Water Festival 2026 update: Phnom Penh races cancelled — what Nov 23–25 means for your trip

Last updated: October 31, 2026 · By Wander Cambodia

If you planned a November trip around Bon Om Touk, this changes your plans in one specific way: the Water Festival public holiday still runs November 23–25, 2026, but the Royal Government has suspended the main Phnom Penh celebrations — the boat races on the Tonle Sap in front of the Royal Palace — for 2026, the second consecutive year the capital's programme has been cancelled. Provincial celebrations may still go ahead, with Siem Reap preparing its own festivities. Here is what that means, practically, for each kind of trip.

What exactly is cancelled, and what is not

Cancelled: the official Phnom Penh festival programme — the multi-day boat racing in front of the Royal Palace, and the big organised riverfront spectacle that our main Water Festival 2026 guide describes in a normal year. Not cancelled: the three-day public holiday itself (Monday November 23 to Wednesday November 25), which stands unchanged. Government offices, banks and many businesses close for it, and Cambodians travel to family and to the provinces in large numbers. Provincial celebrations are a local decision: Siem Reap is preparing provincial festivities, and other provinces may hold their own boat races and events on a smaller scale. If a specific provincial programme matters to your trip, confirm it locally closer to the date rather than trusting any guide — including this one — written weeks ahead.

If you are coming anyway: the trip still works, differently

November remains one of the best months in Cambodia — our Cambodia in November guide makes that case on weather alone: the rains have ended, the countryside is green, the Tonle Sap is full and temperatures are at their kindest. What changes is the shape of the festival weekend. In Phnom Penh, expect a holiday city rather than a festival city: quieter mornings, closed offices, families out on the riverfront in the evenings, but no race programme to plan around. In Siem Reap, the provincial celebrations give you the festival flavour at a human scale, on top of Angkor at its post-rain best. Either way, the prep advice in book and prep now still holds for rooms and transport — the holiday travel surge inside Cambodia happens with or without the capital's races, so domestic buses and popular hotels around November 23–25 still book up.

If the Phnom Penh races were the whole point

Then be honest about it and move the dates rather than arriving to a cancellation. Shift the same trip by a week in either direction and you lose nothing except the holiday crowds; the temples, the river and the dry-season weather are identical. Or keep the dates and move the festival part of the trip to Siem Reap's provincial celebrations. What not to do: book non-refundable Phnom Penh riverfront rooms at festival prices specifically for a race view — if you already hold one, contact the hotel now, while rebooking is easy, rather than at check-in.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Water Festival holiday still a public holiday in 2026?

Yes — November 23–25, 2026 remains a three-day public holiday across Cambodia. Only the official Phnom Penh celebration programme, including the Royal Palace boat races, has been suspended.

Will there be any boat races anywhere in 2026?

Provincial celebrations may still take place where local authorities choose to hold them — Siem Reap is preparing festivities — but programmes are local and can change late. Confirm with your hotel or a local source in the final week.

Should I still visit Cambodia in late November 2026?

Yes, for everything except the specific spectacle of the capital's races. It is peak dry-season weather, and the holiday gives the trip a local rhythm most visitors enjoy — just plan around office closures and heavier domestic travel on those three days.

Update checked October 31, 2026 against current published reporting on the 2026 festival (holiday dates November 23–25; Phnom Penh programme suspended by government announcement; provincial celebrations at local discretion). Festival arrangements can change — re-check closer to the date.