Phuket’s festivals are a blend of cultural and social celebrations. Whether you’re looking for cultural events or vibrant parties, there’s always something exciting happening in Phuket throughout the year. Each festival offers a unique insight into the island’s traditions and way of life.
Songkran, the Thai New Year festival, is a vibrant and exuberant event that is filled with water splashing and joyous street parties. During this festival, water is used as a symbol of purification and renewal, and people splash water on each other to wash away their sins and start the new year with a clean slate. The streets come alive with music, dance, and colorful parades as people come together to celebrate this auspicious occasion. It’s a time of great fun and merriment, where friends and family gather to enjoy traditional food, exchange gifts, and pay respect to their elders and ancestors.
Loy Krathong is a festival celebrated in Thailand where people make small baskets called Krathong using banana leaves and flowers. They light candles inside the baskets and float them on water to honor the river spirits. This takes place on the night of the full moon in November.
The purpose of the festival is to show respect to the river spirits and to ask forgiveness for polluting the water. The sight of the illuminated krathong floating on the water is a serene and beautiful experience.
The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is an annual event that takes place in September or October. It is celebrated in the 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar. The festival is known for its bright colors and lively atmosphere. People come from all over the world to enjoy the vegetarian way of life and participate in the festival’s festivities.