HOLIDAYS
AND EVENTS
Thailand has
Government and religious holidays throughout the year. Being a Buddhist
country, major religious holidays are also Government holidays. Many religious
holidays are based on the lunar calendar; so the date will fluctuate from year
to year. On Government holidays, government offices and banks are closed; if
the date is on the weekend, they will close on the following Monday. The Government
has also been known to declare additional days at times for some holidays. Entertainment and shopping venues will usually
be open on most holidays. However,
on some of the major holidays, the Government may declare a ban on the sale of
alcohol. When this happens, some entertainment businesses may be closed and
those that are open will not be serving alcohol; e.g., Makha
Bucha Day and the, King’s Birthday. Also, Thai law
prohibits the sale of alcohol on Election Day; this ban starts the evening
before Election Day (Saturday) and continues till midnight of Election Day
(Sunday). Although technically
illegal, some bars and restaurants may start serving alcohol on Sunday after
the polls have closed. The ban also applies to private parties, but we have not
heard of any reports of enforcement of that provision against foreigners.
April is the summer holidays for most
schools and may begin as early as mid-March and end as late as early May. There
will be a lot of families traveling during this period. Schools are also on holiday for about 3
weeks in October.
Some areas of
Thailand will have recurring annual events and celebrations. As with holidays, some events are based
on the lunar calendar. The days for
some local events may be established each year, but will most likely occur during
the same month of each year, e.g., Surin Elephant
Round Up and Chonburi Buffalo Races.
Holidays for 2009 (2552)
and 2010 (2553)
