FELIX HUG/LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©RICHARD VAN KESTEREN/ALAMY ©Top Festivals
Thailand’s festivals are vibrant
affairs in which religion and
culture take to the streets.
Traditional dance and music are
features, as are some modern
twists on the old ways.
Loi Krathong
1
This elegant festival alights the night with
small boats adorned with fl owers and lit
candles set adrift in waterways across the
country. The off erings thank the river god-
dess for irrigation and transport. Sukhothai
(p358) is famous for this tradition.
Vegetarian Festival
2
Inherited from Chinese immigrants, this
nine-day holiday from meat is lovingly
practised in Bangkok and other Thai cities
with historic Chinese populations. Food stalls
with yellow banners turn the usual meaty
stir-fry into a soy-based meal. In Phuket, the
festival (p618) has a self-mortifi cation parade.
Long-Tail Boat Races
3
In ancient times, long-tail boats, powered
by up to 50 men, would race during end-
of-rainy season celebrations ( Ork Phansaa). A
survivor of that era is the International Swan
Boat Race (p164), held in Ayuthaya, that pits
international and domestic teams.
Hua Hin Jazz Festival
4
To honour the king’s jazz interest, this
two-day festival assembles domestic
and international ensembles to jam on the
beach. Music-lovers lay out a beach blanket
and listen as the waves lap in time (p517).
Candle Parade Festival,
Ubon Ratchathani
5
During Khao Phansaa (Buddhist Lent),
merit-makers donate essential and
ceremonial items (such as candles) to the
temples. In Ubon Ratchathani, the simple
candle off erings became huge wax sculptures
that are paraded through the town (p436).
Clockwise from top lef t
- Launching lanterns for Loi Krathong, Chiang Mai
- Self-mortification during the Vegetarian Festival,
Phuket 3. Long-tail boat race during Ork Phansaa, Sakon
Nakhon 4. Hua Hin Jazz Festival