Phuket Old Town to Host Peranakan Projection Show Ahead of Hungry Ghost Festival

One of Phuket Old Town’s most recognizable historic buildings will once again become the backdrop for a large-scale multimedia experience celebrating the island’s cultural heritage.

From August 23 to 29, the former police station building at the historic Chartered Bank intersection will host Feel All the Feelings @ Phuket: Illuminating Peranakan, a projection-mapping show organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Using a combination of light, sound, and digital visuals, the event will explore Phuket’s history and highlight the traditions of the Baba-Nyonya, or Peranakan, community that played a significant role in shaping the island’s identity. The projections will illuminate the century-old building with its iconic clock tower, which now houses the Phuket History Museum.

Ten short presentations are scheduled each evening between 7pm and 10pm throughout the seven-day event. TAT describes the programme as a cultural celebration that blends historic architecture with modern technology to showcase Phuket’s unique heritage.

Special activities are planned for the opening night on August 23. Visitors will be able to enjoy a traditional Khon masked performance, live jazz music, and a workshop demonstrating how to make the red turtle-shaped ang ku cakes that are closely associated with local Chinese traditions.

The timing of the event is particularly significant. Although not highlighted in the main announcement, the projection show begins just before Phuket’s annual Por Tor Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, one of the most important celebrations among the island’s Chinese and Peranakan communities.

This year’s official Por Tor Festival programme in Phuket Town will run from August 25 to September 10. Religious ceremonies and cultural activities are expected to take place at Chinese shrines, museums, local markets, and historic neighbourhoods throughout the town. One of the festival’s key dates falls on August 27, coinciding with the middle of the projection-show schedule.

The Hungry Ghost Festival is dedicated to Por Tor Kong, the ruler of the spirit world in local Chinese beliefs. According to tradition, the gates between the worlds of the living and the dead open during the seventh lunar month, allowing ancestral spirits to return and visit their descendants.

To welcome and honor these spirits, families prepare offerings that typically include roasted meats, fruit, rice wine, and the festival’s most recognizable symbol — bright red ang ku cakes shaped like turtles. These cakes represent longevity, prosperity, and protection.

As a result, Illuminating Peranakan is expected to serve not only as a celebration of Peranakan culture but also as a symbolic introduction to one of Phuket’s most important annual Chinese festivals.