The Chiang Mai Songkran festival has started, with tourists enthusiastically splashing water around the city moat and Tha Pae Road.
This afternoon (12 April 2026 GMT+7), the atmosphere of Songkran celebrations in Chiang Mai province saw both Thai and foreign tourists coming out to splash water around the Chiang Mai city moat and Tha Pae Road in a lively manner.
Although it is only the first day, many tourists and locals have come out to splash water to cool off. Some tourists drove pickup trucks carrying water tanks to splash water with their families, but this year there are fewer water trucks compared to previous years due to high fuel prices. Most participants are on motorcycles, causing traffic to become congested on Tha Pae Road.
Meanwhile, vendors have set up stalls selling water play equipment, ice, and food along both sides of the city moat. It is expected that this evening, many tourists and locals will gather to play water at the 130-meter-long water tunnel, where a concert stage with famous singers performing in rotation will feature lights and sound organized by the Chiang Mai Municipality.
