Phuket has way more happening that people realise, even as a local resident I find it hard to keep up. There are traditional festivals, there are music and food festivals, street fairs, all kind of things going on year round!
The most famous festival in Phuket is the Vegetarian Festival. Phuket is also a great place to be for Songkran (the "water throwing" festival / Thai New Year). Another popular festival is Loy Krathong, where people give thanks for water, and cast adrift their bad luck. The dates for the vegetarian festival and Loy Krathong change every year as they are based on the lunar calendar. October and November are good months to come to Phuket :)
The vegetarian festival is my No.1 favourite thing in Phuket! 2011 festival is from September 26th - October 6th. See you there? For last years photos, see latest links below or check My Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2010 Photos on Flickr - and check the SCHEDULE for 2011!
Recent Phuket Festivals and events
• Phuket Street Show Festival
• Baba (Peranakan) Wedding in Phuket
• Kathu Village Culture Festival June 2010
• Phuket Heroines Festival March 2010
• Old Phuket Town Street Festival
• Cultural Street Festival in Kathu Village
• OTOP Fair in Phuket Town
• Phuket Halal Expo
• Phuket Flower Fair
• Phuket Food Festival
Phuket Vegetarian Festival - My favourite thing in Phuket!
Links to all articles and photos on this blog related to the most bizarre festival in Phuket .. I love it, but it's not for everyone, and the "being vegetarian" aspect is just one part of the festival ... Dates September 26 - October 6 2011.
• Phuket Vegetarian Festival Introduction
• Vegetarian Festival 2011 Schedule
• At Kathu Shrine 15th October 2010
• Bang Neow Shrine Street Procession 2010
• First Days of the 2010 Vegetarian Festival
• Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2009 Photos
• Phuket Vegetarian Festival Videos
Since 2006 during the festival, I always go to see some of the ceremonies, take a lot of photos, and eat plenty of the great food on offer. I am not normally a veggie, but it can't hurt for a week or so!?
• Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2008 Photos
• Vegetarian Festival 2008 Part 2
• 2007 Vegetarian Festival Photos
• Veg Festival Photos 2006
• Photos of Kathu Shrine - More Photos of Kathu Shrine
• Photos of Sam Kong Shrine and Vegetarian Food Stalls
My "local" is Kathu shrine, located in Baan Kathu. Sam Kong shrine is not too far from Tesco Lotus - loads of veggie food stalls in the Kathu/Sam Kong area during the festival. In Phuket town you find big shrines such as Jui Tui and Bang Neow which are very much the center of festivities. Phuket Town is the best place to be based if you want to see as much as possible.
Songkran Festival (Thai New Year)
Songkran is the Thai New Year, a real mix of quiet prayer and water throwing mayhem. We tend to mix it up - a bit of quiet at the temple, a bit of water... on April 13th 2007 (apart from the water fights) we went to a turtle release ceremony at Mai Khao beach. The next year we drove around taking photos. In 2009 we reckoned both our kids were were ready for a ride in the back of a pick up truck around Patong, throwing water at anything that moved - that's fun! n 2010 I was too busy throwing water and drinking beer to take photos! In 2011 I was not in Phuket, but took lots of photos in my wifes home town, Chumphon (about 400km north of here)...
• Songkran 2011 Photos in Chumphon
• Songkran 2009 - Patong Beach Phuket
• Songkran 2008 Photos
• Songkran - April 13th 2007
• Songkran 2006 in Phuket
• Favourite Songkran Photos
• About Songkran
• Phuket Bike Week - 3 days of big bikes and beachside concerts, April every year just before Songkran.
Loy Krathong
Every year, but dates vary according to the full moon. 2010 was 21st November. 2011 will be November 10th. The main element of Loy Krathong is giving thanks to the goddess of water. The "Kratong" are floated onto the water and many lanterns are lit to float up into the sky. It's all about giving thanks and asking for good luck.
• Loy Krathong 2008 Photos
• Loy Krathong 2007 - Part 1 - Making our Kratong
• Loy Krathong 2007 Photos
• Loy Krathong 2006 in Phuket
More Local Phuket Life
• Local Markets
• Local Street Fair in Kathu District
• Phuket Butterfly Release July 2010
• Chalong Temple Fair
• The Weekend Market
• A Walk around Old Phuket Town
• Local temples in Kathu
• Buddha Shelf & Shrine in our house
• A Funeral in our village
• Caged bird singing competition in Kathu Village
• Buying a House in Phuket
Other Phuket Festivals
There are a number of small local festivals in Phuket such as Chinese New Year, the Old Phuket festival, the Por Tor Festival (the Chinese "hungry ghost" festival), there's the Blues Festival, Patong Carnival, the Phuket Gay Festival... Well, I hope over the next 10 years I'll have more time to visit some of these celebrations and get some photos!
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