All about the Mid-Autumn Festival in Thailand (and where to find the best mooncakes)
Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in Thailand with mooncakes, lanterns, and cultural celebrations
The Thaiger key takeaways
- The Mid-Autumn Festival has deep cultural roots dating back over 3,000 years, symbolising harvest, reunion, and gratitude.
- In Thailand, celebrations combine traditional moon worship with lantern parades, cultural shows, and family gatherings.
- Bangkok hotels and restaurants offer limited-time mooncakes.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is widely celebrated in Thailand due to its large Chinese population, which makes up roughly 10% to 12% of the people living in the country. Also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, this festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar. This year, that day falls on October 6, which is fast approaching!
On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, family and friends get together to thank the gods for a good harvest, feast on mooncakes, and carry lanterns through the streets. Of course, we’re all pretty familiar with the festivities. But not many of us know its origins, how people celebrate it, and where to go to join in the festivities. Here’s everything you need to know about the Mid-Autumn Festival in Thailand, including where to find the best mooncakes in Bangkok.
On this page
| Section (Jump to section) | Summary |
|---|---|
| A brief history of the Mid-Autumn Festival | Traces back to moon worship in ancient China and adapted in Thailand with legends of the Eight Immortals. |
| How Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in Thailand | Families gather to eat mooncakes, pray for health and happiness, and enjoy parades, cultural shows, and lantern displays. |
| Where to go for the best celebrations | Major events occur in cities with large Chinese communities such as Bangkok, Phuket, Hat Yai, Trang and Chiang Mai. |
| Where to find the Best Mooncakes in Bangkok in 2025 | Luxury hotels like W Bangkok, The Peninsula and The St. Regis offer exclusive mooncake collections and gift sets. |
A brief history of the Mid-Autumn Festival
The exact origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival is largely unknown. However, historical records indicate that it was derived from the practice of worshipping the moon that started in the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 – 1046 BCE), more than 3,000 years ago. Ancient Chinese emperors worshipped the harvest moon because they thought it would ensure a bountiful crop the following year. However, the festival only started to gain popularity in China during the Tang Dynasty (618 -907 CE). It was then made official during the Northern Song Dynasty. At this time, the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar was officially designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The tale of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Thailand is a little bit different. Legend has it that the Eight Immortals fly to the Moon Palace on the night of the festival to give birthday greetings to the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion. To bring success and prosperity to the people of Earth, they present her with peaches.
How Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in Thailand
In China, the Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important holiday after the Chinese New Year. The Mid-Autumn Festival is just as important and widely celebrated in Thailand. Although there are some differences, the celebrations are very similar.
Traditionally, people celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival as a time to thank the gods for a good harvest. Today, however, it has been infused with many more meanings. Aside from thanking the gods for the yearly harvest, people also celebrate the modern-day Mid-Autumn Festival as a time for family and friends to gather together to pray for good health and happiness. Since family reunions are an essential part of the festival, many people compare it to Thanksgiving in the US.
In Thailand, families usually pray to the moon and give each other peach-shaped cakes. Moreover, they eat mooncakes together with family and friends. Many people also give the sweet round cakes to family and friends to express their love and best wishes. Mooncakes in durian flavour are especially popular in Thailand. Pomelo is also a common food you’ll find during the festival since its round shape symbolises reunion and family gatherings.
Besides gatherings, the Mid-Autumn Festival in Thailand is also celebrated with lantern parades, cultural shows and performances, food stalls, contests, and even beauty pageants. Some people also celebrate the festival by boarding a cruise at Siam Bay on Koh Chang Island to watch the moon.
Where to go for the best Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations in Thailand
If you want to experience the best Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, go to areas with the highest population of Chinese people and Thai people of Chinese descent. Trang and Hat Yai usually hold elaborate celebrations and parades. However, you can find big celebrations in areas like Phuket, Chanthaburi, Songkla, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Bangkok.
Where to find the Best Mooncakes in Bangkok in 2025
On the days leading up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, you’ll find numerous stores around Thailand selling all kinds of mooncakes. The round cakes come in a variety of flavours, such as lotus seeds, durian, black sesame, chocolate, and even mint.
