Festivals and Celebrations in Siem Reap & Angkor Wat
A visual guide from the Siem Reap and Angkor Wat travel guide — see all posters in Visual Guides.
Nothing prepares first-time visitors for the scale of a Siem Reap water fight. For three days each April the entire length of Sivatha Boulevard becomes a running battle of hosepipes, buckets and talcum powder, with pickup trucks of teenagers cruising slowly so nobody misses. Out at Angkor Thom the mood is different — Angkor Sankranta turns the ground inside the walls into a fairground of rope games, chapei singing and food stalls. The rest of the year is gentler, but the November boat races and the December photo screenings both draw the whole town outdoors.
Where to be
For Khmer New Year, the powder and water action concentrates on Sivatha Boulevard and around Pub Street, while the organised programme of games and dance sits inside Angkor Thom near the Terrace of the Elephants. Bon Om Touk brings longboat racing to the stretch of the Siem Reap River between the Royal Gardens and the Old Market, best watched from the western bank in late afternoon. The Angkor Photo Festival, usually in the second half of November or early December, projects work outdoors in the centre after dark — usually free, informal and one of the better evenings in the calendar.
How to join in
Waterproof everything during New Year — phones in a sealed pouch, nothing electronic in pockets — and accept that a tuk-tuk ride across town means arriving soaked. Powder on the face is meant kindly, and a smile back is the whole etiquette. Roads clog badly from mid-morning, so temple trips work better at sunrise. During Pchum Ben the mood flips: families visit pagodas at dawn with offerings, and it is a quieter, more private fortnight best observed from a distance. Restaurant closures are common across both periods, so check before setting out for a specific place.