When planning your trip, you should be aware of the major national holidays celebrated throughout the country. However, although businesses and government offices are closed on public holidays, tourist attractions and shops are almost never closed. The main impact on the tourist of these holidays is the increased competition for travel and accommodation from Thais who use long weekends to get away from the big city.
The list below shows all of the public holidays as well as some of the more important nationwide celebrations that aren't national holidays. Many of the most important holidays on the Thai calendar are based on the lunar calendar and therefore will occur on different days from year to year. There are almost always festivals or other events arranged around these dates:
Public holidays in Thailand are regulated by the government, and most are observed by both the public and private sectors. There are usually sixteen public holidays in a year, but more may be declared by the Cabinet. Note that the actual number of holidays for the individual is determined by the nature of the organization for which they work i.e. public, private, institutions governed by the Bank of Thailand or state-owned enterprises (excluding financial institutions).
On average workers for the first three groups are entitled to fourteen holidays while state-owned enterprise workers enjoy up to fifteen holidays (or more). If a holiday falls on a weekend, one following workday is observed as a compensatory non-workday. The Bank of Thailand regulates bank holidays, which differ slightly from those observed by the government. Other observances, both official and non-official, local and international, are observed in varying degrees throughout the country..