| Bon Om Touk | |
|---|---|
 Cambodian Water Festival celebration in front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia 1914. | |
| Official name | Khmer: ព្រះរាជពិធីបុណ្យអុំទូក បណ្ដែតប្រទីប អកអំបុក និងសំពះព្រះខែ (The Royal Boat Racing Festival, Lanterns Floating, Taste the Ambok and Worship the Moon) |
| Also called | Bon Om Touk Cambodian Water Festival |
| Observed by | Cambodians |
| Significance | Marks the Cambodian Water Festival |
| 2023 date | 26–27–28 November |
| 2024 date | 14-15-16 November |
| Frequency | annual |
| Related to | Loy Krathong (in Thailand and Laos), Il Poya (in Sri Lanka) Tazaungdaing festival (in Myanmar), Boita Bandana (in Odisha, India) |
Bon Om Touk (Khmer: បុណ្យអុំទូក, Bŏn Om Tuk, lit. "Boat Paddling Festival"), also known as the Cambodian Water Festival, is celebrated in late October or early November, often corresponding with the lunar Mid-Autumn Festival. It marks the end of the monsoon season. The festivities are accompanied by dragon boat races, similar to those seen in the Lao Boun Suang Huea festival.
The festival is celebrated over the span of three days and commemorates the end of the rainy season,[1] as well as the change in flow of the Tonlé Sap River.[2] The festival attracts several million people each year.[1][3] Some activities that take place at the festival are boat races along the Sisowath Quay riverfront, fireworks, and evening concerts.
- ^ a b "At Least 345 Die in Cambodian Stampede". Time. 22 November 2010. Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
- ^ "Cambodia's Water Festival". Al Jazeera. 22 November 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
- ^ "Hundreds Die in Stampede on Cambodian Island". The New York Times. 22 November 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2010.