Father’s Day in Thailand is on December 5, the birthday anniversary of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great (Rama IX). The same date is also Thailand’s National Day, and it is a public holiday. The next one is Saturday, December 5, 2026, with the holiday moved to Monday, December 7, as the Bank of Thailand’s holiday list reported by Nation Thailand shows.
Key facts
- The first National Father’s Day event was held on December 5, 1980, and the Cabinet declared the date an annual public holiday.
- December 5 falls on a Saturday in 2026, a Sunday in 2027 and a Tuesday in 2028.
- The substitute holidays are Monday, December 7, 2026 and Monday, December 6, 2027.
- The yellow phuttharaksa, or canna, is the Father’s Day flower because yellow was the King’s birthday color.
- October 13, the anniversary of the late king’s death in 2016, is kept separately as a memorial day.
The day has two sides. It is a family occasion for thanking fathers, and it is a national day of tribute to King Bhumibol, whom the Government Public Relations Department describes as recognized as the “Father of the Thai Nation.” Families differ in how much of each they include.
When it is, and the next three dates
The date is fixed, so the weekday changes each year. In 2026 and 2027 it falls on a weekend, and the day off moves to the following Monday.
- 2026: Saturday, December 5 (substitute holiday on Monday, December 7)
- 2027: Sunday, December 5 (substitute holiday on Monday, December 6)
- 2028: Tuesday, December 5
Both substitute days come from the Bank of Thailand’s holiday lists for 2026 and 2027, as reported by Nation Thailand. The Royal Thai Embassy in Vienna also lists December 7, 2026 as the substitute for King Bhumibol’s birthday anniversary, Thai Father’s Day and National Day.
Two other dates are easy to mix up with it. October 13 is the anniversary of King Bhumibol’s death in 2016 and is kept as a memorial day, listed by the embassy as H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great Memorial Day. July 28 is the birthday of the present king, King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Mother’s Day in Thailand is on August 12, as the Public Relations Department notes.
Where the day comes from
According to Thairath, the first National Father’s Day event was held on December 5, 1980, and the Cabinet declared the date an annual public holiday. The date was chosen because it is King Bhumibol’s birthday, and the day commemorates his benevolence and royal virtues.
The Public Relations Department records that King Bhumibol passed away on October 13, 2016. December 5 has remained Father’s Day and National Day. The department also notes that UNESCO included the 100th anniversary of his birth in its anniversaries program for 2026 to 2027.
How families mark the day
The main public ceremonies are held in the morning. For 2025, the Public Relations Department announced alms-giving and Buddhist chanting at Sanam Luang in Bangkok at 7 a.m., presided over by the Prime Minister, with religious activities in all provinces and at Thai embassies abroad. It adds that each year a number of model fathers are named and given certificates and plaques of honor.
Thairath lists the ways people mark it: cards for fathers, often organized by schools, eating out, cooking together at home, taking fathers on trips or spending time together. Some people join merit-making ceremonies or volunteer activities, and light displays go up in key areas.
Yellow runs through the day. Nation Thailand explains that the yellow phuttharaksa, or canna, is the Father’s Day flower because yellow was the birthday color of King Bhumibol, who was born on a Monday. In 2019, Nation Thailand reported that the government invited people to wear yellow shirts throughout the month.
Choosing a bracelet for December 5
A small touch of yellow can connect a gift to the day: a yellow cord, a single yellow bead or yellow wrapping paper. Keep it subtle unless you know he would enjoy more. Avoid novelty designs that use royal images or symbols.
The morning may be taken up with merit-making or public ceremonies, so a gift often fits better later in the day, over a meal at home or out. A short card in Thai, or in the language you share, can carry the thanks. If he lives somewhere warm, our guide to the best bracelet type for summer covers what to look for, and our wrist-measuring guide explains how to measure his wrist.
Marking the day from abroad
Outside Thailand, December 5 can get lost in the run-up to the year-end holidays. Add it to your calendar with the year. Thailand is ahead of Europe and the Americas, so a morning call in Bangkok may be the previous evening where you are.
If your family also follows a June or September Father’s Day, agree which date gets the present. Our Father’s Day dates around the world lists other calendars, and our complete Father’s Day gift guide has other ideas for the day.
Sources
- Nation Thailand: Bank of Thailand sets 18 bank holidays, eight long weekends in 2027
- Government Public Relations Department, Thailand: Various Activities to Mark King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great’s Birthday
- Royal Thai Embassy, Vienna: Official Holidays 2026 (B.E. 2569)
- Thairath English: History of National Fathers Day 2025 Falling on December 5 Every Year: What Is Its Origin?
- Nation Thailand: Phuttharaksa: The flower that blooms on Thai Father’s Day
- Nation Thailand: Thailand pays tribute to the late Monarch on Father’s Day