Thailand’s Songkran festival takes place each year in April.
The festival centers on the traditional solar New Year transition that occurs in mid-April. Thailand’s standard public holidays for Songkran are April 13, 14, and 15, although celebrations in different communities can begin earlier or continue longer.
April is among Thailand’s hottest months, which helps explain why water became such a prominent feature of modern public celebrations. The water also has older ritual associations with cleansing, blessing, and the respectful washing of Buddha images or elders’ hands.
Songkran’s April timing distinguishes it from Thailand’s January 1 civil New Year. It also places the festival within a wider regional pattern: several Southeast Asian countries celebrate related traditional solar New Year festivals around April, though each has its own name and customs.