Cambodia — Events
Chaul Chnam Thmey
A Cambodian event not to be missed is the Chaul Chnam Thmey (Khmer New Year), a three day festival held in April each year featuring colorful processions, music, dancing... and a lot of water and talcum powder bombs! The local Khmer people make offerings at Angkor Wat and exchange gifts.
Chat Preah Nengkal
Chat Preah Nengkal, the Royal Ploughing Ceremony, is a ritual agricultural festival that takes place near the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. The ceremony is held in early May each year and all banks, ministries and embassies are closed during the event.
Water and Moon Festival
This traditional festival is Cambodia’s Mardi Gras and Carnival rolled into one, an exuberant celebration marked by three days of boat races and partying on the southern end of the Tonle Sap - the largest freshwater lake in Asia. The festival heralds the start of the fishing season and coincides with the reversal of the current in the Tonle Sap river. There are illuminated floats, celebrations of the full moon, and various feasts to support the boat races. Each of these pirogue-style boats can have up to 40 rowers on board making for a fast, loud and energetic racing experience.
Angkor Wat International Half Marathon
Nearly 3,500 runners from 47 different countries annually contest this 21km race through, in, and around the Angkor temples. The setting alone makes this event an iconic edition to the international race calendar, with the evocative temples a constant backdrop to the athlete’s efforts. The race starts before dawn in order to avoid the stifling heat and humidity of the day. All funds raised are devoted to victims of landmine explosions, and for the treatment and prevention of HIV/Aids.
