Cambodia Water Festival 2024 - What To Know
2023 saw the return of Cambodia's Water Festival (Bon Om Touk festival) to Phnom Penh and it was greeted by huge crowds. The public holidays take place from November 14-16 in 2024 and crowd sizes are expected to exceed last year’s turnout - so if it is your first time experiencing the holiday - what should you know?
The Bon Om Touk festival is one of the most important cultural holidays in the Kingdom and it is one of the few major holidays where many Cambodians and other international visitors head to the capital rather than try to escape it.
The Water Festival traditionally honours the occasion of the Tonle Sap River reversing its flow – a unique event and a popular drawcard which should benefit the tourism sector and its related businesses.
Like so many other major holidays, there is some residual overhang on either side of the actual public holidays, and from a business perspective, there is an unofficial go-slow for many sectors aside from the tourism and food and beverage businesses hoping for a boom.
There are also disruptions to traffic and logistics which businesses need to be acutely aware of. All sand ferries, boats, and ships passing in front of the Royal Palace will be suspended during the festival, except for national and international tourist ferries, which will be suspended until November 13 2024.
2023 Marked A Return of Phnom Penh’s Water Festival
An estimated five million visitors were in Phnom Penh for Cambodia's Water Festival in 2023 as the organisers made extra efforts to attract foreign tourists and the city was noticeably jam-packed for the extended long weekend, especially around the riverside areas. It was the first time the city celebrated this major holiday since 2020.
Major events were also held in Kampot and Siem Reap but this was the first time it took place in the capital for a few years.
In Phnom Penh, more than 330+ racing dragon boats from around the Kingdom competed with as many as 20,000 competitors. There were also the customary nightly fireworks and as many as 30 light barges had a flotilla up and down the Tonle Sap River in the evening time every night of the Water Festival.
What Has Been Announced for the 2024 Water Festival in Cambodia?
Phnom Penh - Festivities & Disruptions
There usually is an array of fireworks, cultural concerts and three days of dragon boat races. Previously, there were requests for displays of national flags, religious flags, royal flags, banners, slogans, billboards and coloured lights at all official ministries, capital/provincial administrations, departments, schools, pagodas and public parks and some of these are already visibly displayed in the week leading up to the 2024 celebrations.
We will say that in the time this writer has been in Cambodia (more than a decade) there has never been a clear running schedule, explanation of the races and pecking order and details provided of these iconic races.
There are missed opportunities in engaging with international visitors as they could run multi-language commentary, and distribute pamphlets (or better have them available digitally or via an app) which could also be used to showcase other highlights and tourism activities for visitors to explore during the holidays as well as promoting local food, activities and culture.
Having said that, a Tourist Platform has been constructed to welcome international visitors in front of the Royal Palace (the same thing was done in 2023). An official circular released November 4 2024 from the Ministry of Tourism said that they would “provide hospitality services for international tourists, including tourist guide services, along with large screens displaying information about various potential tourist destinations in Cambodia.”
Road Closures & Increased Traffic - Phnom Penh
As mentioned, this is an unlikely time to be productive in business but there are many ways to enjoy the occasion. If you are travelling, expect there to be delays over the course of the week as there will be regional traffic and in Phnom Penh road closures and crowds will cause delays - something also to be aware of if you have flights booked.
The National Police have asked for understanding and tolerance if you need to travel through areas with road closures or traffic congestion due to gatherings at various entertainment venues. The National Road Safety Committee has also asked travelers to exercise caution during these days which are anticipated to be busy.
There is usually a fair amount of people who embark on an exodus to the coast and to the islands and even overseas to take advantage of the long weekend.
Phnom Penh Restrictions - 2024 Water Festival
- There is a ban on all types of vehicles near the riverside during the festival (Thursday to Saturday).
- Vehicles will be prohibited from entering designated areas, including the ceremony venue and surrounding districts, from November 13 to 17, between 10 am and 10 pm.
- Construction site owners in Daun Penh, Chamkar Mon, Prampi Makara, Tuol Kork, and Boeng Keng Kang are required to suspend the operation of trucks, and cement trucks.
Connecting Road Restrictions
- Vehicles travelling through Phnom Penh to the northwestern and northeastern provinces via National Roads No 3 and No 4 must use Win-Win Boulevard to connect to National Road No 5 or cross the Prek Pnov Bridge.
- Vehicles carrying passengers to the festival must stop before reaching the Northbridge traffic lights.
- National Road No 5 - heavy vehicles must divert to Win-Win Boulevard or park at Kilometre 9.
- National Road 6 - heavy vehicles must divert to the Prek Pnov Bridge onto Win-Win Boulevard. Passenger vehicles must park at the OCIC development site.
- Street 271 & Street 371 - heavy vehicles must avoid the intersection of these two streets to prevent traffic congestion.
- Vehicles travelling on the bridge connecting Koh Norea Development Zone and Koh Pich Development Zone, traffic will be suspended from November 14 to 16, from 12 pm to 10 pm, but will be allowed between 10 pm and 10 am.
Extra Security
More than 16,000 security personnel will be deployed during the water festival, said the National Police. General Sar Thet, Cambodia's national police chief, commented, "A security plan for the water festival has been thoroughly prepared with cooperation from local authorities and relevant ministries and institutions to ensure that this festival will be celebrated smoothly without any problems," he said during a security preparatory meeting.
As always, be aware of opportunistic crimes such as pickpockets etc and don't carry unnecessary valuables or passports with you if possible.
Dragon Boat Races
These run daily and are the main attraction of the three-day festival as dragon boat races run from the morning until the early evening on the Tonle Sap River in front of the Royal Palace and starting from the Japanese Bridge.
According to the National Committee for Organizing National and International Festivals, 348 boats with more than 20,000 oarsmen are expected to be involved in 2024 in Phnom Penh.
Other Festivities
36 boats with lit lanterns, and 10 venues for concerts, boxing, and other events are scheduled. The procession of illuminated floats takes place every evening of the public holidays, and fireworks usually start at 7 PM on the riverside which attracts large crowds. Ther are many food and drinks venors setup in addition to the many hotels, bars and restaurants long the banks of the riverside.
Siem Reap - Drones Banned
Thim Sereyvuth, director of the Siem Reap Provincial Department of Tourism has urged business owners, restaurants and guesthouses not to raise accommodation and food prices (price gouging).
Siem Reap provincial authorities have banned the use of drones during the three-day Water Festival with the restriction especially enforced along the Siem Reap River and in the Royal Residence Park in Siem Reap City.
Anyone wishing to use drones or participate in taking pictures during the festival must obtain prior permission from the organising committee and requests can be made by contacting the committee in advance - 012 564 142.
Kampot - Water Festival 2024 Postponed
It should be noted that the Kampot Provincial Administration has postponed the Water Festival and it will instead take place during the Sea Festival in mid-December 2024.
Make Sure You Take Time To Plan Ahead
Cambodia has evolved and the capital (Phnom Penh) and other urban areas now offer a wealth of choices for the diverse wealth of tourists that today visit the country.
Accommodation demand usually does spike for the Water Festival and hotels should be more full than usual, while many hotels, bars and restaurants with a good vantage point of the boat races and fireworks usually charge an extra fee due to it being busier than normal.
As already mentioned, if you are planning to travel to/from Phnom Penh or to the airport allow for extra travel time to reach your destination.
The Water Festival in 2025 is due to take place from 4-6 November (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday).