Qween Vic

Songkran 2023: Everything You Need To Know About Celebrating In Bangkok

Qween Vic Asia, South East Asia, Travel 15 Comments 
Updated: April 1 2023

What is Songkran?

Songkran is the Festival that celebrates the New Year in Thailand. Did you know that the current year in Thailand is 2566 (2023)? In Bangkok, this festival lasts for 3 days. To celebrate the occasion there is a huge water festival where people throw water in the streets. Symbolically the water is as a cleanser to wash away the previous year’s sins and bad luck.
TIP: Saa-Waa-Dee Pee Mai (สวัสดีปีใหม่) means Happy New Year in Thai

When Do You Celebrate Songkran?

Although the celebration was previously determined by the stars, it has been celebrated on the same dates since 1940. In Bangkok, Songkran 2023 will take place from April 13th- April 15th. Other parts of the country tend to celebrate for longer.

How Do You Celebrate Songkran?

Different parts of the country do different things. I have only celebrated in Bangkok so I can only tell you my knowledge about this location. During the holiday most Thai people go to their hometowns and spend the holiday with family. It is a time to spend with your family and show respect to your elders. In the morning, many Thai people go to a temple to make merit by bringing food and other items to the monks. They also pour water over statues of Buddha as well as their elders. After spending time with family it is time for the real games to begin. 

 

Where In Bangkok Can You Celebrate Songkran?

Luckily, it is a huge city so there are plenty of places to play. There are 3 major areas to play in Bangkok. Although these are the most popular areas, there is nowhere in the country you will be safe from getting wet.
  • Silom
  • Khao San Road
  • RCA

Silom Road:

Crowd: Majority Locals very few tourists, all ages
Crowd Size: uncountable, semi crowded

Tip: Get there early, it took a while to get through the security it took us a good 30-45 minutes to go through the entrance area. Although no one actually stopped us and look through our bags.

If you are taking the trains to get there they won’t let you keep the water in your guns. Don’t worry about it there are plenty of people out there selling water for 5฿ to 10฿ and some restaurants are giving it away for free.
This was easily our favorite area to play. We enjoyed it so much that we returned on Day 3 instead of going someplace new.
Songkran | Bangkok, Thailand | MeetTheWards.Com

Khao San Road:

Crowd: Mix of Locals and Tourists, teenagers and older
Crowd Size: uncountable, extremely crowded

Get there early! It lasts from 2 PM to 8 PM. Since we were so tired from day 1 we went out there pretty late. We didn’t reach the street until around 5 PM. “Security” was really quick but once you got inside the zone there were a bazillion people. Honestly, if you ask me it was way too crowded. We stood in one spot for no less than 30 minutes because the crowd was just so dense. No one could move no matter how much everyone was pushing. Khao San is a really small street compared to Silom. Khao San is only two lanes wide and 450m long while Silom is 6 lanes wide and 1.6km.

The clubs had barricades up in front of them and were calling them VIP zones. We ended up ducking into one of these which ended up being a great move. All we had to do was pay for one drink each. Only cost 200฿ total. From inside the VIP area, we were able to move freely and have a good time. There was even a DJ. Even though there were children there I would say this isn’t the most child-friendly area. Unfortunately, there were too many people, and children were getting trampled. After we were in the VIP zone we had a great time shooting people from the safety of that area but I don’t think we would have enjoyed it as much if we didn’t hang out in there the whole time.

The plus side to the VIP area was a DJ, free refills on the water guns, and it was much less crowded. We went on Day 2 so can’t say if it was different on different days. 
 

Songkran | Koh San Road

RCA: 

Crowd: Entirely Local Teenagers to Mid Twenty Year Olds

This is usually a ticketed area. Tickets usually sell out months in advance. If a more structured event with live performing acts, is more your speed this is the area for you. We did not realize you had to have tickets to come here so we showed up and were unable to get in. I highly suggest you book your tickets well in advance of arriving in Bangkok.

RCA Bangkok | Songkran |

Songkran Parties 2023

There will be plenty of parties happening all around the city. Most of them cost money but can be a good alternative if you want to participate but would rather attend something more structured. There will also be lots of pool parties if you want smaller crowds. 

