2023 Public Holidays in Thailand and Local Festivals

Thailand villa for holiday rental

2023 Bank holidays in Thailand

A list of bank holidays in Thailand follows.

Of these, the most raucous Thai holiday is the Songkran festival (Thai New Year), where water and talc is thrown in abundance on each and every passing person, and vast amounts of alcohol are consumed over consecutive days. Be ready to get wet if you intend to be in Thailand at this time of year. Do not try to stay dry: just smile and enjoy!

In the villages around Gecko Villa, you will often witness local ceremonies and traditional rites that do not feature on any calendar, but can be fascinating to attend or in which to participate. You may witness a novice monk's initiation ceremony, where a young man makes merit and enters the monkhood for a period of time (this generally involves a colourful procession on foot with the novice held aloft and paraded through the village with much dancing); morlam or morlam sing performances - music concerts varying from small affairs on makeshift stages to major performances by larger groups with dancers; merit-making festivals at the local temples; or funerals, weddings etc. A large part is usually played by alcohol in the majority of these occasions, with rice whisky and other indigenous brews flowing freely.

Bank holidays in Thailand 2023

If a public holiday in Thailand falls on a weekend, the following working day is substituted as a holiday. To simplify your travel plans, the list of Thai holidays below shows the actual dates when the holidays are observed. Do note however that the dates below are subject to change by the Thai government.

1 Jan Sunday New Year's Day
2 Jan Monday Day off for New Year's Day
6 Mar Monday Makha Bucha
6 Apr Thursday Chakri Day
13 Apr Thursday Songkran
14 Apr Friday Songkran
1 May Monday Labor Day Bank holiday
4 May Thursday Coronation Day
11 May Thursday Royal Ploughing Ceremony Day (Tentative Date) Government Holiday only
3 Jun Saturday Visakha Bucha
3 Jun Saturday Queen Suthida's Birthday
5 Jun Monday Day off for Visakha Bucha
5 Jun Monday Day off for Queen Suthida's Birthday
28 Jul Friday King Vajiralongkorn's Birthday
1 Aug Tuesday Buddhist Lent Day
12 Aug Saturday The Queen's Birthday
14 Aug Monday Day off for The Queen's Birthday
13 Oct Friday Anniversary of the Death of King Bhumibol
23 Oct Monday Chulalongkorn Day
5 Dec Tuesday King Bhumibol's Birthday/Father's Day
10 Dec Sunday Constitution Day
11 Dec Monday Substitute Holiday for Constitution Day
31 Dec Sunday New Year's Eve