Here are our picks of the best mooncake in Bangkok, in no particular order.
1. W Bangkok
Price: 1,499 baht per box of 4 pieces / 199 baht per individual box
Mooncake season is always playful at W Bangkok. This year, they’re bringing The Selene Serpent, which is inspired by the Greek moon goddess Selene and the serpent as a symbol of fortune. The set comes in a sleek box that unfolds into a snakes-and-ladders style game board, complete with colourful tokens and dice.
The flavours are just as bold as the design, with two flavour options. The Baked Lava Mooncakes comes in peach oolong tea, Nanyang white coffee, orange, and durian. The second one, Snow Skin Mooncakes, leans into dessert-style picks such as raspberry cheesecake, banoffee, pumpkin truffle, and caramelised pineapple.
2. Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park
Price: 1,688 baht per box (The Empress) / 1,288 baht per box (The Treasure) / 284 baht per piece
Pagoda Chinese Restaurant at Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park has put togehter The Empress mooncake collection. It’s probably one of the most elegant sets you’ll see this season.
The oval-shaped Empress box is wrapped in fabric-patterned paper with gold details and a peony motif, a flower tied to prosperity and love. In addition to The Empress, they also have The Treasure, a square-shaped box with a silk-like finish. Both make perfect gifts for family, friends, or business partners.
The mooncakes are handmade with premium ingredients and come in creative flavours. You’ll find oolong ginseng tea with longan, ginger and black sesame, Thai tea with pandan, matcha custard, along with classics like Chantaburi durian with lotus seed and egg yolk, or park bak-kwa with nuts.
The hotel’s sets are no longer available, but you can still pick them up at the Mooncake Fair across Bangkok until October 6.
3. The Peninsula Bangkok
Price: 6,888 baht (Moonlit Masquerade Box) / 1,288 baht (8 pieces) / 298 baht per piece
The Peninsula Bangkok has turned mooncake making into an art form. Their signature egg custard mooncake has been a classic since 1986, first created at The Peninsula Hong Kong’s Michelin-starred Spring Moon, and today it’s still the star of the season.
Smooth, delicate custard wrapped in golden pastry is what makes it so loved, and this year, it’s joined by three new flavours: osmanthus tea with gentle floral notes, creamy lotus seed, and a bold durian. Moreover, presentation is just as thoughtful as the taste. You can choose from elegant octagonal boxes filled with eight mooncakes, mixed sets of assorted flavours, or go all out with the Moonlit Masquerade Collector’s Box.
4. Blue by Alain Ducasse
Price: 1,288 baht per box of 4 pieces
Blue by Alain Ducasse at ICONSIAM is adding a French touch to the Mid-Autumn Festival with a limited-edition mooncake collection by Executive Pastry Chef Christophe Grilo. With over two decades of expertise, he brings refined technique and creativity to four distinct flavours.
Confit d’Aurore combines orange candy with a bright citrus lift, Forêt de Jade blends pandan coconut and ginkgo nuts, Cœur de Lotus offers the smooth comfort of lotus paste, and Trinité Noire layers chocolate custard with vanilla for pure indulgence.
Each box holds four handcrafted mooncakes, presented with the elegance you’d expect from the Michelin-starred restaurant.
5. The St. Regis Bangkok
Price: 1,188 baht per box of 4 pieces (The Mooncakes x Bathma Kaew-Ngok) / 1,088 baht per box of 4 pieces (The Exquisite Mooncake)
The St. Regis Bangkok offers two very different mooncake sets this year. The first is The Exquisite Mooncake, which comes in a peacock-inspired watch box. Once you’ve enjoyed the four big mooncakes inside, the box doubles up as storage for four watches, complete with cushions for each slot.
But to make the celebration exta special, you can get the collaboration with Thai artist Bathma Kaew-Ngok. He’s taken inspiration from the Jade Rabbit and the Tiger to design a limited-edition box that looks like a piece of art. Inside are four smaller mooncakes, perfect if you like something a bit lighter but still want that festive touch.
The mooncakes in these hotels are only available for a limited time, so be sure to snatch some before they’re gone. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
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