Thao Thep
Kasattri and Thao Sisunthon Fair is held on March 13
every year to commemorate the two great heroines who rallied
the Thalang people to repel Burmese invaders. Many activities
and celebrations are organised.
Vegetarian Festival
is held on the first day of the 9th lunar month (usually
October). Phuket islanders of Chinese ancestry commit
themselves to a 9-day vegetarian diet, a form of purification
believed to help make the forthcoming year “trouble-free”. The
festival is marked by several ascetic displays, including
fire-walking and ascending sharp-bladed ladders.
Seafood
Festival
held around May yearly, is designed to publicise the delicious
seafood of Phuket and attract visitors during the rainy
season. Activities include a Marine Tourism Resources Parade,
seafood stalls, demonstrations of regional cuisines and
cultural shows.
Chao Le
(Sea Gypsy) Boat Floating Festival
falls during the middle of the sixth and eleventh lunar months
yearly. The sea gypsy villages at Rawai and Sapam hold their
ceremonies on the 13th; Ko Si-re celebrates on the 14th; and
Laem La (east of the bridge on Phuket’s northerntip) on the
15th. Ceremonies, which centre around the setting adrift of
small boats similar to the Thai festival of Loi Krathong, are
held at night and their purpose is to drive away evil and
bring good luck.
Phuket Travel
Fair / Patong Beach Carnival Colorful
festival held to celebrate the official opening of the tourist
season in Phuket.
Phuket is one of Thailand’s major tourist destinations. Patong
Beach is the center of several tourism activities. Every high
season, the beach will be crowded with many tourists heading for
the tropical paradise. To officially welcome tourists to the beach
destination during the beginning of the high season, Phuket Travel
Fair is organized at Patong Beach. This colorful festival,
commonly known as Patong Beach Carnival after the venue of the
event, was first held in 1985 to mark the opening of the tourist
season and has been organized annually since then.
At the beginning of
the day, visitors can participate in Thai-style merit making,
while the rest of the day will celebrate several fun-filled
activities. Highlights of the festival include exciting watersport
contest, colorful parade, ‘Miss Visitor’ beauty pageant for
foreign tourists, as well as other forms of entertainment.
Date :
November 1, 2002 - November 1, 2002
Venue : Patong Beach, Phuket Contact : TAT Southern Office: Region 4
Tel : (076) 212213, 217138, Fax : (076) 213582
Tourist Season Opening Festival
starting from November 1, is usually
called the Patong Carnival, from the place where celebrations
occur. Colourful parades, sports events, and a beauty competition
for foreign tourists are major activities.
Laguna Phuket
Triathlon
is held in each December. The triathlon (a 1,000-metre swim, a
5-kilometre bike race and a 12-kilometre run) attracts world-class
athletes from all over the world.
Phuket King
’s Cup Regatta
is held in December. The Phuket Yacht Club hosts international
yachtsmen, largely from neighbouring countries who compete in the
Nai Han Beach area for royal trophies.
Turtle
Release Fair
is held on Songkran, the nationwide Thai water festival, on April
13 which is also National Fisherman’s Day. Baby turtles are
released into the sea at various locations.
Thailand Festivals
Amazing Thai Festivals
& Events As
Thailand enters the 21st century, the exotic wonders that have
made our country a popular global destination will continue to
play a major role in the Thai tourism industry. The enormous
success of the Amazing Thailand 1998 - 1999 campaign has
encouraged us to continue with the "Amazing" theme to highlight
what our country has to offer to the world.
Besides the tropical lush jungles and white sandy beaches, the
savory tastes of delectable cuisine and value-for-money shopping
bargains, Thailand also has numerous annual festivals and major
events which have originated from its history, traditions and
culture. These events will give tourists - Thai and foreign - more
exciting choices when selecting a destination for their holiday.
Songkran (Thai New year): If you
like a New Year's party, Thailand is the place for you. Samui's
people are blessed with no less than three annual opportunities to
ring in a new year with their European friends on January 1st,
with their Chinese friends in early February, and on April 13,
which has for centuries marked the first day of of the traditional
Thai solar calendar. This last celebration is called Songkran, and
it is one of the most joyous occasions in The Kingdom.
Read Detail.
Loy Krathong (Light festival): Thailand's waterways rivers, klongs,
even hotel swimming pools will be ablaze with dazing lights on the
evening of Nov. 14, when the Kingdom celebrates "Loy Krathong" one
of the year's most-awaited festivals. Read
Detail
The
New Year's Day: The
International New Year Day has been adopted. On the first of
January, people offer food to monks at the temple or at a
particular site designated by government offices of private
organizations. In Bangkok, the Phramaane ground and the lawn in
front of the district offices are popular places.
Read Detail.
The
Traditional New Year Celebration:
This is also called "Trut" celebration. Trut means "to be cut" or
"to end". So this simply indicates that a year has come to the
end, according to the lunar calendar adopted from the Indians.
Read Detail.
Ceremonies organized by the government: This
ceremony is intended to demonstrate the significance of the rice
farming occupation as well as to boost the morale of farmers all
over the country. During the ceremony the Farming Lord, or Phraya
Raek Na, will plough a piece of land designated on the Phramane
Ground near the Grand Palace to signal the beginning of the
ploughing season.
Read Detail.
Royal ceremonies: These
are ceremonies which are organized jointly by the government and
the Office of the Royal Household according to tradition which has
been passed on through generations. Read Detail.
The "Sart" Festival: "Sart"
is derived from an Indian word meaning autumn or the fall season.
It falls on the end of the tenth lunar month. In India this is the
time for the harvesting of grains and fruit and thus a time to
rejoice.
Read Detail.
Colorful
festival held to celebrate the official opening of the tourist
season in Phuket. 
The
International New Year Day has been adopted. On the first of
January, people offer food to monks at the temple or at a
particular site designated by government offices of private
organizations. In Bangkok, the Phramaane ground and the lawn in
front of the district offices are popular places.
