Thailand Public Holidays 2026

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Read time 6 min

Last updated August 2026

Quick Summary (TL;DR)

Thailand has 16-18 official public holidays in 2026, plus royal and religious observances.
Five Buddhist days trigger a strict, nationwide alcohol sales ban: Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asalha Bucha, Khao Phansa, and Awk Phansa.
The alcohol ban runs midnight to midnight and applies to bars, restaurants, convenience stores, and supermarkets alike.
Songkran (13-15 April) is the longest public holiday block, and runs even longer in Chiang Mai in practice.
Several holidays have substitute days when the actual date falls on a weekend, so the day off can land a day or two later.

Thailand's public holiday calendar mixes secular national days, royal birthdays and memorials, and Buddhist observance days, and the two categories behave differently. National holidays mean government offices, banks, and most businesses close. Buddhist observance days often stay open for business, but they come with something that catches newcomers out every year: a strict, nationwide ban on alcohol sales. Below is the full 2026 list in chronological order, followed by exactly what the alcohol ban means in practice.

Understanding the Alcohol Sales Ban on Buddhist Days

Under Thai law, alcohol sales are prohibited nationwide, midnight to midnight, on five Buddhist holy days each year: Makha Bucha Day, Visakha Bucha Day, Asalha Bucha Day, Khao Phansa (the start of Buddhist Lent), and Awk Phansa (the end of Buddhist Lent). On these dry days, bars, entertainment venues, restaurants, convenience stores, and supermarkets cannot sell alcohol, no exceptions for tourists or expats. Limited exemptions apply strictly to duty-free shops at international airports, registered hotels serving in-house guests, and a small number of specifically licensed venues.

The practical upshot: if you're planning a night out, a dinner party, or just a normal grocery run for beer, check the date first. Shops will simply refuse the sale, shelves are often physically covered or cordoned off, and bars either close outright or switch to a no-alcohol menu for the day. Two of these five days, Makha Bucha and Visakha Bucha, are also official public holidays, so government offices and banks are closed as well. The other three affect alcohol sales but are not necessarily days off work.

Thailand Public Holidays 2026: Full List

January

Jan 1 (Thu): New Year's Day

March

Mar 3 (Tue): Makha Bucha Day, Public Holiday, 🚫 Alcohol Sales Prohibited. See the Chiang Mai festivals guide for what happens at the temples.

April

Apr 6 (Mon): Chakri Memorial Day
Apr 13 (Mon) to Apr 15 (Wed): Songkran Festival (Thai New Year). In Chiang Mai the celebrations run far longer than the official three days, see the Chiang Mai Songkran guide for the real dates on the ground.

May & June

May 1 (Fri): National Labour Day (private sector and banks)
May 4 (Mon): Coronation Day
May 13 (Wed): Royal Ploughing Ceremony Day (government offices only)
May 31 (Sun): Visakha Bucha Day, Public Holiday, 🚫 Alcohol Sales Prohibited. Details on the temple processions are in the Chiang Mai festivals guide.
Jun 1 (Mon): Substitute Day for Visakha Bucha Day (falls on a Sunday)
Jun 3 (Wed): H.M. Queen Suthida's Birthday

July

Jul 28 (Tue): H.M. King Maha Vajiralongkorn's Birthday
Jul 29 (Wed): Asalha Bucha Day, Public Holiday, 🚫 Alcohol Sales Prohibited
Jul 30 (Thu): Khao Phansa Day, Start of Buddhist Lent, Government Holiday (banks and private business open), 🚫 Alcohol Sales Prohibited

August & October

Aug 12 (Wed): H.M. Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother's Birthday / Mother's Day
Oct 13 (Tue): H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great Memorial Day
Oct 23 (Fri): King Chulalongkorn Memorial Day (Chulalongkorn Day)
Oct 26 (Mon): Awk Phansa Day, End of Buddhist Lent, not an official government day off, but the 🚫 alcohol ban is strictly enforced

