 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.
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.
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.
Phuket Travel Fair
, held on November 1, was first initiated in
1985 at Patong to welcome in the tourist season
and designed to foster co-operation among tourism-related
operators both in the private and public sectors.
Many colourful and interesting activities are
organised, such as merit-making in the morning,
water sports contests, a Miss Visitor Contest,
among others.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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