Water-Splashing Festival

The United States is one of the countries with the largest Thai and Southeast Asian immigrant populations in the world. Although the Water-Splashing Festival is not a federal public holiday, in Thai-populated areas such as New York, Minnesota, Chicago, Massachusetts, and Los Angeles, Songkran has become one of the most important annual cultural events. New York State: an official resolution formally recognizes Songkran. On April 7, 2025, the New York State Legislature passed a resolution formally recognizing Songkran—the traditional Thai New Year, observed from April 13 to 15—as an important cultural celebration for New York State’s Asian American communities. On April 9, the New York State Legislature held a Songkran celebration at the Legislative Office Building in Albany, attended by Thai Consul General in New York Somjai Taphaopong. Activities included the traditional Thai water-pouring rite, classical Thai dance, and musical performances. The resolution emphasized that Songkran is “an enduring cultural heritage celebrated by Thai communities in New York and across the United States—a festival that preserves and transmits the essence of Thai identity while proudly reflecting the contribution of the Thai diaspora to the rich cultural diversity of American society.” Minnesota: Songkran in front of the State Capitol. On May 10–11, 2025, Minnesota Songkran was held at the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul. Thai Ambassador to the United States Dr. Suriya Chindawongse and Thai Consul General in Chicago Katanawadee Kalayanamit attended the opening ceremony. Minnesota Commissioner of Public Safety Bob Jacobson attended on behalf of the governor and formally presented a proclamation to the Thai Cultural Council recognizing Minnesota Songkran 2025. The event officially opened with a ribbon-cutting and water-pouring ceremony. Chicago: Songkran at Wat Dhammaram. On April 12, 2025, the Thai Consul General in Chicago attended a Songkran celebration held at Wat Dhammaram. The event was jointly organized by the Sunday Buddhist School, Thai Music Academy, Thai Classical Dance School, and other groups. Massachusetts: a multiethnic Songkran celebration. On April 26–27, 2025, Wat Nawamintararachutis held Songkran celebrations, with the Thai Consul General in New York attending the opening ceremony. The event embodied a spirit of cultural exchange, with communities from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam jointly participating in traditional performances. Activities included Buddhist merit-making rites, almsgiving, bathing the Buddha, pouring water over elders’ hands to offer blessings, a food market, a Miss Songkran beauty pageant, and cultural performances by students from the Sunday Buddhist School. Los Angeles: the 16th annual Thai New Year Songkran Festival. East Hollywood in Los Angeles hosts a Thai New Year Songkran Festival every year, reaching its 16th edition in 2025. Activities included live music, Muay Thai demonstrations, religious ceremonies, Thai cuisine, and the Miss Songkran USA pageant. Following a vehicle attack in Vancouver, Los Angeles police increased patrols around the event. Collective participation by Thai diplomatic missions in the United States. During Songkran 2025, officials and staff from the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington, the Thai Consulate General in Chicago, and “Team Thailand Chicago” collectively took part in preserving and celebrating Water-Splashing Festival traditions. This official participation by diplomatic institutions has given Songkran a form of recognition in the United States that extends beyond ethnic communities.

Canada also has large Southeast Asian communities. Water-Splashing Festival celebrations are centered on Vancouver and extend to major cities such as Toronto and Montreal. Unlike the United States, where Thai communities play the dominant role, in Canada the festival is more often presented through the framework of a “Chinese Traditional Culture Festival,” jointly promoted by Chinese and Southeast Asian immigrants. Vancouver: Chinese Traditional Culture Festival and Water-Splashing Festival. On July 27, 2025, the Chinese Canadian Federation hosted the 2025 Chinese Traditional Culture Festival and 17th Vancouver Water-Splashing Festival at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby. Chinese Consul General in Vancouver Yang Shu, British Columbia legislators Zhou Jionghua and Chen Hansheng, Burnaby Mayor Hou Maihao, and others attended, together with more than a thousand members of the public. Consul General Yang Shu stated that the Chinese Traditional Culture Festival “provides a platform for cultural exchange and mutual learning, allowing overseas Chinese to revisit the feelings of their homeland and enabling local communities to experience the charm of traditional Chinese culture.” The event featured six themed zones: traditional intangible cultural heritage, stage performances, interactive water splashing, a food market, charity booths, and cultural workshops. More than 60 community groups took part in the opening ceremony. Most performers were ordinary community residents, retired seniors, current students, and everyday immigrants. In 2025, the event achieved a historic breakthrough: for the first time, it moved beyond Vancouver, arriving in Toronto on August 3 and Montreal on August 10. From the West Coast to the East Coast, the “splash” of the Water-Splashing Festival is spreading across Canada. Vancouver also connects the Water-Splashing Festival with the official calendar of the Royal Thai Consulate General in Vancouver, which lists Songkran as an important annual diplomatic and cultural event.

The United Kingdom is one of the European countries where Water-Splashing Festival culture is most actively promoted. In April 2025, London hosted “the UK’s largest Thai Water Festival.” The event took place at a Buddhist center affiliated with the Royal Thai Embassy and included a series of Thai cultural activities. In Thai, Songkran means “movement” or “change,” marking the beginning of the Thai New Year. Swindon also held its first “Authentic Street Food Festival” on April 20, 2025, featuring authentic Thai cuisine, traditional dance, Thai bands, and kathoey performances. British blogger Lee also traveled specially to Xishuangbanna in Yunnan, China, to experience the Water-Splashing Festival and used video to show British audiences the festival’s “proper way to experience it.”

On the European continent, Wat Thai Dhammaram in Brussels, Belgium, held Songkran celebrations in April 2025. Activities included traditional Songkran rites—pouring water over Buddha images, monks, and elders—along with sales of Thai food and products, Thai cultural performances, and chanting ceremonies to pray for the deceased. As Belgium is home to the headquarters of the European Union, its Songkran celebrations attracted participants and spectators from countries across Europe.