Phnom Penh Festivals And Events
Cambodia’s festival calendar follows the lunar year, so exact dates shift annually; check current dates before booking around any of these. Three events dominate Phnom Penh’s year, and each one is worth planning a trip around, or, just as often, planning around.
Bon Om Touk (Water Festival)
The biggest event on the city’s calendar, Bon Om Touk marks the reversal of the Tonle Sap’s current at the end of the rainy season. It’s scheduled for around 23-26 November 2026. Boat racing crews from across the country compete on the river in front of the Royal Palace over several days, and the riverside fills with fireworks, illuminated boat processions, and crowds that can number in the hundreds of thousands to a couple million over the full event. If you’re visiting during the festival, book accommodation well ahead and expect Sisowath Quay to be closed to traffic and packed shoulder to shoulder in the evenings.
Khmer New Year (Choul Chnam Thmey)
Cambodia’s new year runs 14-16 April 2026. Phnom Penh empties out as residents head to home provinces, so the city itself is unusually quiet, shops and restaurants close for several days, and it’s not the best window for a first visit if you want the city at full speed. What stays open leans toward temples, where locals return to make offerings, and the traditional game of angkunh, a rattan-ball tossing game played in the streets.
Pchum Ben
A 15-day religious observance honoring ancestors, with the main public holidays falling 10-12 October 2026. Families visit pagodas to offer food to monks on behalf of deceased relatives, in the belief that the offerings reach ancestral spirits during this period. Like Khmer New Year, it’s a period when many businesses reduce hours, though the pagodas themselves are active and, for visitors interested in Cambodian Buddhist practice, worth observing respectfully from a distance.
The weekly rhythm
Outside the big three, Phnom Penh’s steadiest recurring event is the riverside night market along Sisowath Quay, running Friday through Sunday evenings, with food stalls, clothing, and handicrafts; it’s covered in more detail in the best places to eat guide .
Planning around the calendar
If you’re building a trip around one of these dates, the travel tips guide covers the practical side, entry requirements, money, and safety, while the where-to-stay guide is worth checking early since Water Festival week fills hotels fast. For a first visit, the calmer stretch between these events, particularly the dry months from November through February outside festival weeks, gives you the most predictable version of the city.