Songkran turns Chiang Mai into a city-wide water fight, and most family plans start to fray before the week is out. Small children get cold, phones get drowned, and someone always wants an afternoon where the clothes stay dry. This is how to build that afternoon into the week without missing the festival itself.
When is Songkran, and when does the water actually start?
Songkran is a national holiday from 13 to 15 April, and Chiang Mai runs longer than the official dates. Water play around the old city starts on the afternoon of 12 April and trails on for a day or so afterwards. Assume a wet week rather than three wet days, and put anything that needs dry clothes on either side of it.
The moat is the centre of gravity. Streets near it stay busy through the afternoon, and buckets come from pickup trucks, shopfronts and passing scooters. Outside that ring the city is calmer, though nowhere is guaranteed dry when a truck goes past.
Some cities stretch the festivities to 12 to 16 April, which is roughly what Chiang Mai does in practice. If you are travelling with young children, the quietest hours are early morning, before the trucks fill up.
How hot is Chiang Mai during Songkran week?
April is the hottest month of the year in Chiang Mai, with average maximums around 36.7 degrees and peaks above 40 degrees on the worst days. There is also a rise in showers and thunderstorms through the month. Heat is what shapes the plan, so shade and cold drinks matter more in April than in any other part of the year.
The water is genuinely welcome at midday. It stops being welcome later in the day, when kids have been damp for hours and the wind picks up. That is the moment to move somewhere shaded and dry off properly.
What do you do with kids who have had enough of water fights?
Choose one place off the main water routes and stay put for a couple of hours. Something with a task in it works better than sightseeing: a course or a game. Shaded outdoor spots beat air conditioning for the changeover, because damp children warm up rather than shiver, and you can eat and drink without another round of towels.
Mini golf fits this gap well. A round at Mini Golf CNX takes about 1 to 2 hours, which is long enough to count as the afternoon and short enough that nobody runs out of patience. It is an 18-hole garden course, so there is shade between putts, and cold drinks, snacks and ice cream are on site. There are lawn games too, including cornhole, board games and frisbee, for anyone who finishes early and wants to keep going.
Groups, birthdays and events are welcome during the holiday. Message ahead so space can be set aside for you.
If you want more options in the same shape, the things to do in Chiang Mai with kids guide covers the rest of the week, and the hot season and rainy day guide is the one to read for the weather rather than the festival.
How do you get around on water fight days?
Take the long way round the old city rather than through it. Songthaews and taxis run, but they slow to a crawl near the moat and both driver and passenger will get wet through open sides. Carry phones and passports in a sealed bag, keep cash small and dry, and expect any short trip to take longer than the map suggests.
Walking is often faster than riding in the busiest hours, and it gives you the choice of when to get soaked. Bring a change of clothes in a dry bag if the afternoon ends somewhere you would rather be dry.
Mini golf during Songkran week, at a glance
| Detail | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Course | 18 holes, garden setting in Chiang Mai |
| Booking | None needed, walk in |
| Opening hours | Every day, 09:00 to 18:00 |
| Time for a round | About 1 to 2 hours |
| On site | Cold drinks, snacks and ice cream |
| Seating | Shaded garden seating |
| Also here | Lawn games: cornhole, board games, frisbee |
| Groups and birthdays | Welcome, message ahead so space is set aside |
The course page has more on how a round works, and the evening ideas guide covers what to do once the golden hour arrives and the streets have quietened down.
Songkran rewards people who pace it. A couple of good sessions in the water and one quiet afternoon in the shade beat a whole week of being permanently damp, and the children will still tell everyone at home about the water.