St. Paul Minnesota Songkran Festival 2023 Guide

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St. Paul Minnesota SonSongkran is Thailand’s most famous festival. It is a very important event on the Buddhist calendar, marking the beginning of the traditional Thai New Year. In Thailand, the party runs day and night for 3 days.

In 1940, the New Year was changed to January 1. Songkran then became an official holiday and has become Thailand’s most famous festival.

Songkran is known as the biggest water festival in the world. Throwing water is meant to wash away bad luck from the previous year. It represents the cleansing necessary to shift into the new year.

The Thai Cultural Council of Minnesota is presenting the annual Minnesota Songkran Festival on May 27 and 28, 2023, in St. Paul.

Hotels.com: $99 or Less

Festival Hours

  • Saturday, May 27 10 am to 9 pm
  • Sunday, May 28 10 am to 6 pm

This is a free event and is open to the public.

Experience the excitement of the New Year and celebrate the beauty of cultural diversity. Visitors are encouraged to wear traditional Thailand clothes to the festival. Use our link to find items of traditional clothes available for purchase for women and men.

The Thai Cultural Council of Minnesota wants to teach about and promote the rich Thai traditions in the arts, music, dance and food and to represent Thai culture in the ethnic mosaic of the Twin Cities.

There will be live entertainment throughout the two days of the festival. Enjoy musical performances and traditional dances. The infamous papaya eating contest will be back and it’s always fun to watch.

And eating is one of the highlights of the Songkran Festival. Food vendors will be there with authentic Thai foods that are enjoyed during Songkran. Some of the Songkran dishes are Mango Sticky Rice (famous Thai dessert) and Khao Chae (a royal rice dish). Pad Thai (classic stir fry rice and noodle dish) and Tom Yum Goong (hot and sour soup with prawns) are also considered traditional dishes.

If the festival inspires you to want to learn more about Thai cuisine, you might want to consider the following cookbooks. And you can use our links to see how you can save money on them.

Thai Restaurants in St. Paul

Or you can enjoy Thai cuisine at the 15 Best Thai Restaurants in St. Paul as chosen by the users of TripAdvisor.

  1. On’s Thai Kitch
  2. Ruam Mit Thai
  3. Eastside Thai
  4. Friends
  5. Pad Thai Restaurant
  6. Thai Street Market
  7. Sawatdee Saint Paul
  8. Bangkok Thai Deli
  9. Thai Garden
  10. Mango Thai
  11. Thai Cafe
  12. Taste of Thailand
  13. King Thai Asian Cuisine
  14. Coconut Thai
  15. Phi Choy Thai Cuisine

Where to Stay

If you’d like to visit St. Paul for the Songkran Festival, you should consider the following hotels. They are offering discounts that will save you money on your stay.