Illuminating Peranakan Opens in Phuket Old Town as Prelude to Hungry Ghost Festival

The Feel All the Feelings @ Phuket: Illuminating Peranakan festival officially opened in Phuket Old Town on the evening of August 23. The main attraction of the opening night was the first presentation of a large-scale projection show displayed on the historic building that now houses the Phuket History Museum. However, the programme turned out to be more extensive than originally announced.

The official opening ceremony took place at around 6pm at the Chartered Intersection. The projection show will continue every evening through August 29, transforming the clock-tower building into a giant screen.

Through light, animation and music, the presentation tells the story of Phuket and explores the island's Baba-Nyonya and Peranakan heritage.

Organisers have divided the show into four broad themes. These include Peranakan culture, contemporary art and technology, the history of Phuket Old Town and the traditions of the Po Tor Festival, as well as the atmosphere of modern Phuket, where everyday life continues within the historic cityscape.

The opening evening featured more than the projection show itself. Before the official launch, visitors could take part in a free workshop on making ang ku, the distinctive red turtle-shaped pastries that are closely associated with the Hungry Ghost Festival.

The event also coincided with the Sunday Chartered Walking Street market on Phang Nga Road, turning the opening night into a broader cultural celebration that brought together several activities in the Old Town.

Another programme was added by the Phuket office of the Ministry of Culture. A presentation in the Old Town introduced eight traditional forms of Chut Thai Phra Ratchaniyom, the national dress developed by Queen Mother Sirikit as a modern yet distinctly Thai form of formal clothing.

As a result, the evening brought together several different cultural influences: Thailand's wider traditions, Phuket's Chinese-Peranakan heritage, contemporary urban culture and modern technology.

Illuminating Peranakan is organised by the Phuket office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) under the slogan “Where Heritage Comes Alive in Light”. The event fits particularly well into what has become a Peranakan-focused week in Phuket.

Just before the projection show opened, an exhibition of traditional crafts from Peranakan communities along the Andaman coast was held on the island. A day earlier, local authorities also highlighted bi-tai-bak, a traditional Phuket dessert that had recently won the national vote in The Lost Taste 2026 competition.

The series of cultural events is taking place immediately before the Po Tor Festival, one of the most important celebrations in the traditional calendar of Phuket Old Town.