Life

Buddhist temples across Phuket have begun holding annual Kathin ceremonies, during which laypeople present new saffron robes and other offerings to monks following the end of the Buddhist Rains Retreat, known as Vassa. Vassa is a three-month period during the rainy season when monks traditionally remain in one place and devote themselves to religious practice. The Kathin season begins after the retreat ends, with each temple holding its ceremony once a year. The first Kathin

With weather conditions on Phuket gradually improving, Patong Beach is preparing to host the three-day Phuket Beach Life 2026 festival from October 30 to November 1. The event will feature live music, sporting competitions, creative workshops, water sports and a range of beachside activities. Admission is free. Phuket Beach Life is part of the Amazing Multi-Racing Festival 2026, a Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) initiative taking place in three coastal destinations. Songk

Vachira Phuket Hospital’s blood bank and Limelight Phuket shopping centre are organising a special blood donation drive to honour Queen Mother Sirikit on the first anniversary of her death. The wife of King Rama IX passed away on October 24, 2025. Thailand remains in an official period of mourning, with the cremation ceremony for the widely revered Queen Mother scheduled for December. The donation event will take place at Limelight Phuket on Saturday, October 24, from 10am to

Patong is preparing to host an additional beach festival as Phuket enters the high tourism season. The Phuket Beach Life 2026 event will take place at Loma Park from October 30 to November 1, offering concerts, market stalls, water sports and entertainment. The event was announced by Patong Municipality on October 19. Unlike the traditional carnival held later in the year to celebrate the tourism season, the new festival will not feature a parade. Instead, its programme will

Phuket residents and visitors gathered for the traditional ceremony marking the end of the 2026 Vegetarian Festival, one of the island’s most significant annual religious and cultural events. The closing ritual, commonly known as the ceremony of “sending the gods back”, brought crowds to shrine grounds and surrounding streets to take part in the final observances. The ceremony symbolises the farewell to deities believed to have visited Phuket to protect and bless the island t

More than 2,000 spirit mediums took part in a major procession organised by Jui Tui Tao Bo Keng Shrine on October 16, the seventh day of Phuket’s annual Vegetarian Festival. The event was among the largest and longest processions of this year’s celebrations. The parade began early in the morning at the shrine, locally known as an aum, and continued through Phuket Town towards Hin Bridge. Jui Tui Tao Bo Keng is one of the island’s oldest Chinese shrines and plays a prominent r

The Guan Yu Nabon Shrine will hold another major street procession on the morning of October 17 as part of Phuket’s annual Vegetarian Festival. The iu keng procession, dedicated to the Chinese deity Guan Yu, will pass through Chalong and Wichit, with much of the route following Chao Fa East Road. The procession is scheduled to begin at 6:45am. Unlike the October 13 parade, which passed through Kata and Karon, this event will remain within Chalong and Wichit. The shrine has pu

Phuket’s 2026 Vegetarian Festival featured an unusually large nighttime procession, bringing together more than 40 Chinese shrines and over 1,000 spirit mediums in the streets of Phuket Town. Tens of thousands of residents and international visitors gathered along the route to witness the annual religious celebration. The procession transformed the provincial capital into a scene of incense smoke, ceremonial flags, drums and firecrackers. Sacred images were carried through th