On this page7 sections
At a glance
- Sale hours
- 11:00 to midnight, since 29 May 2026Source 1
- Exempt
- Licensed entertainment venues and hotels (on their own conditions), international airport areas, approved event spaces, designated zonesSource 2
- Buddhist ban days
- Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asanha Bucha, Khao Phansa and Ok PhansaSource 3
- Next Buddhist ban day
- Ok Phansa, Monday 26 October 2026Source 4
- Elections
- Sales can also be banned for a vote; Pattaya’s last ban ran from 18:00 on 27 June to 18:00 on 28 June 2026Source 5
- Drinking age
- 20Source 2
Sources for these facts (5)
Sources: 1Royal Thai Government Gazette: Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee notice on sale hours (2026), checked 2 Oct 2026 2Thailand.go.th: Alcohol sales and consumption rules updated in Thailand (31 May 2026), checked 2 Oct 2026 3Government Public Relations Department (Ang Thong): alcohol ban on five Buddhist holy days (13 May 2025, in Thai), checked 2 Oct 2026 4Tourism Authority of Thailand (UK and Ireland): what’s on in October 2026, Ok Phansa on 26 October (23 July 2026), checked 1 Oct 2026 5Nation Thailand: alcohol ban in force 27–28 June during Bangkok and Pattaya elections (25 June 2026), checked 2 Oct 2026
Sale hours
A notice of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee, in force since 29 May 2026, allows sales from 11:00 to midnight. Outside those hours you cannot buy beer at a 7-Eleven or a supermarket.
Licensed entertainment venues sell within their own legal hours, up to 04:00 in Pattaya. Hotels, international airport areas, approved event spaces and designated zones are named as places with their own conditions (Thailand.go.th, May 2026); see closing times.
The five Buddhist ban days
The five are the Buddhist holy days Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asanha Bucha, Khao Phansa and Ok Phansa. On them, shops and ordinary bars may not sell alcohol; licensed entertainment venues, licensed hotels, international airports, similar venues in designated tourist zones and designated special events are exempt. The dates follow the lunar calendar, so they move every year. The table gives the holy days themselves: when one falls on a weekend, the Bank of Thailand lists a substitute bank holiday on the Monday, but the ban is on the holy day.
| Day | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ok Phansa | Monday 26 October 2026 | TAT UK and Ireland, 23 July 2026 |
| Makha Bucha | Sunday 21 February 2027 | Bank of Thailand holiday calendar, 2027 |
| Visakha Bucha | Thursday 20 May 2027 | Bank of Thailand holiday calendar, 2027 |
| Asanha Bucha | Sunday 18 July 2027 | Bank of Thailand holiday calendar, 2027 |
| Khao Phansa | Monday 19 July 2027 | Time Out Bangkok, 23 September 2026 (not a bank holiday) |
| Ok Phansa | Not yet announced for 2027 | None found, checked 2 October 2026 |
Selling on a ban day can bring up to six months in prison and a fine of up to 10,000 baht, so most shops and many bars simply stop.
Elections and other official orders
The table lists only the Buddhist holy days. Thailand’s government says sales may also be restricted during elections and other periods the authorities announce (Thailand.go.th, May 2026).
For a local election the ban comes from section 123 of the Local Elections Act. For Pattaya’s mayor and council election on 28 June 2026, no alcohol could be sold, given or served in the city from 18:00 on 27 June to 18:00 on 28 June, on pain of up to six months in prison, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both (Nation Thailand, 25 June 2026). We list no upcoming election: we found none announced for Pattaya when we checked on 2 October 2026. Each ban is announced before its vote, so check the news in the week before one.
Where you cannot drink
Alcohol stays banned in temples, government offices, petrol stations, public parks and on public transport. The legal drinking age is 20.
Questions
Can I buy beer at 7-Eleven at night?
Until midnight. Shops may sell alcohol from 11:00 to midnight since 29 May 2026; the afternoon ban no longer applies (checked 1 October 2026).
Are bars open on Buddhist holidays?
On the five Buddhist ban days, shops and ordinary bars may not sell alcohol; licensed entertainment venues, licensed hotels, international airports, similar venues in designated tourist zones and designated special events are exempt. The dates for 2026 and 2027 are in the table on this page. Elections can bring bans of their own.
What time can you buy alcohol in Thailand?
From 11:00 to midnight, since 29 May 2026. Licensed entertainment venues and hotels have their own conditions (checked 2 October 2026).
What are the alcohol ban days in 2026 and 2027?
Five Buddhist holy days a year. In 2026, Ok Phansa falls on Monday 26 October. In 2027: Makha Bucha on 21 February, Visakha Bucha on 20 May and Asanha Bucha on 18 July, by the Bank of Thailand, and Khao Phansa on 19 July (Time Out); Ok Phansa 2027 is not yet announced. Elections and other official orders can add days (checked 2 October 2026).
