Songkran: Where to Go and What to Pack

The biggest and longest Songkran in the country happens right here — the square moat around the old city becomes one giant water source that people scoop up and throw all day long. Tha Phae Gate is the epicentre, with stages, concerts, and the thickest crowds, and the action runs for several days with locals and visitors side by side.

Bangkok has two main battlegrounds. Silom closes a road several kilometres long into a massive splash arena with tens of thousands of people, while Khao San, the backpacker strip, runs an all-out party with lots of international visitors from day into night. Both are easy to reach by Skytrain or river boat.

If you want the splash and the sea in one trip, Patong is the answer — Bangla Road, right by Patong beach, turns into a buzzing water-play zone, and you can walk straight down to the sand when you're done. The strip keeps its energy into the night too, ideal if you're already on Phuket and want to fold Songkran in.

You don't have to get soaked all day to experience Songkran. On the morning of the 13th, many temples hold merit-making, almsgiving, water-pouring over Buddha images, and sand-pagoda building. For the quieter heart of the festival, try Ayutthaya or an old-town district, where the focus is pouring water over elders' hands rather than the street battle — warmer in feel and a real window into the culture.