Short answer
The Bank of Thailand's list for 2027 has 18 holidays, from Friday 1 January to Friday 31 December, including Songkran on Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 April. Government offices use a separate list that adds Khao Phansa and the Royal Ploughing Ceremony, and we found no confirmed cabinet list yet. Alcohol sales are banned in most shops and restaurants on five Buddhist holy days: Makha Bucha (Sunday 21 February), Visakha Bucha (Thursday 20 May), Asalha Bucha (Sunday 18 July), Khao Phansa (Monday 19 July) and Ok Phansa in October.
What are Thailand's public holidays in 2027, with dates and weekdays?
The Bank of Thailand has announced 18 holidays for financial institutions in 2027, the Nation reported on 28 August 2026; a Thai law firm's guide gives the notice as Notification No. 37/2569 in the Royal Gazette of 25 August 2026. The first half of the year: Friday 1 January (New Year's Day); Monday 22 February (in place of Makha Bucha, which falls on Sunday 21 February); Tuesday 6 April (Chakri Memorial Day); Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 April (Songkran); Monday 3 May (in place of Labour Day, Saturday 1 May); Tuesday 4 May (Coronation Day); Thursday 20 May (Visakha Bucha); and Thursday 3 June (Queen Suthida's Birthday).
The second half: Monday 19 July (in place of Asalha Bucha, Sunday 18 July); Wednesday 28 July (the King's Birthday); Thursday 12 August (the Queen Mother's Birthday and Mother's Day); Wednesday 13 October (Navamindra Maharaj Day); Monday 25 October (in place of Chulalongkorn Day, Saturday 23 October); Monday 6 December (in place of 5 December, a Sunday, King Bhumibol's Birthday, National Day and Father's Day); Friday 10 December (Constitution Day); and Friday 31 December (New Year's Eve). The Bank of Thailand's own page loads its table by script, so we took the day-by-day dates from the Nation. Wikipedia says that when a holiday falls on a weekend, the government observes the next working day instead.
How does the government's list differ from the banks' list?
Government offices use the cabinet's list, which differs from the banks' list in three places, according to Time Out Bangkok's 2027 calendar of 23 September 2026 and the law firm's guide. National Labour Day (Saturday 1 May) and its Monday 3 May substitute are for banks and private companies; government agencies open as normal on 3 May. The Royal Ploughing Ceremony is a government-only holiday in May, with a date set each year by the Bureau of the Royal Household and not yet announced. Khao Phansa, the start of Buddhist Lent, on Monday 19 July is a government holiday, and for banks the same day is the substitute for Asalha Bucha.
Treat the government list as provisional. Time Out calls the 2027 calendar official, but the law firm said that its check on 5 October 2026 found no cabinet resolution on the government's 2027 list, its substitute days or any extra bridging holidays, and its guide, last updated on 31 October 2026, still lists them as open. It expects a possible government substitute on Tuesday 20 July for Asalha Bucha, while Time Out says Monday 19 July covers it. Some online calendars show Asalha Bucha on 19 July; the Bank of Thailand's notification puts it on Sunday 18 July, the law firm says. If you need a district office, an embassy or an immigration counter around these dates, check the office itself.
Which Buddhist holy days ban alcohol sales in 2027?
Five Buddhist holy days carry a ban on alcohol sales, according to the Nation's reports of 25 February and 28 July 2026: Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asalha Bucha, Khao Phansa and Ok Phansa. In 2027 they fall on Sunday 21 February, Thursday 20 May, Sunday 18 July and Monday 19 July. Ok Phansa, the end of Buddhist Lent, is in October, and we found no announced date by 3 November 2026. Wikipedia places it on the full moon of the 11th lunar month, which the Hong Kong Observatory's table puts on Friday 15 October 2027, so expect it around then and confirm it nearer the time. The July 2026 ban ran from 12:01 am on the first day to midnight at the end of the second.
The ban covers most shops, convenience stores and ordinary restaurants. Five categories are exempt: passenger terminals at international airports; hotels under the hotel law; entertainment venues licensed under the entertainment-places law; similar venues in tourist areas designated by the public health minister; and designated venues for large national or international events. Ordinary restaurants and shops are not automatically exempt, the Nation says, and a seller who breaks the ban faces up to six months in prison, a 10,000-baht fine, or both. Buy sealed drinks the day before, and ask your hotel whether its bar serves. Our alcohol hours guide explains the 11:00 to 24:00 rule for ordinary days, and our Full Moon Party dates guide shows how the Koh Phangan parties move around these days.
Which long weekends should you plan around?
