Don’t get upset if you get soaked from head to toe—just don’t forget to bring a “water gun” when joining Thailand’s Songkran Festival!

Reported by Reporter Yu  Ru / Taipei



The Songkran Festival is Thailand’s largest annual celebration, comparable in significance to Christmas, Thanksgiving in the West, and New Year’s Eve. This year (102 in the Thai calendar), the Thai Songkran Festival will take place from April 13 to 15. The grand scenes during Songkran are absolutely unbelievable until you see them with your own eyes, but the original traditional festivities were actually quite serene.

The Songkran Festival has been celebrated for hundreds of years in some Southeast Asian regions and has traditionally marked the end of the dry season. Centuries ago, Songkran signified the beginning of the new year in the Thai lunar calendar. It was an occasion for families to gather, celebrate the passing year, and wish for good fortune in the year ahead. People would first visit Buddhist temples to pour scented water over Buddha statues, then pour water over the hands or shoulders of elders at home as a form of blessing.


Nowadays, Thai people still place great importance on community harmony, family reunions, and Buddhist rituals during Songkran. However, the most eye-catching celebrations today are the wild and rowdy street parties—known as the water fights. It’s a nationwide event full of joy and abandon. Once you step into a water fight zone, there’s no way you’ll leave completely dry. Everyone on the streets is caught up in the festive spirit—even strangers smear powder on each other’s cheeks and hair, splash water at one another, and shout “Sawa Dee Bpee Mai” (Happy New Year). Songkran falls during the hottest week of the year, with temperatures that can soar up to 40°C. That’s why Thais embrace getting drenched despite the heat.

▲ Agoda also offers special hotel booking deals during the Thai Songkran Festival. (Photo / Provided by Agoda)
If you’re planning to travel to Thailand during the Songkran Festival, please keep the following tips in mind:
1. Prepare essential gear before joining the water fights—toy water guns, plastic bags (to hold your wallet and phone), goggles or sunglasses, and clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.
2. Ladies, avoid wearing thin or revealing clothing when entering a crowd of revelers who are wet and wild. This is a tip that applies pretty much anywhere in the world.
3. Plan your itinerary carefully, travel with friends, agree on a meeting point in case you get separated, and remember to drink plenty of water (in addition to what gets poured on your head).