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.