The Nation counts eight breaks of three days or more on the banks' calendar: 1 to 3 January (Friday to Sunday); 20 to 22 February (Saturday to Monday, Makha Bucha); 1 to 4 May (Saturday to Tuesday, the longest, at four days); 17 to 19 July (Saturday to Monday, Asalha Bucha); 23 to 25 October (Saturday to Monday, Chulalongkorn Day); 4 to 6 December (Saturday to Monday); 10 to 12 December (Friday to Sunday, Constitution Day); and 31 December to 2 January 2028. Songkran, 13 to 15 April, is three weekdays that do not touch a weekend. The law firm adds that Thursday 31 December 2026 and Friday 1 January 2027 give a four-day break at the start of the year.
Expect busier transport and hotels around these dates. Time Out notes that buses out of Mo Chit fill up days ahead as Bangkok heads home for Songkran, and that taking Monday 5 April off turns Tuesday 6 April, Chakri Memorial Day, into a four-day break. Book domestic transport and hotels early for Songkran week, for 1 to 4 May and for the December weekends. For the Songkran dates and which of our tours close, see our Songkran 2027 guide.
What closes for visitors, and what keeps running?
Banks close on the 18 days above and at weekends, and government offices close on their own list. The Nation adds that branches in Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Satun and Songkhla get three extra holidays: Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Chinese New Year. Draw cash before a bank break; our ATM fee and cash guide explains the fees. Private businesses decide for themselves: Wikipedia says the Labour Protection Act requires them to observe at least 13 holidays a year, including National Labour Day, and they choose the other observances they follow, so some shops and offices may close on days that are on neither list.
Sights and tours mostly keep running. Our Grand Palace guide says the palace is open daily from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and closes only for royal ceremonies or official business. Most of our tours run on public holidays, but our Phuket elephant sanctuary morning is closed on 13 April, and the falls on our River Kwai and Erawan Falls day trip are crowded on weekends and public holidays and turn into a water fight during Songkran. Send us your date and we check each tour.
Which well-known days are not public holidays?
Chinese New Year, Loy Krathong and Christmas are not public holidays. Chinese New Year 2027 is Saturday 6 February; on the banks' calendar it is an extra holiday only in the five southern provinces named above, and Wikipedia describes it as observed by Thai Chinese and parts of the private sector. See our Chinese New Year in Phuket guide and our Bangkok guide. Time Out notes that Loy Krathong usually falls in November but is not a holiday.
Wikipedia lists Christmas among other observances, and our Christmas in Phuket guide shows what runs as normal on 24 and 25 December. Time Out also points out that March, September and November 2027 have no public holidays at all, so they are the easiest months for paperwork, though not necessarily quiet for tourists.
How should you plan a trip around the 2027 holidays?
Start from your reason for travelling. If you want to avoid the Thai holiday rush on roads, trains and flights, the months with no public holidays are March, September and November, according to Time Out. If you want Songkran, expect water, crowds and closures from Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 April. If you plan a drink-heavy night out, check the five holy days above first, because shops and many bars stop selling alcohol on them.
Then check the small print for the dates that matter to you: the government list for any visit to an office, the exemption for your hotel's bar, and the Ok Phansa date in October. The Bank of Thailand's page and the cabinet's announcements are the official sources, and they can add or move a day, so look again a month before you travel. Send us your dates and we tell you which tours run and which are crowded.
Practical checklist
- Use the Bank of Thailand's 18 days for banks and the cabinet's list for government offices, and check the office itself for dates around 19 and 20 July.
- Draw cash before bank breaks: 13 to 15 April, 1 to 4 May, 17 to 19 July and the December weekends.
- Buy sealed drinks the day before 21 February, 20 May, 18 and 19 July and the Ok Phansa day in October.
- Book beach hotels and domestic transport early for Songkran, 1 to 4 May and the December weekends.
- Ask us about any tour on a holiday date: the Phuket elephant sanctuary morning is closed on 13 April.
Questions and answers
How many public holidays does Thailand have in 2027?
The Bank of Thailand lists 18 holidays for banks, including eight breaks of three days or more, according to the Nation. Government offices follow a slightly different list that was not confirmed by the cabinet in the sources we read.
When is Songkran in 2027?
Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 April 2027 on the Bank of Thailand's calendar. All three days are weekdays, so the break does not touch a weekend.
Is alcohol banned on Buddhist holidays in Thailand?
Yes, in most shops and restaurants, on five holy days: Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asalha Bucha, Khao Phansa and Ok Phansa. Hotels, international airport terminals and licensed venues in tourist areas are exempt, according to the Nation.
Is Chinese New Year a public holiday in Thailand?
No. On the Bank of Thailand's 2027 calendar it is an extra holiday only for branches in Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Satun and Songkhla. Chinese New Year 2027 is Saturday 6 February.
Are banks open on Monday 3 May 2027?
No. Saturday 1 May is Labour Day, and Monday 3 May is the banks' substitute day. Government agencies open as normal on 3 May, according to Time Out Bangkok.
What is the longest long weekend in 2027?
Four days, Saturday 1 to Tuesday 4 May, covering Labour Day, its Monday substitute and Coronation Day on Tuesday 4 May.