By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Lunar New Year Eve, headline processionFriday 5 February 2027
- Lunar New Year, Year of the SheepSaturday 6 February 2027
- Where
- Yaowarat Road, Chinatown
- Tickets
- Free
- Time of year
- January or February
- Dates
- Move each year with the lunar calendar
New Year’s Day falls on the Saturday, so the whole weekend runs as peak Yaowarat. The eve procession passes Odeon Circle from roughly 7pm to midnight.
Yaowarat is running its full street programme again. The previous year it was cancelled out of respect for the national mourning period following the death of Her Majesty Queen Mother Sirikit, and a lot of published guidance still reflects that year rather than this one. Food stalls, gold shops and neighbourhood lion dances continued throughout; the formal procession and stage performances did not. Mourning has since ended, so the traditional programme is back.
What Chinese New Year in Yaowarat actually is
Bangkok has one of the largest Chinese communities of any city outside China, and Yaowarat is its centre. For the new year the avenue is hung with red lanterns along its full length, lion dancers work shop to shop collecting red envelopes from gold merchants and restaurateurs, firecrackers go off without warning, and the street food density becomes close to unnavigable. It is not a staged event so much as a working neighbourhood doing what it does at maximum volume.
Where to watch Chinese New Year in Yaowarat
- Yaowarat Road itself, along the lantern strip. Roughly a kilometre and a half of red lanterns from Odeon Circle at the eastern end down to Ratchawong Pier. Walk it rather than pick a spot. The lion dances move continuously and the interesting things happen wherever they have stopped.
- Odeon Circle for the headline procession. The evening procession on the eve passes the circle from around seven until midnight. This is the one part of the programme with a fixed time and a fixed place, and the position fills from late afternoon. Get there by five if you want to be near the front.
- The elevated walkway at Wat Mangkon station. Above the road, and the only easy way to see the lantern strip as a strip rather than as the underside of a lantern. Best in the half hour after the lanterns come on and before full dark, when the red still reads against a blue sky.
- CentralwOrld, if Yaowarat sounds like too much. The mall runs a large formal new year programme over several days with stage performances and installations, indoors and air-conditioned. It became the main event during the mourning year and has kept a substantial programme since. Not remotely the same experience, and much easier with small children.
- Wat Traimit at the Chinatown gate. The Golden Buddha temple sits at the eastern end and holds its own observances. Quieter than the street, and a useful place to start or finish a walk down the avenue.
Tickets and what it costs
There is no admission to any of it. The street is free, the procession is free, the lion dances are free and the temples are free. Money goes on food, which is what Yaowarat is for in any case, and on the gold shops doing their busiest trade of the year. Restaurants along the avenue take bookings for the weekend and the good ones are gone weeks ahead, so if you want to sit down rather than graze, book early or eat before you arrive.
Official information and booking: www.officeholidays.com/holidays/thailand/chinese-new-year
Getting there
Wat Mangkon on the MRT Blue Line puts you on the avenue. This is a relatively recent piece of infrastructure and it has changed how the festival works, because it removed the need to arrive by road. Do not attempt a taxi anywhere near Yaowarat over the weekend; the surrounding streets seize up entirely and you will do better walking from a station further out. The river boat to Ratchawong Pier is a pleasant alternative approach from the west.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Reading last year as this year
The street programme was cancelled during the national mourning period and a great deal of published guidance still describes that. The formal procession and performances are back. If a source tells you Yaowarat does not run a new year programme, it is out of date.
Coming only on the day itself
The headline procession is on the eve, not on new year day. The lanterns go up several days beforehand and the lion dances run across the whole weekend. Arriving on the day and leaving that night means missing the part with a schedule.
Wearing white
White is the colour of mourning in Thai and Chinese custom and it reads oddly at a new year celebration. Red is worn for luck by more or less everyone. Nobody will say anything, but you will notice you are the only person dressed for the wrong occasion.
Standing near the firecrackers
They are set off at street level with little warning and no cordon, frequently outside gold shops as the lion dance arrives. They are extremely loud and they throw debris. Keep some distance, and keep small children well back.
Other Bangkok events
Frequently asked questions
Is the Yaowarat Chinese New Year programme running again?
Yes. It was cancelled for one year out of respect for the national mourning period following the death of Her Majesty Queen Mother Sirikit. Food stalls and neighbourhood lion dances continued through that year, but the formal street procession and stage performances did not. Mourning has ended and the traditional programme has returned.
Where is the best place to stand for the procession?
Near Odeon Circle at the eastern end of Yaowarat, where the evening procession on the eve passes. Positions fill from late afternoon, so arrive around five. For the lantern strip rather than the procession, the elevated walkway at Wat Mangkon station is the only good overhead view.
Which night should you go?
The eve, for the procession, if you only get one. The lanterns are up for several days either side and the lion dances run across the whole weekend, so a second visit in daylight is worth it to see the gold shops and the food streets working normally.
Do you need tickets?
No. Everything on the street is free and unticketed. The only thing worth arranging in advance is a restaurant table, because the good places along the avenue book out weeks ahead for the weekend.
How do you get to Yaowarat?
Wat Mangkon station on the MRT Blue Line comes out on the avenue itself. Do not take a taxi; the surrounding roads gridlock completely over the weekend. Arriving by river boat to Ratchawong Pier is a pleasant alternative from the western side.
Is it suitable for children?
The street is very crowded, very loud and punctuated by unannounced firecrackers, which suits some children and not others. The mall programme at CentralwOrld is the indoor, air-conditioned, much calmer version of the same festival and is a reasonable substitute for a young family.
Sources
- Office Holidays, Chinese New Year in Thailand
- Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion table
- Tourism Authority of Thailand newsroom
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2027. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.