Matsuri Travel

Festivals in Southeast Asia

Water fights, temple feasts, and highland gatherings across the tropics.

Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda on the water at Inle Lake
Happening nowOct 11–28, 2026est.

Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival

Gilded Buddhas tour Inle Lake by golden barge, towed by teams of leg-rowers

Inle Lake, Myanmar$$$$
Dancers in blue costumes carrying painted shields at the Sinulog festival in Cebu
Jan 7–17, 2027est.

Sinulog

Cebu dances for the Santo Niño in the Philippines' grandest street festival

Cebu City, Philippines$$$$
A dancer in an elaborate golden-feathered headdress and painted mask at Ati-Atihan
Jan 9–17, 2027est.

Ati-Atihan

Soot-painted dancers and pounding drums fill Kalibo for the Santo Niño fiesta

Kalibo, Philippines$$$$
A Thaipusam devotee holding an offering tray, portrait
Jan 22, 2027

Thaipusam

A million devotees climb 272 rainbow steps carrying burdens of devotion

Batu Caves, Malaysia +2$$$$
Fireworks over the city for Tet Nguyen Dan in Vietnam
Feb 4–10, 2027est.

Tết Nguyên Đán

Vietnam goes home for the lunar new year, in a riot of peach blossom and red

Hanoi, Vietnam$$$$
Children gathered around a colorful ogoh-ogoh figure in Bali ahead of Nyepi
Mar 7–8, 2027

Nyepi & Ogoh-Ogoh

Bali parades giant demons through the streets, then falls silent for a whole day

Denpasar, Indonesia$$$$
People soaked in water and laughing in the streets during Songkran
Apr 13–15, 2027

Songkran

Thai New Year turns an entire country into the world's biggest water fight

Chiang Mai, Thailand$$$$
Thousands of glowing lanterns released into the night sky for Waisak
May 19–20, 2027est.

Waisak at Borobudur

Monks process to the world's largest Buddhist temple and lanterns rise under the full moon

Magelang, Indonesia$$$$
A giant lizard-shaped kite flying over the crowd at the Bali Kite Festival
Jun 1 – Sep 30, 2027est.

Bali Kite Festival

Village teams launch 10-metre fish, bird and dragon kites over Sanur to gamelan thunder

Denpasar, Indonesia$$$$
A towering carved wax float with an elephant and mythical figures at the Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival
Jul 18–19, 2027est.

Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival

Carved wax gods on wheeled floats roll through Isan as Buddhist Lent begins

Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand$$$$
A temple-shaped structure outlined in thousands of lights glows at night during Keelung's Ghost Festival in Taiwan
Aug 2–31, 2027est.

Hungry Ghost Festival

For one lunar month the gates open, and the living throw a party for the dead

Keelung, Taiwan +3$$$$
Warriors in body paint and feather headdresses line up at the opening ceremony of the Baliem Valley Festival in Papua
Aug 5–7, 2027est.

Baliem Valley Festival

Highland tribes of Papua stage mock battles a mile above sea level

Wamena, Indonesia$$$$
Dancers in bright floral costumes on a parade float at the Kadayawan Festival in Davao
Aug 6–15, 2027est.

Kadayawan Festival

Eleven tribes, street-dance showdowns, and durian season in Davao every August

Davao City, Philippines$$$$
A street mural of two children on a bicycle in George Town, Penang
Aug 7–15, 2027est.

George Town Festival

Nine August days when clan temples, shophouses and streets become free stages

George Town, Malaysia$$$$
A light projection covering a historic building facade at the Singapore Night Festival
Aug 20 – Sep 4, 2027est.

Singapore Night Festival

Sixteen free nights of projection-mapped facades and light art in Bras Basah.Bugis

Singapore, Singapore$$$$
Crowds gather before an ancient Hindu temple on the Dieng Plateau for the dreadlock-cutting ceremony of the Dieng Culture Festival
Aug 27–29, 2027est.

Dieng Culture Festival

Sacred dreadlock-cutting, highland jazz and sky lanterns beside ancient temples

Dieng Plateau, Indonesia$$$$
Colorful silk lanterns glowing in Hoi An
Sep 12–15, 2027est.

Tết Trung Thu

Star lanterns, lion dances and mooncakes light Hoi An's Old Town at the eighth full moon

Hoi An, Vietnam$$$$

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