The story
Khmer New Year Siem Reap in Siem Reap/Angkor
Siem Reap's Khmer New Year centers on Angkor Sankranta, a festival held within the Angkor Archaeological Park since 2013 that pairs blessing ceremonies in front of Angkor Wat with a Lantern Prayer Ceremony, concerts, and traditional performances. The temple setting gives Siem Reap's celebration a visual scale distinct from other Cambodian cities during the same lunar-calendar holiday.
Angkor Wat's causeways fill with monks, dancers, and thousands of visitors during Siem Reap's Khmer New Year celebration, known locally as Angkor Sankranta, a festival first organized in 2013 that has since grown into one of the largest cultural events tied to the holiday anywhere in Cambodia.