
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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