Phuket Festival

Thao Thep Krasattri and Thao Si Sunthon Fair (งานท้าวเทพกระษัตรี - ท้าวศรีสุนทร) is held on March 13 every year to commemorate the two great heroines who rallied the Thalang people to repel Burmese invaders.

Vegetarian Festival (เทศกาลกินเจ(กินผัก-เจี๊ยะฉ่าย)) is held on the first day of the 9th lunar month (end Sept or early 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 King’s Cup Regatta (งานแข่งเรือใบชิงถ้วยพระราชทาน) is held in December. The Kata Beach Resort hosts international yachtsmen, largely from neighbouring countries who compete in the Kata Beach area for royal trophies. 

Laguna Phuket Triathlon (ลา กู น่า ภูเก็ต ไตร กีฬา) each December. The triathlon (a 1,800 m (5900) swimming, running 55 km (34 mile) bike race and a 12 km (7.5 miles) and a 6 km (3.7 mile) fun run) attracts many athletes from all over the the world.

Phuket Travel Fair from 1 November 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.

Chao Le (Sea Gypsy) Boat Floating Festival (งาน ประเพณี ลอย เรือ ชาวเล) falls each year during the middle of the sixth and eleventh lunar months. The sea gypsy villages at Rawai and Sapam their ceremonies to be held on the 13th, Ko Si-Re celebrated on 14 and Laem La (east of the bridge on the northern tip of Phuket Island) on 15. Ceremonies that center around the setting behind the small boats similar to the Thai festival of Loi Krathong, held at night and whose goal is to drive away evil and bring good luck.