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. |
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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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