December

Dec 5 (Sat): H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Birthday / Father's Day
Dec 7 (Mon): Substitute Day for King Bhumibol's Birthday (falls on a Saturday)
Dec 10 (Thu): Constitution Day
Dec 31 (Thu): New Year's Eve

The Five Buddhist Days and Alcohol Bans at a Glance

Date	Occasion	Public Holiday?	Alcohol Ban?
Mar 3 (Tue)	Makha Bucha Day	Yes	🚫 Yes
May 31 (Sun)	Visakha Bucha Day	Yes	🚫 Yes
Jul 29 (Wed)	Asalha Bucha Day	Yes	🚫 Yes
Jul 30 (Thu)	Khao Phansa (Buddhist Lent Starts)	Gov Only	🚫 Yes
Oct 26 (Mon)	Awk Phansa (Buddhist Lent Ends)	No	🚫 Yes

Chiang Mai Events That Don't Show Up on the National List

The official public holidays above are the days off, but they're not the whole story of Chiang Mai's calendar. Loy Krathong falls alongside Yi Peng in November and isn't a national public holiday, yet it shapes the entire city for days. The Bo Sang Umbrella Festival (third weekend of January), National Children's Day (second Saturday of January), and the Citylife Garden Fair (Saturday 21 November 2026) all follow the same pattern, not days off, but genuinely worth planning around if you're in the city. The full rundown of these, alongside Songkran, Yi Peng, and the Buddhist observance days, is in the Chiang Mai festivals guide.

Bottom Line

Five Buddhist days trigger a strict, nationwide alcohol sales ban in 2026: 3 March, 31 May, 29 July, 30 July, and 26 October.
Only Makha Bucha and Visakha Bucha are official public holidays among those five; the other three still carry the alcohol ban.
Songkran (13-15 April) is the marquee holiday block, and runs longer than the official dates in Chiang Mai specifically.
Several holidays get a substitute day off when the actual date falls on a weekend.
Chiang Mai-specific events like Yi Peng, Loy Krathong, and the Citylife Garden Fair aren't on the national holiday list but are worth planning around regardless.

Guru Tip

Stock your fridge the day before, not the day of. Convenience stores across Chiang Mai start pulling alcohol off shelves from midnight, and staff won't sell even minutes before the ban technically starts if they're already restocking for it. If you know you have people over on a Bucha day, buy everything the evening before.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I buy alcohol at all on a Buddhist holy day in Thailand?

Not from standard retail. Bars, restaurants, convenience stores, and supermarkets are prohibited from selling alcohol on the five Buddhist days. The only exemptions are duty-free shops at international airports, registered hotels serving alcohol to their own in-house guests, and specific licensed venues. Assume you cannot buy alcohol anywhere else.

Which 2026 holidays come with an alcohol ban?

Makha Bucha Day (3 March), Visakha Bucha Day (31 May), Asalha Bucha Day (29 July), Khao Phansa (30 July), and Awk Phansa (26 October). The ban runs midnight to midnight on each of these dates.

Are all five Buddhist days official public holidays?

No. Makha Bucha and Visakha Bucha are official public holidays with banks and government offices closed. Khao Phansa is a government holiday only, with banks and private businesses open. Asalha Bucha is a public holiday. Awk Phansa is not an official day off at all, but the alcohol ban still applies and is strictly enforced.

What happens if a public holiday falls on a weekend?

Thailand typically grants a substitute day off on the next working day. In 2026, Visakha Bucha falls on a Sunday (31 May) with the substitute day on Monday 1 June, and King Bhumibol's Birthday falls on a Saturday (5 December) with the substitute day on Monday 7 December.

Does Songkran only last three days in Chiang Mai?

The official public holiday is 13-15 April, but Chiang Mai's celebrations run considerably longer in practice, typically from around 6 April through 17 April. See the Chiang Mai Songkran guide for what that actually looks like on the ground.