Khmer Holidays Guide
Cambodia's big three festivals — when they happen, why they matter, and what to expect as a visitor or returning family.
Updated yearly with the latest lunar-calendar dates.
Khmer New Year
ចូលឆ្នាំថ្មី · Chol Chnam Thmey
Cambodia's biggest celebration. Three days of family visits, pagoda blessings, sand mountain building, and traditional games. Banks, schools, and most shops close — plan travel and visa runs around it.
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Pchum Ben
ភ្ជុំបិណ្ឌ · Pchum Ben
Ancestors' Day. A 15-day Buddhist observance honoring seven generations of family who came before. Cambodians return to their home villages with food offerings for monks and quiet pre-dawn pagoda visits.
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Water Festival
បុណ្យអុំទូក · Bon Om Touk
Cambodia's largest annual festival. Hundreds of long boats race on the Tonle Sap to celebrate the river's rare flow reversal. Phnom Penh's riverside becomes the country's biggest gathering — book accommodation months ahead.
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Why these three?
Cambodia has more than 25 official public holidays — King's Birthday, Constitution Day, Independence Day, International Labour Day, and many religious observances. But Khmer New Year, Pchum Ben, and Water Festival are the three that shape the entire year.
Each one shuts down banks, government offices, and most private businesses for at least three days. Each pulls people back to their home villages from Phnom Penh, creating massive holiday traffic on National Roads 5, 6, and 7. Each one is when Cambodian families gather — for blessings, for memory, for joy.
If you live, work, or travel in Cambodia, planning around these three is the single biggest calendar skill. Book buses early. Avoid bank deadlines the week before. Stock up on cash, water, and motorbike fuel. And — if you're a visitor — show up. Cambodia at festival time is something the rest of the world does not have.
Cambodia Public Holiday Calendar 2026
| Holiday | 2026 Dates | Days Off | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khmer New Year | April 14–16, 2026 | 3 | Banks closed; book travel early |
| Pchum Ben | Approx. Sep 30 – Oct 14, 2026 | 3 (main days) | 15-day Buddhist observance; villages fill up |
| Water Festival | Approx. Nov 23–25, 2026 | 3 | Boat races; Phnom Penh riverside packed |
What Happens at Each Festival
Khmer New Year — Chol Chnam Thmey
Celebrated for three days in mid-April, Khmer New Year marks the end of the harvest season and follows the Hindu solar calendar. Families clean their homes, make offerings at pagodas, and build small sand mountains (phnom khsach) symbolising Mount Meru. Traditional games like AngKunh (throwing seeds), Bas Angkunh, and Chaol Chhoung (a scarf-toss game) are played in temple grounds. Water splashing — borrowed from Songkran traditions of neighboring Thailand and Laos — has grown popular in Phnom Penh's streets. Streets empty as millions travel back to home provinces.
Pchum Ben — Ancestors' Day
A 15-day Buddhist observance running from the first to the fifteenth day of the tenth month of the Khmer calendar (late September to mid-October). Cambodians believe that spirits of the dead are released from the underworld during this period, and offerings of food — sticky rice balls called bay ben — are brought to temples before dawn each day to feed wandering ancestral souls. Families are expected to visit at least seven pagodas during the 15 days. The last three days are national public holidays and the most intense travel period of the observance, second only to Khmer New Year.
Water Festival — Bon Om Touk
Held at the full moon in November, the Water Festival celebrates the natural phenomenon of the Tonle Sap river reversing its flow after the monsoon season. For six months the river drains from the Tonle Sap lake into the Mekong; after peak flood season the current reverses. Longboat races (tuk ngo) — teams of 50 to 80 paddlers — race the full length of the Phnom Penh riverfront over three days. Up to one million visitors descend on Phnom Penh for the event, making accommodation extremely scarce. The festival also includes illuminated boat parades and fireworks over the confluence of the Mekong, Tonle Sap, and Bassac rivers.
Practical Tips for Visitors in 2026
- Book early. Hotels in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap fill up 2–3 months before each major festival. Bus tickets for the provinces sell out within days of going on sale.
- Carry cash. ATMs in smaller towns run dry within 24 hours of Khmer New Year. Draw money in the city before you travel. Cambodia uses both USD and Khmer Riel (KHR); most ATMs dispense USD.
- Expect closures. Banks, government offices, schools, and most restaurants close for the full holiday period. Plan grocery shopping, pharmacy visits, and any official business for the week before.
- Dress respectfully at pagodas. Cover your shoulders and knees when visiting temples. Removing shoes before entering prayer halls is mandatory.
- Traffic doubles. National Roads 5 (to Battambang), 6 (to Siem Reap), and 7 (to Kampong Cham) see severe congestion on the eve and final day of every major holiday. Budget an extra 2–4 hours for any inter-city journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is Khmer New Year 2026?
- April 14–16, 2026. The date is set by the Khmer solar calendar and always falls between April 13 and April 16. Banks and most businesses close for the full three days.
- How many public holidays does Cambodia have per year?
- Cambodia officially recognises around 27 public holidays per year — among the highest in Southeast Asia. Beyond the three major festivals, the calendar includes the King's Birthday (May 14), Independence Day (November 9), Constitution Day (September 24), International Labour Day (May 1), Victory Day (January 7), and several royal and Buddhist observance days.
- Is Pchum Ben a public holiday?
- The final three days of Pchum Ben are official national public holidays in Cambodia. The full 15-day observance is a religious period, but schools and most private businesses only close for the last three days.
- Why do dates change every year?
- Khmer New Year follows the Hindu solar calendar (fixed in mid-April), while Pchum Ben and Water Festival follow the Khmer lunar calendar, which shifts relative to the Gregorian calendar by 10–13 days each year. Exact dates are announced by the Royal Palace several months in advance.