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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.
