you book.
Bangkok is more of a street party. Silom Road is usually closed to traffic for water play and draws a younger, mostly Thai crowd; Khao San Road is the backpacker version, louder and more international. In 2026 Khao San water play was allowed only 13 to 15 April, noon to 10pm, with police checkpoints keeping out powder and high-pressure guns. The rest of the city empties as people go home to the provinces, so traffic is light and some restaurants and shops close.
Either way, outside the zones you will still get wet anywhere people are out. If you only want a taste, an afternoon in the zone and a dry evening elsewhere is enough. Our Chiang Mai guide and Bangkok guide cover the rest of each city.
Thai authorities published a set of water-play safeguards for Songkran 2026, with fines reported as follows. Expect a similar list for 2027:
• High-pressure water guns: banned, fine up to 4,000 baht. Ordinary pump guns and buckets are fine.
• Splashing people who are not taking part (on motorbikes, in uniform, monks, the elderly, people clearly on their way somewhere): fines up to 60,000 baht.
• Powder or clay paste on someone without consent: 5,000 baht. Revealing dress in public: 5,000 baht.
• Sexual harassment (groping, hugging, kissing): up to 200,000 baht.
• Alcohol: selling or drinking in designated public zones is banned under local orders. Bangkok made its water-play zones alcohol-free in 2026 and ended play at 10pm.
• Water trucks in restricted areas: 50,000 baht; drink-driving: up to 20,000 baht; riding without a helmet: 2,000 baht each for rider and passenger.
Two common-sense rules on top: do not use ice water or dirty water, and do not aim at faces, eyes or ears. The days around Songkran are among the deadliest of the year on Thai roads, so do not ride a scooter through it.
Assume everything you carry will be soaked, repeatedly, from every direction.
• Phone: a waterproof pouch on a lanyard, sold at every street stall in the days before. Test it with tissue inside before trusting it.
• Cash and cards: a small amount in a zip-lock bag; leave passport and spare cards in the hotel safe. Carry a photo of your passport.
• Eyes: moat water is not clean. Wear cheap swimming goggles or sunglasses, and rinse off and shower afterwards. Skip contact lenses for the day.
• Clothes: quick-dry shirt and shorts, sandals with straps; wet flip-flops on tiled streets are how people get hurt. Floral shirts are the unofficial uniform.
Taxis and Grab drivers may refuse dripping passengers or ask you to sit on a plastic sheet; carry a small towel.
Songkran is Thailand's biggest domestic travel week. Trains, buses and flights out of Bangkok on the days before 13 April, and back afterwards, sell out early. The overnight sleeper to Chiang Mai is the classic way to arrive; book it as soon as sales open. Hotels near Chiang Mai's old city and around Silom and Khao San rise in price and fill first, so book a couple of months ahead.
Banks and government offices close on the public holidays, and many family-run shops and restaurants close for several days while owners go home. Big malls, 7-Elevens and tourist areas stay open. Visa runs and immigration office visits should be done before or after.
Arriving by air? Fill in the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card within three days of arrival. And if staff at your guesthouse or a driver works through the holiday for you, our guide to tipping in Thailand covers what is normal.
• Now to January 2027: book flights into Thailand and hotels near Chiang Mai's old city or Silom; these fill first. Book the sleeper train north as soon as sales open for your dates
• February 2027: watch for a Cabinet decision on an extra holiday. In 2024 Friday 12 April was added about two months ahead; nothing has been announced for 2027 yet
• March 2027: check Chiang Mai's air quality trend, because April is the tail of the burning season; our Chiang Mai burning season 2027 guide explains what to watch
• Early April: city programmes, road closures and Bangkok's water-play zone hours are published. Buy a waterproof phone pouch when you arrive
• About 11 to 16 April: the festival, with 13 to 15 April as the public holidays. Banks and government offices close; many family-run places close for a few days
• 17 April onward: return travel peaks as people head back to Bangkok; Pattaya's Wan Lai usually follows around 18 to 19 April
We were in Thailand from December 2022 to January 2023, including six nights in Chiang Mai, so we know the old city and the moat that becomes the water fight, but we haven't been for Songkran itself. Our Asia festival and holiday calendar 2027 puts Songkran next to Loy Krathong and the big dates in the other countries we visited.
13 to 15 April 2027, Tuesday to Thursday, all national public holidays. Chiang Mai's water fights usually start a day or two earlier and run on after, and any extra Cabinet bridge holiday for 2027 has not been announced yet.
Chiang Mai is bigger and more traditional, with the whole old city moat as a water fight and processions over several days. Bangkok concentrates water play on Silom and Khao San roads, which had set hours (noon to 10pm on Khao San in 2026).
Ordinary water guns and buckets are fine. High-pressure water guns were banned in 2026 with fines up to 4,000 baht, and police screened for them at Khao San Road.
Not in designated public water-play zones: local orders ban selling or drinking alcohol there, and Bangkok made its zones alcohol-free in 2026. Bars and restaurants can still sell during legal hours.
Banks and government offices close on 13 to 15 April, and many small family-run shops and restaurants close for a few days. Malls, convenience stores and tourist-area businesses stay open.
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