13 to 15 Apr 2027
From the 12th you will rarely stay dry anywhere in the old city, so seal your phone in a bag before you step out. Head to Tha Phae Gate for the biggest water fight and to Wat Phra Singh for the temple ceremonies.
13 to 15 Apr 2027. Times are approximate and can change from year to year.
The first day of the holiday. Buy a water gun and a phone pouch before you walk into the old city, where the shops are busiest.
The middle day. The water fight carries on round the moat for much of the day.
The last day of the holiday. The party round the old city goes on late into the night.
You are a target the moment you step outside. Children with water pistols and strangers with hoses and buckets will all soak you, even well away from the moat.
Songkran is also a family festival. Young people pour scented water over the hands of their parents and grandparents and ask for a blessing for the year ahead, a custom called Rod Nam Dam Hua.
Watch for the Phra Buddha Sihing, a revered Buddha statue, carried in procession from Wat Phra Singh while crowds sprinkle it with scented water.
Away from the moat, the big malls have run their own Songkran events in past years, and Central Festival has put on a foam party for small children. Elsewhere, households and guesthouses carry speakers into the street and start a party at the door.
Put your cash and ID in a zip-lock bag as well, and leave your passport in the room; many hotels give the bags out. Keep the water out of your mouth and eyes, since some of it is scooped from the moat. Leave monks, the elderly and anyone on a motorbike dry, and if someone soaks you, smile and give a wai, the Thai greeting with palms pressed together.
Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year, and UNESCO lists it as intangible cultural heritage.
Stay inside the old city or close to Tha Phae Gate, so you can walk everywhere. Book well ahead, because the popular hotels fill early. Nimman suits you if you want the bars and a little distance from the moat.
Where to base yourself, and what else is on
The Chiang Mai guide has the rest of the city.
Sixteen days of beer tents and brass bands on a Munich meadow. Get there on a weekday morning and a bench is yours without a booking.
Lima's purple month: a float carried through the old centre from dawn into the night on five days in October.