Jayavarman VII Festival: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Siem Reap)

The king behind the stone faces

The festival honours one ruler. Jayavarman VII reigned from 1181 to around 1218 and was the most prolific builder Angkor ever had. Angkor Thom is his walled city. At its centre stands the Bayon, with its towers carved into calm, smiling faces.

He also built Ta Prohm, dedicated to his mother, and Preah Khan, dedicated to his father. Inscriptions credit him with a network of hospitals and rest houses along the roads of the empire. He was a Mahayana Buddhist, which is why Buddhist imagery runs through his temples.

The Bayon’s outer gallery shows his war against the Cham. Carved boats clash on the Tonle Sap, and market scenes and cooking fires fill the lower register. Walking that gallery gives you the history behind the festival’s programme.

December near the Angkor complex

The festival is set for December 2026, the month as announced. The performances take place near the Angkor complex, which starts about 6km north of central Siem Reap. December falls in the dry season, with cool mornings and evenings. It is also the busiest stretch of the year at the temples.

Traditional dance is at the centre of the programme. Khmer classical dance, often called Apsara dance, is on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list, through the Royal Ballet of Cambodia. You will recognise its gestures from the carved apsaras on Angkor’s walls: backward-bent fingers and slow, held poses.

Visitors usually combine the festival with:

• Angkor Thom’s south gate, a causeway lined with gods and demons pulling a naga serpent
• Ta Prohm, where strangler figs grow through the galleries
• Preah Khan, quieter and long, with corridors you can walk end to end
• Psar Chas (Old Market) and Pub Street in town, for evening meals

Festival tickets and the Angkor Pass

These are two separate things. We have no festival ticket details, and no prices. If you spend any time inside the Angkor Archaeological Park, you need an Angkor Pass. It is issued by Angkor Enterprise at the Angkor Ticket Office on Street 60, and through its official online sales.

Passes come in one-day and multi-day versions and carry your photo. The current prices are posted at the ticket office and on Angkor Enterprise’s site. Inspectors check passes at temple entrances, so keep yours on you.

Most visitors fly into Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport, about 50km from town, then travel in by shuttle or taxi. Around the temples, people usually hire a tuk-tuk for the whole day rather than paying per ride.

Watching dance on temple ground

Temple dress rules apply at any event held on or beside these monuments. Shoulders and knees are covered; the rule is enforced strictly at Angkor Wat’s upper level, the Bakan. A light scarf and long trousers handle the December evening chill as well.

• Cambodian riel and US dollars are both used in Siem Reap, and small notes make tuk-tuk fares and stall food easier.
• Tuk-tuk drivers agree the fare and route before setting off, often for a full temple day.
• Monks are not touched, and women hand objects to them via a cloth or a table.
• Feet never point at Buddha images or performers, and visitors do not climb on carvings for photos.
• Flash and drones are often restricted around the temples, so keep the camera quiet during dances.