Throughout the year Siem Reap and Cambodia hosts a variety of festivals and events steeped in culture and religious history - often combined with local public holidays where the whole town can relax and enjoy themselves. The most notable are probably Khmer New Year celebrated in mid-April, Bonn Om Touk (the Cambodian Water Festival marking the reverse flow of the Tonle Sap River in October / November) and the Pchum Ben festival where people pay respect to their ancestors, visit the temples and spend time with their families.