Thailand Life Tools

Thailand alcohol ban days 2027

In 2027, alcohol may not be sold on five Buddhist holy days, with some exceptions. 3 of the dates come from official sources; 2 are expected dates that the government has not announced yet.

The dates

Asarnha Bucha Day and Buddhist Lent Day (Khao Phansa) are back to back: two ban days in a row.

Substitute public holidays are not named in the announcement and are not listed here.

How the expected dates were found

These dates are where the evidence points before an official announcement. They can still change; we check for official dates and update this page.

Buddhist Lent Day (Khao Phansa): Mon, 19 July 2027
Buddhist Lent begins the day after Asarnha Bucha, whose 2027 date (18 July) is listed by the Bank of Thailand and the Stock Exchange of Thailand; 2027 calendars from Time Out and InfoQuest give 19 July. The government’s 2027 holiday calendar has not been published yet.
End of Buddhist Lent Day (Ok Phansa): Fri, 15 October 2027
An Office of National Buddhism table of End of Buddhist Lent dates, based on the Thai 100-year calendar, gives 15 October 2027; the same table gave the 2026 date (26 October), which matched the official 2026 sources. The table itself says it can differ from the actual observance.

What the ban covers

An announcement of the Office of the Prime Minister, in force since 10 May 2025, bans the sale of alcohol on five Buddhist holy days, except in the cases listed below.

The announcement names the days but does not state any hours.

The announcement allows sales on these days only in the following cases:

  1. Inside passenger buildings at airports with international flights.
  2. At service establishments (entertainment venues) under Thailand’s service establishment law.
  3. At businesses operating like service establishments in tourist areas, as announced by the Minister of Public Health. This page does not list those areas.
  4. In hotels under Thailand’s hotel law.
  5. At national or international special events with large crowds, at venues on a list announced by the Minister of Public Health. This page does not list those venues.

Check the current rules before you rely on this

This announcement was issued before Thailand’s alcohol control law was amended in 2025. The amended law keeps earlier announcements in force until the Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee replaces them, and a replacement was reported to be in preparation in 2026. We have not found a replacement, but we cannot rule out that one has been issued, so the days, exceptions or dates may have changed.

A date that is not listed here is not necessarily free of restrictions. Election-related bans are listed separately below, and the general sales hours apply on other days.