Vesak 2027 in Asia: dates, lanterns and where to be

The 2027 dates at a glance

Vesak falls on the full moon of the lunar month of Vaisakha, which comes in April or May, and marks the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing on one day. In 2027 most of South and Southeast Asia keeps it on Thursday 20 May; Sri Lanka's Poya calendar puts the full-moon day a day earlier. Korea, Hong Kong and Macau mark only the birth, on the eighth day of the fourth Chinese lunar month, which falls a week earlier.

"Official" means a government body has published the 2027 date. India's cited closure calendar applies to its High Commission in Pretoria. Treat Nepal's date as provisional until its government publishes the holiday calendar. Temple programmes, processions and lantern displays are announced closer to the day.

Sri Lanka: two days of lanterns, pandals and dansal

The Central Bank's 2027 holiday list makes Wednesday 19 May Vesak Full Moon Poya Day, a bank and public holiday, and Thursday 20 May, the day following, a bank, public and mercantile holiday. Sri Lanka Tourism calls Vesak the most important religious celebration in the country. At night, Sri Lankans of every religion crowd the roads to see the decorations, pandals and lanterns, while makeshift alms houses, dansal, line the roads offering everything from drinks and desserts to full meals, free.

Base yourself in a city such as Colombo or Kandy and walk among the decorations in the evening. May is also the last month of the pilgrimage season on Adam's Peak, which Sri Lanka Tourism describes as December to May.

Plan for closures. On every Poya day the sale of alcohol, meat and fish is prohibited and some shops and businesses close, and Sri Lanka Tourism notes that the two-day Vesak holiday brings a general pause in government, mercantile and banking sectors. Have cash and your train tickets in hand before 19 May; our Sri Lanka transport guide explains how to book the trains.

Singapore and Malaysia: temples open to all

Singapore's Ministry of Manpower lists Vesak Day, Thursday 20 May 2027, as a public holiday. The National Heritage Board describes celebrations at most of the island's temples and monasteries, open to Buddhists of every tradition: the bathing of Buddha statues, oil lamps, vegetarian meals and charitable deeds. Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery on Bright Hill Road is known for its Three Step One Bow ceremony, in which devotees bow after every three steps around the temple for about two and a half hours, and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown sets up some 2,000 lanterns around its grounds. Theravada Buddhists gather at temples such as Sri Lankaramaya on St Michael's Road and the Thai temple Wat Ananda Metyarama on Jalan Bukit Merah.

In Malaysia, Wesak falls on Thursday 20 May, a public holiday. Our Malaysia festivals and events calendar and Singapore festivals and events calendar list the other holidays of the year.

Thailand, Cambodia and Laos: the May full moon

In Thailand, Visakha Bucha, the Buddhist holy day marking the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death, falls on Thursday 20 May 2027, a public holiday. Temples are the centre of the day across the country, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand advises booking rooms, tours and transport well in advance around long holiday weekends, when they fill quickly; see our Thailand festivals and events calendar.

Cambodia's public holiday list gives Visak Bochea on Thursday 20 May 2027, four days before the Royal Ploughing Ceremony on 24 May; our Cambodia festivals and events calendar has the details. In Laos, Visakha Bousa is the full moon of the sixth lunar month and usually falls in May.

Indonesia: Waisak at Borobudur

Indonesia's joint ministerial decree makes Thursday 20 May 2027 a national holiday for Waisak 2571 BE and Wednesday 19 May a collective leave day. Essential public services continue, and private employers decide whether to follow collective leave.

The great ceremony is at Borobudur. The Ministry of Tourism describes the ritual sequence: holy water drawn from the Umbul Jumprit spring in Temanggung and a flame from the eternal fire at Mrapen in Grobogan are kept at Mendut temple, then carried in procession from Mendut to Borobudur for the Waisak ceremonies. In 2019 a lantern ceremony followed in the Borobudur complex, with a separate ticketed area for the public and another reserved for Buddhist participants. The 2027 programme and any tickets are announced nearer the time. Rooms near the temple fill around Waisak, so book early; Yogyakarta is the other base; allow for the road transfer to the temple. Our Indonesia festivals and events calendar has the year's other holidays.

Nepal and India: the Buddha's birthplace and Buddha Purnima

In Nepal, Buddha Jayanti is expected on Thursday 20 May 2027, with prayers and meditation in Lumbini and at the Buddhist sites of the Kathmandu Valley. The Nepal Tourism Board describes thousands of devotees visiting Lumbini, the Buddha's birthplace, and people gathering at stupas and monasteries to light butter lamps, pray and join processions. Treat the date as provisional until Nepal's government publishes its holiday calendar; our Nepal festivals and events calendar is updated with it.

In India, Buddha Purnima falls on Thursday 20 May 2027 in the High Commission of India in Pretoria's 2027 closure calendar; our India festivals and events calendar has the year's other dates.

Korea, Hong Kong and Macau: Buddha's Birthday on 13 May

East Asia counts the Buddha's birthday on the Chinese lunar calendar, so in 2027 it falls on Thursday 13 May, a week before Vesak further south. It is a public holiday in South Korea, Hong Kong and Macau.

Korea's celebration is the most spectacular. Yeon Deung Hoe, the Lotus Lantern Festival, is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list and fills the weeks before the birthday with lanterns. In 2026 the Seoul festival ran from 8 to 25 May around Jogyesa Temple and Bongeunsa, with a parade of more than 100,000 lanterns on a Saturday evening, about 3 km from Heunginjimun Gate through Jongno to Jogyesa; the 2027 dates had not been announced. Our Korea festivals and events calendar and Jongno guide cover it.

In Hong Kong, devotees bathe statues of the Buddha at temples, with ceremonies at Po Lin Monastery on Lantau. In Macau, 13 May is also the main day of the fishmongers' Festival of the Drunken Dragon; see our Macau festivals and events calendar.

Choosing where to be

For lanterns on a grand scale, choose Colombo on 19 and 20 May, or Seoul once the Lotus Lantern Festival's 2027 dates are announced. For a single solemn ceremony, choose Borobudur, and for temples that welcome visitors while the city carries on as normal, Singapore.

Visit temples as a guest: dress modestly, take your shoes off where others do, and keep to the side during ceremonies. Book rooms early in Colombo and near Borobudur, and in Sri Lanka plan around the Poya rules and the two-day pause.