Festival Dates That Fill Siem Reap Luxury Hotels

The dates below are public holidays listed for Cambodia. They were published in official sub-decrees and reported by news sources, and they are volatile, so treat them as listed in October 2026 and confirm before you travel.

Because Pchum Ben 2026 has just passed, the next dates to plan around are the Water Festival in late November, the year-end weeks, and then Khmer New Year in April. Our companion page on Pchum Ben and local holidays covers the quieter holidays in more detail.

Khmer New Year is the headline date for April. Hello Angkor advises booking early because it is a peak travel period and many businesses may close. A luxury hotel gives you a comfortable base, with a pool and restaurants on site, so the days when town services slow down stay relaxed.

The celebrations in Siem Reap include riverside water splashing, concerts and a village-style area beside Angkor Wat, as reported for Angkor Sankranta 2025, which ran from 14 to 16 April that year. No 2026 or 2027 programme was found, so look for the current schedule closer to your trip.

April is also the hottest month of the year according to weather guides, and Intrepid notes that April and May can be warm and humid just before the wet season. A hotel with a pool and shaded terraces suits that weather well. When you compare hotels, ask each one directly about opening hours, minimum stays and rates for the festival days, because those details sit on each hotel's own page and offers.

The year-end weeks fall in the period Intrepid describes as popular, December to March, when Angkor is very busy. That is a good reason to book early for those weeks.

Some hotels build the festive evening into the stay. Amansara lists a New Year's Eve temple dinner on 31 December 2026 at 968 USD per adult including taxes, and describes it as mandatory, as listed in October 2026. Confirm the current terms with the hotel before you travel. Other hotels also offer temple-setting dinners as experiences, which gives you ways to mark the occasion at your own pace.

Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort lists Temple Dinners among its activities, and Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor lists a Bespoke Temple Dinner experience. Menus, prices and festive-night formats are set by each hotel, so ask for the festive programme when you enquire.

Siem Reap has a tropical wet and dry climate, with average annual rainfall of about 1,406 mm. Intrepid says December to March is popular and that Angkor is very busy then. It suggests the start or end of the wet season (May to June, October to November) for smaller crowds with occasional showers.

This helps you match a festival to the mood you want. A festival in the dry months combines cultural events with the busiest sightseeing period, so booking early matters most. A festival in the shoulder months, such as Pchum Ben or the Water Festival, comes with a calmer feel at the temples. If you are weighing seasons, see high versus low season costs and how early to book in high season.

Water Festival has its own local meaning: it centres on the Royal Palace Gardens along the river and marks the end of the monsoon and the reversal of the Tonle Sap flow, according to local guides. If rain-season stays appeal to you, read about low-season deals from May to October too.

For more on holiday dates, read our guide to public holidays in Cambodia in 2026 and the overview of festivals and events in Siem Reap. Confirm festival dates for your year on an official source.

Khmer New Year 2026 was the public holiday of 14, 15 and 16 April, and Hello Angkor advises booking early because it is a peak travel period when many businesses may close. Each luxury hotel sets its own rates and minimum stay for those days, so open the hotel's official page, choose a flexible rate, and compare the same dates on Agoda and Booking.com against dates just before and after the festival. Read minimum-stay and cancellation terms before you book, and confirm holiday dates as listed in October 2026 before you travel.

Hello Angkor notes that many businesses may close during Khmer New Year, which falls on 14, 15 and 16 April in 2026 (confirm before you travel). Before arrival, send your hotel a short message asking about restaurant and bar hours, set menus, spa availability and arrangements for the festival days, and plan your key meals and treatments for the days the property confirms. Keep cash in small notes and your phone charged for days when town services run on reduced hours.

Angkor Sankranta 2025 ran from 14 to 16 April with riverside water splashing, concerts and a village-style area beside Angkor Wat. No 2026 or 2027 programme was found, so check the current schedule from official sources shortly before your trip. A hotel with a pool and quiet gardens gives you a calm place to return to after joining the festivities; ask your hotel which streets and times suit your plans.

Year-end weeks sit in the period Intrepid calls popular, December to March, when Angkor is very busy, so book early. Festive rates vary by hotel and are listed on each hotel's own offer page. One example: Amansara lists a mandatory New Year's Eve temple dinner on 31 December 2026 at 968 USD per adult including taxes, as listed in October 2026. Confirm all supplements and terms with the hotel before you travel, choose a flexible rate, and enter the exact dates on Agoda and Booking.com.

Minimum-night rules for the year-end weeks are set by each hotel and appear on its own offer page, so none are listed here. Read the rule first, then fix arrival and departure dates that satisfy it. Options that often help include a slightly longer stay, a shifted arrival, or a split stay between two hotels. Choose a flexible rate if plans may change, test the dates on Agoda and Booking.com, and read change and cancellation terms before you book.

Festive dinners suit guests who want the evening on site and a single bill. Amansara lists a mandatory New Year's Eve temple dinner on 31 December 2026 at 968 USD per adult including taxes, as listed in October 2026. Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort lists Temple Dinners, and Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor lists a Bespoke Temple Dinner experience. Ask each hotel about format, inclusions, booking time and whether the dinner is optional, and confirm before you travel.

Cambodia's public holiday calendar gives you fixed dates to plan around, as listed in October 2026 (confirm before you travel). Royal Pchum Ben 2026 ran on 10, 11 and 12 October, and the 2027 sub-decree, signed on 16 September 2026, sets it from 29 September to 1 October 2027. Khmer New Year 2026 was a three-day holiday on 14, 15 and 16 April, and the Water Festival (Bon Om Touk) is 23, 24 and 25 November 2026, then 12 to 14 November 2027. Guides describe Khmer New Year as a peak travel period, so booking early is a sensible habit for April and the main holiday weeks. Holiday weeks suit travellers who enjoy local atmosphere: pick your dates from the official calendar, then ask your hotel directly about its opening pattern and any ceremonies or events it offers, since those details are best confirmed on the hotel's page.