Songkran’s traditional solar New Year transition takes place in April.
The festival is linked to the sun’s movement into Aries in the traditional zodiac, placing the seasonal transition in mid-April. Thailand’s best-known Songkran celebrations therefore occur around April 13 to 15, although local events may begin earlier or continue later.
Thailand now uses January 1 as its official civil New Year’s Day. Songkran remains the traditional Thai New Year and continues to have major cultural, religious, family, and public importance.
A common mix-up is treating Songkran as a fixed worldwide date with identical observances everywhere. Related April New Year festivals are celebrated in several countries, but each country and community has its own name, calendar details, and customs.