Royal cremation holiday set for Wednesday December 16

A royal cremation holiday will be observed across Thailand on Wednesday, December 16, after the Cabinet on Tuesday (November 10) approved a special government holiday so people can attend or follow the royal cremation of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother, the Bangkok Post reported.

The decision was announced by Ekkapop Pienpises, spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office, following the weekly Cabinet meeting. The day falls in the middle of a five-day programme of royal ceremonies that will run from December 15 to 19 at the Grand Palace and Sanam Luang in Bangkok.

Queen Sirikit, the mother of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, died in October 2025 at the age of 93. The ceremonies in December will be the final rites for one of the most revered figures in modern Thai history.

Royal cremation holiday: the schedule from December 15 to 19

According to the official programme released earlier and reported by the Bangkok Post and Nation Thailand, the main events are set out as follows:

• December 15: A royal merit-making ceremony ahead of the cremation at 5pm at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall inside the Grand Palace.
• December 16: The royal funerary urn is carried in procession to the royal crematorium at Sanam Luang at 7am, with the royal cremation ceremony at 4.30pm.
• December 17: The royal relics are collected at the crematorium at 8am and then conveyed, with the royal ashes, to the Grand Palace.
• December 18: A further royal merit-making ceremony.
• December 19: Concluding rites.

Royal permission has been granted for the Public Relations Department, working with the Television Pool of Thailand, to broadcast every day of the ceremonies live, so viewers nationwide can follow the full programme from home.

Preparations at Sanam Luang on schedule

The Cabinet decision came a day after Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visited the ceremonial ground at Sanam Luang on Monday to check progress on the royal crematorium, known in Thai as the Phra Merumas.

Phanombut Chantharachote, director-general of the Fine Arts Department, told the prime minister that construction of the crematorium and the surrounding structures was proceeding according to plan and on time, Thai PBS World and Money & Banking reported.

Craftsmen are now decorating the structure with intricate gilded paper lattice work in the traditional style. The four-faced Brahma spire has been finished and is ready to be installed before the ceremonial raising of the nine-tiered great white umbrella of state above the crematorium. Sculptures for the crematorium and the landscaped grounds inside the ceremonial fence have also been put in place, and workers are finishing the planting to the approved design.

Mr Anutin instructed all subcommittees to coordinate closely so that the ceremonies are carried out with order, propriety and strict adherence to ancient royal tradition.

What the holiday means for residents and visitors

The government has described December 16 as a special government holiday. State offices will close for the day, while private companies, banks and schools usually confirm their own arrangements separately, so residents should check with employers and service providers for details.

For people in Phuket and other provinces, the live television broadcast will be the main way to follow the ceremonies. Visitors who come across memorial events or ceremonies on the day should dress modestly and behave respectfully, as they would at any Thai temple or royal site.

Anyone planning to be in Bangkok during the week should allow for large crowds near Sanam Luang and the Grand Palace and keep an eye on official announcements about access to the area. Our guide to the Grand Palace in Bangkok explains the layout of the palace complex beside the ceremonial ground.

Travellers heading south can also check our guide to Phuket in December for weather, events and practical tips during the peak season, and learn more about the green space in the capital named in the Queen Mother's honour in our feature on Queen Sirikit Park.

The original report was published by the Bangkok Post.

Image: Construction of the royal crematorium at Sanam Luang for King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2017, used to illustrate the royal cremation holiday. Photo by Iudexvivorum via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.