The Phuket Gay Pride Festival - January
Once a community project, now an annual event, the Gay Pride festival
is becoming an increasing attraction for tourists to Patong Beach.
Parades, swimwear competitions, beach activities, street parties,
lots of outrageous costumes and stage shows.
See our Phuket Events Calendar
See a photo gallery of Gay
Patong
Songkran Festival - April
Songkran Festival celebrates the traditional Thai New Year around
April 13th when families and friends get together. The festival
starts in the early morning, when Thais visit temples, sprinkle
water on Buddha images in reverence and then go home to have fun,
eat and be merry. The gentle sprinkling of water over family and
friends has evolved in to an excuse for a nationwide water party.
At a time of year when the sun is at its hottest, the festival makes
a welcome break and everyone is happy to be soaked. In recent years,
gentle water sprinkling has moved up the scale with water pistols,
hose-pipes and large water containers replacing simple pouring of
water.
In Patong, the Songkran festival is celebrated with huge enthusiasm.
The streets are full of people by the side of the road throwing
water and having fun with many of the local Phuket population paying
a visit.Small children delight in equipping themselves with water
guns and spraying anyone who comes in their path - no one is exempt!
So, remember this date when you are in Patong and leave your cameras
and anything likely to suffer water damage behind in your hotel
room, because you will get wet.
Read more about Songkran
Festival...
See our Phuket Events Calendar
See our photo gallery of the Phuket
Songkran Festival
Phuket Bike Week - April
Get to see an amazing collection of Harleys, Hondas and superbikes
at this annual event. Concerts, bike trials, bike souvenirs and
lots of bikertalk. Most of these leather clad guys and gals are
actually bankers or computer bods from Singapore, Malaysia and all
over Asia who come literally for the ride. Even if you're not interested
in bikes, it's a buzz...Normally held around April 13th.
Phuket Fireworks Festival - August
Over 4000 fireworks will lit up the sky in a spectacular display
at Sapan Hin in Phuket's main town..
Phuket Vegetarian Festival - Sept/Oct
A colourful and at times, bizarre festival held over a ten-day
period in late September to early October, centred around Phuket's
main town. This festival advocates abstinence from meat and earthly
pleasures and requires penitents to perform feats to obtain a pure
state of mind. Piercing and fire walking are local "events"
Participants enter a trance beforehand which transports them to
a state where they feel no pain. Not for the squeamish.
Apart from the visual spectacle of this festival, visitors can
partake in specially prepared vegetarian cuisine made available
at street stalls and markets around the island during this time.
The vegetarian dishes are not easily distinguished from regular
dishes - soybean and protein substitute products are used to replace
meat in standard Thai fare and look and taste uncannily like meat.
Look for the yellow flags with red Chinese or Thai characters to
find vegetarian food stalls - and keep your camera handy!!
Read more about Phuket
Vegetarian Festival...
See our Phuket Events Calendar
See our photo gallery of the Phuket
Vegetarian Festival
Patong Carnival - November
Patong likes to start the every new high season with a fun carnival
to ensure prosperity and good times. Usually celebrated at the beginning
of November, the festival involves a mix of beauty contests, sports
events, a parade with colourful floats and stage shows which last
until midnight. Street stalls are set up, lots of food, drink and
goods for sale. Anyone can join in the carnival like atmosphere
that pervades the whole beach at this time.
This year 's carnival includes Tewan Novel Jazz, Thailand's top
jazz band; stunning singers from Patong's famous Simon Cabaret,
an entertaining display from Phuket's award winning bartenders;
fashion shows, a parade with a cast of thousands and much, much
more. To support the show there will be hair braiding experts, tattoo
artists, portrait painters, clowns from the famous Fantasea Cultural
Theme Park and music from popular island pop and folk bands. A good
time to visit.
See our Phuket Events Calendar
Loy Krathong - November
One of the most beautiful Thai festivals in the Thai calendar.
Small round boats or Kratong made from the trunk of a banana tree
and decorated with flowers, candles and incense are set adrift to
float on the water - rivers, canals, ponds, and the sea. Launched
with a prayer, the idea is that any bad spirits and sins will float
away, leaving a path for good luck to follow. In Patong almost all
hotels celebrate Loy Krathong with a special evening which finishes
with the guests floating their kratongs.
The beach fills with both visitors and locals during the evening,
and the sight of Patong Bay lit up by thousands of small candles
floating on the water under a full moon is quite magical. Read more
about Phuket
Loy Krathong Festival...
See our Phuket Events Calendar |
