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Public holiday

New Yearวันขึ้นปีใหม่

The Gregorian new year, observed as a public holiday and treated as the second-biggest travel week of the year

Next
31 December – 1 January 2026
31 December – 1 January 2026
Where
Nationwide, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Koh Samui
Public holiday
Yes
Alcohol sales
Normal

In short

Thailand celebrates three new years — Gregorian, Chinese and Songkran — and this is the one the state observes with a holiday at both ends. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are public holidays, the cabinet routinely adds a bridging day, and the country undertakes a domestic migration second only to Songkran. Countdown events run at CentralWorld and ICONSIAM in Bangkok and along every resort beachfront.

Bangkok's Sukhumvit district after dark, seen from above: a dense field of lit office and condominium towers stretching to the horizon, with illuminated billboards and neon shopfronts glowing at street level.
OPK-Photography / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Go if

  • ICONSIAM and Asiatique on the Chao Phraya, which stage the largest fireworks displays in Bangkok
  • The temples at dawn on 1 January, which are full of people making merit for the year
  • Anywhere in the north — late December is the coldest and clearest part of the Thai year

Be aware

  • Peak season pricing at its absolute peak. Island resorts impose compulsory gala dinners and minimum stays over the two nights
  • Domestic flights, buses and trains are booked out from mid-November
  • The second seven dangerous days campaign covers the New Year period; the road risk profile is the same as at Songkran
  • Banks and government offices closed on 31 December, 1 January and any declared bridging day

Dates

31 December and 1 January are both public holidays. The cabinet frequently declares an additional special holiday to bridge to the weekend, and the Bank of Thailand mirrors it for financial institutions. A second seven dangerous days road-safety campaign runs across the period.

  • 31 December – 2 January 2025Friday 2 January 2026 was declared an additional special holiday, giving a four-day break.
  • 31 December – 1 January 2026Thursday and Friday.

Sources

What’s on

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