What to Wear?

Contrary to what you might believe this is a pretty modest country. Feel free to wear what you want but keep in mind whatever you wear make sure you have a bathing suit or something of the sort underneath it. For men make sure you keep your shirt on as it is illegal to walk around without a shirt on. Most Thais are wearing colorful floral print shirts so their shirts aren’t see-through when they get wet. On day 1 I wore a thin white T-shirt. While I had a bathing suit underneath it, it seems that my chest then became a target for pervy little boys lol. Certainly, make sure you also wear slip-resistant shoes or shoes with a really good grip. Falling is the last thing you want to do when the ground is all wet and dirty. Also should go without saying but whatever material you choose to wear make sure it isn’t heavy when it gets wet like jeans as you will be walking around all day and do not want to be uncomfortable. 
 

What To Bring?

  • Waterproof Case
    • If you plan on bringing electronics, make sure you have a waterproof case. I think the best ones are the ones that have the “screw” tight close ones rather than the Velcro. Something about Velcro does not scream waterproof to me. If you want to purchase in advance you can buy them online from Amazon. If you didn’t bring your own they sell them all over for 20-50฿.
  • Phone /Camera
  • Protective Glasses 
    • Also, make sure you have on protective eyewear like sunglasses or goggles as the water probably isn’t that clean and the last thing you want is dirty water in your eye. Not to mention, there is this white powder that they might put on your face. Again, it is not something you want in your eyes.
  • A small amount of money
  • Water Guns
    • I would purchase these a few days in advance locally. Not only will it be cheaper but if you purchase on the day of there will be price gouging and the guns you get will probably be super cheap. 
  • Ear Plugs
    • While I did not have them I WISH I did. I ended up with a pretty serious ear infection after 3 days of getting the water shot in my ear.

Songkran Supplies | Bangkok, Thailand

How Much Does Songkran Cost?

The best part about this is that is FREE! Aside from the purchases of essentials, there is no cost of just being there and participating. The only thing you may need to pay for is food, drinks, bathrooms, and refills on water for your water guns.

Rules: Official and Unofficial 

  • Do not shoot people on motorcycles
    • Tuk Tuks are cool
  • Do not shoot people indoors
    • As it turns out right outside the door is perfectly okay.
  • Do not shoot people in their face
    • This is a suggestion but you will be shot in the face, for sure.
  • Do not shoot monks, elderly, babies
    • Small children are cool
  • Do not use high-power water guns

How To Participate:

Just show up at the locations stated above and get wet. As long as you remember not to take anything personally you will have fun. No matter how hard or direct someone shoots you it is all in good nature. In essence, Shoot back and enjoy it. 
 
Shooting a watergun at a Tuktuk in Bangkok during new years
 
Share!

When, Where and How to Celebrate Songkran 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand

 
 
 
Two Traveling Texans
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

15 thoughts on “Songkran 2023: Everything You Need To Know About Celebrating In Bangkok”

  1. Pingback: ALMOST Everything There Is To Do In Bangkok

  2. Pingback: 10 Things You Have To See To Believe: Bangkok Edition - Qween Vic

  5. Pingback: 10 Things You Have To See To Believe: Bangkok Edition

  6. Amelia

    My favorite traveling couple is back. These are great tips. Especially the ear plugs and floral shirts! Def planning to participate next year.

    Reply
  7. Janice

    Wow what a great post! I love coming here because you cover such a range of things! I can’t wait for what’s next!!!😆😊

    Reply
  8. Mary {The World Is A Book}

    I have heard of this and seen them posted over the years. It looks so much fun! I love that it’s free and it just looks like an amazing experience. I’m sure my kids would love to do this. It’s too bad there’s no way we’d get there while they’re still in school 🙂 Great tips (especially the goggles and ear plugs) and information.

    Reply
  9. Anisa

    That sounds like a lot of fun. I would not have thought of wearing earplugs though, so that is a great tip. Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.

    Reply

What Did You Think? Let Us Know

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.