More and more people every year spend Christmas abroad rather than at home.
Thailand is becoming an increasingly popular destination for Christmas holidaymakers so you may be wondering ‘what is Christmas like in Bangkok?’
I recently spent some of the Christmas period in Bangkok so in this post I’ll be giving an insight into what Christmas is like in Bangkok, Thailand.
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How Do They Celebrate Christmas In Thailand?
Christmas isn’t an official holiday in Thailand. This is because Thailand is predominantly a Buddhist country whereas Christmas is a Christian holiday.
Whilst most families in Thailand don’t celebrate Christmas, there are still definitely plenty of ways to celebrate Christmas and feel festive whilst in Thailand at Christmas time.
As Christmas is not celebrated in Thailand, you won’t find many Christmas activities or decorations around the country.
However, in Bangkok and other major cities, you will see lots of Christmas decorations. Every mall will be lit up with lights and decorations and all the hotels put up huge Christmas trees.
Here’s some decorations I saw outside of Terminal 21 during Christmas 2022 in Bangkok:
Christmas Day is just a normal day in Thailand so if it falls on a weekday then it will just be another normal working day.
This means that all the shops, offices, banks, restaurants etc will all be open. This can be great if you’re not a fan of staying in all day.
Thailand is definitely not a bad place to spend Christmas as it has tropical weather.
You could spend Christmas day in the sun, relaxing on the beach if you want to. Christmas on the beach doesn’t have to be just for Australians.
I also spent some time in Koh Samui during the Christmas period and they also made a lot of effort.
Check out this giant Christmas tree I saw at the Central Samui in Koh Samui:
Thailand is also a great place to do your Christmas shopping. If you’ll be in Bangkok then you can buy virtually anything in one of their many colossal malls.
I spent hours browsing books, clothes, gadgets and so much more during my time in Bangkok and I didn’t even tough the surface!
There are so many colossal malls in Bangkok which cover every part of the market from cheap goods at MBK Center to top designer brands in IconSiam.
Christmas Activities in Bangkok
Mall Displays
Most of Bangkok’s big malls take part in the festivities by putting up lots of lights and impressive Christmas displays.
You’ll see glittering Christmas trees, lights, tinsel and much more in most of the stores, you may even find a Santa!
Most of the malls will decorate both the inside and the outside of their buildings with wonderful Christmas decorations.
There’s many of these malls in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok. Some of the best include Siam Paragon, Siam Discovery and MBK Center.
I saw this incredible display outside of the EmQuartier mall in 2022:
Christmas Market
Every year the K Village Christmas Market takes place at Sukhumvit 26 Alley.
It usually starts a few days before Christmas on December 23rd and usually lasts till just after Christmas Day.
It’s a great place to do last minute shopping, meet Santa Claus himself or indulge in some tasty Christmas treats. There’s also live music.
Other than this, you won’t really find many Christmas markets in Bangkok as it just hasn’t become super popular here like it has in Europe.
Ice Skating
CentralWorld is a large shopping centre in Bangkok which has its own skating rink. Adorned with a gigantic Christmas tree, you’ll definitely feel Christmassy whilst skating here.
CentralWorld itself is usually decorated for Christmas as well so once you’re done skating, you can wander around and enjoy the festive decorations.
Where To Stay For Christmas In Bangkok
There are plenty of great places to stay for Christmas in Bangkok. To ensure you have the best time, I’ve selected a few of the best. Many of these hotels even hold special events for Christmas.
I personally stayed at the Eleven Hotel Bangkok in Sukhumvit.
They put a lot of effort into decorating the place for Christmas including putting up a beautiful Christmas tree in the lobby and a giant elephant in a Santa hat which I personally thought was very on-brand for Thailand.
Take a look:
Most of these hotels will also provide a high quality Christmas dinner so you don’t need to worry about missing out on this (I couldn’t bear to miss out on Christmas dinner!).
Check out these top Bangkok hotels that would be a great place to spend Christmas in Bangkok:
Thanks for reading this post which hopefully gave you an insight into what it’s like to spend Christmas in Bangkok, Thailand.
December is actually one of the best times to visit Bangkok as the weather is hot and dry.
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