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Thailand is a country of vibrant traditions, colourful celebrations, and warm hospitality. If you’re planning a trip, experiencing these iconic festivals will immerse you in the heart of Thai culture.

Songkran Water Festival 

Thailand welcomes the New Year with style. Following the Theravada Buddhist calendar, Thai New Year celebrations revolve around symbolic cleansing, featuring elaborate parades, temple visits, and most famously, city-wide water fights. Residents armed with water guns and water balloons turn the streets into arenas—one of the best ways to cool down from the April heat.

Image via freepik

Full Moon Parties (Koh Phangan) 

Although not a traditional event, the beaches of Koh Phangan celebrate the monthly full moon with a bang. These parties are some of the biggest in the country, famously held on Haad Rin Beach due to the stunning view of the moon from its shores. Considered one of the best things to do on Koh Phangan, venture outside your beach resort and join in on the revelry along Haad Rin, located a scenic drive south from Anantara Rasananda Koh Phangan Villas.

Yee Peng Festival (Northern Thailand) 

Towards the end of the year, Loy Krathong lights up the rivers and streams of Thailand, with water lanterns decorated in colourful offerings and candles. However, in the North of Thailand, this festival becomes a grand celebration that reaches the skies. The Yee Peng Festival brings Tangled to life, featuring illuminated paper lanterns released into the air, with hundreds of floats promising good fortune.

Vegetarian Festival (Phuket) 

Every October, Phuket celebrates the Vegetarian Festival with colourful processions and unique rituals. Devotees adhere to a vegetarian diet and participate in extraordinary displays of spiritual devotion, such as firewalking and body piercings.

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