Welcome to the latest long weekend – from today until Sunday night – that coincides with Coronation Day and the early voting for the upcoming Thai elections. Today’s King of Thailand’s Coronation Day commemoration shouldn’t be confused with the Coronation of King Charles III this weekend in the UK (which their Majesties will be attending). The Thai government added an additional public holiday tomorrow which makes a full 4-day long weekend.
The four-day holiday will be marked by a 24-hour sales ban on alcohol across the country starting from 6pm on Saturday, May 6, until 6pm on Sunday, May 7, in accordance with Thai election laws. This ban will also be enforced during the actual election weekend next week – starting from 6pm on Saturday, May 13, until 6pm on Sunday, May 14.
All of Phuket is included in the ban. Nightlife venues and bars will be closed, and sales of alcohol will be prohibited, even in convenience stores. While restaurants will remain open, they will not be allowed to serve alcohol (but you all know where you can find a sneaky drink if you absolutely need to).
Additionally, government offices, including Thai Immigration, will be closed until Monday morning, May 8. Some banks and private businesses may also close during this time, so it is advised to check ahead of time. Banks will, as usual, be open in shopping centres.
The reason behind the long weekend is to celebrate the coronation of the King of Thailand. However, during this period, the King and Queen will actually be overseas in the UK to attend the coronation of King Charles III.
This extra four-day holiday will be a boon for Phuket’s tourism business but remember the alcohol ban starting on Saturday evening.
