A gilded Buddhist monument in Phnom Penh under a sunset sky
Nationwide - three days

Khmer New Year (Choul Chnam Thmey)

Cambodia at its most celebratory, and its hottest.

14-16 April 2027Dates
In short

Khmer New Year falls in mid-April, usually 14 to 16 April, and effectively closes the country for three days as people return to their home provinces. It is joyful, it is very hot, and the cities empty while the countryside fills.

Checked

September 2026

Part of Festival Village
At a glance

The short version

Dates
14-16 April 2027
When
Mid-April, normally 14 to 16 April
How long
Three days officially, longer in practice
Where to be
The provinces and small towns; Phnom Penh empties out
Temperature
April is the hottest month of the Cambodian year
What happens
Temple offerings, games, and a great deal of water throwing
Watch out
Long-distance road travel is heavy just before and after

Khmer New Year is the one time of year when the whole country moves at once. Phnom Penh empties as people go back to their home provinces, and the villages fill up.

There are temple offerings, traditional games played in the street, and water and talcum powder thrown at more or less everybody. The heat is serious – April is the hottest month here – and the pace is slow because of it.

Where to be

Not in the capital, if you can help it. A provincial town or a village stay is the version of this festival worth travelling for. Angkor is busy but with Cambodian families rather than tour groups, which is a considerably nicer thing to be among.

Questions travellers ask

When is Khmer New Year?
Mid-April, normally the 14th to the 16th, tied to the traditional solar new year rather than a fixed western date.
Is it a good time to visit Cambodia?
It is a wonderful time to be in a village and an odd time to be in Phnom Penh, which empties. It is also the hottest part of the year.
Will I get soaked?
Quite possibly. Water throwing is part of it, and foreigners are not exempt. Keep your phone in a bag.
Are the temples open?
Angkor stays open and gets busy with Cambodian visitors, which is a different and rather good atmosphere.
Related

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Phnom Penh - three days

Water Festival (Bon Om Touk)

Bon Om Touk marks the reversal of the Tonle Sap river with three days of boat racing on the Phnom Penh riverfront. It falls on the full moon of the Khmer month of Kadeuk, usually in November. In 2026 it runs 23 to 25 November. The city fills, and hotels book out months ahead.

Where
Phnom Penh riverfront, with smaller races elsewhere
When
The full moon of Kadeuk - usually November, occasionally late October
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Pchum Ben (Ancestors Day)

Pchum Ben is a fifteen-day period of offerings to ancestors, falling in September or October depending on the lunar calendar, with the final three days as public holidays. It is quieter and more inward than the other festivals, and pagodas fill before dawn.

When
September or October, set by the lunar calendar - the exact dates move each year
How long
Fifteen days, of which the last three are public holidays
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Kampot - half day

A Kampot pepper farm

Kampot pepper carries a protected designation of origin, and the farms outside town will show you the vines, the drying yards and the difference between green, black, red and white peppercorns. It is a half day, and it makes the rest of Cambodian food make more sense.

Where
The farms inland from Kampot town
How long
A half day, easily combined with the salt fields or Kep
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Siem Reap - half day

The floating villages of the Tonle Sap

The Tonle Sap reverses its flow twice a year, and the communities on it live in houses that float or stand on stilts high above the dry-season waterline. A half day by boat from Siem Reap, and the single best way to understand why this lake matters.

Where
The Tonle Sap lake, south of Siem Reap
How long
A half day, usually afternoon for the light
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