Festivals & Events in Phuket During 2023

When you visit a different country or region, it’s always a special treat to schedule your trip to coincide with a local festival. Phuket has many festivals, events, and activities. The island is known for its love of a good party.

The most famous festival and event in Phuket show a side of the island’s culture that most visitors and tourists only see if they happen to visit at the right time.

Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival

When people ask, “what festival is Phuket famous for?” most residents of Thailand would have to say the Vegetarian Festival. For many years, the Vegetarian Festival, held in Old Town Phuket, has been the reason for an influx of tourists every October. The festival runs for ten days. This year it starts on October 13 and runs until October 23.

The festival is formally called the Nine Emperor Gods Festival. The days are officially celebrated all over Thailand, and another large festival is held simultaneously in Bangkok’s Chinatown. The festival is all about purifying the souls of the celebrants. This is why vegetarian food is sold at the stalls and kiosks in the streets of the Old Town. Participants abstain from eating meat or consuming any stimulants like alcohol, coffee, or tea during the festival.

The Vegetarian Festival has become so famous among tourists because of the color, parades, and pageantry that occur every day on the streets of Old Town Phuket. The parades and pageantry make for some irresistible photo opportunities.

While the festival’s events are colorful, lively, and noisy, they’re not for young children. In purifying themselves, many people participating in the parades impale their bodies and faces with knives, metal skewers, and other sharp objects. It becomes a macabre procession of celebrants trying to horrify onlookers. But the festival is also a great opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of vegetarian Thai dishes.

Boat Show and King’s Cup Regatta

Boat enthusiasts try to schedule their vacations every year to coincide with the King’s Cup Regatta off Phuket. The late King Bhumibol was an avid sailor. The regatta has been held every year since 1987 during the first week of December, the week of the late King’s birthday. While landlubbers can’t participate in the races held offshore, they can dream about being a boat owner while strolling around the Phuket International Boat Show (PIMEX).

This still-growing boat show takes place at the Royal Phuket Marina and covers over 2,000 sqm of air-conditioned exhibition space and features more than 60 of the latest yacht models available for viewing in the marina.

Phuket Bike Week

For those who feel boating is a little too tame for them, schedule your vacation for the beginning of April. Phuket Bike Week is often scheduled to coincide with the Songkran festivities on the island. So expect a colorful, wet, and loud street party around Patong Beach, which is ground zero for Phuket Bike Week.

There’ll be a beauty competition, concerts, a beach party, and an organized ride for peace, among other events. There will also be some of the most customized and vividly-colored big motorcycles in Asia for you to view. Riders come from all over Asia to participate in Phuket Bike Week. So, strap on your helmet and your swim goggles and make plans to be in Patong Beach during Phuket Bike Week.

Events and Activities at Blue Tree Phuket

Travelers who like to join local events and activities but can’t always schedule their vacation when they want can ensure they always have something to look forward to by checking Blue Tree Phuket’s website before their trip to Phuket.

Blue Tree Phuket’s family amusement park has monthly fun events and activities. This month we start with our Picnic in the Park Family Fun Day.

There was an old tradition in many rural villages in Thailand that when they put on a festival, they included an outdoor big-screen showing of a popular movie. Families would gather on a lawn, enjoy snacks and drinks and watch a movie under the stars. It was a much-loved tradition in Thailand that Blue Tree Phuket wants to bring back. Come and join us in Blue Tree Park where we’ll have sports, games, and plenty of food and drinks, plus a big-screen, outdoor family movie showing.

Next up is Valentine’s Day. We’ll be hosting romantic set dinners at Blue Tree’s Tree House Restaurant and Made In Italy restaurant, from February 7 – February 11. Show your special someone how much you love them by treating them to a sumptuous 4-course meal at two of Blue Tree’s most popular restaurants.

The final day of our Valentine’s Day dinner schedule also coincides with the next event at Blue Tree Phuket.

The Wansao Market is a celebration of art, food, culture, and music in Phuket. It takes place from 4 PM until late in the Lifestyle Village at Blue Tree Phuket. It’s absolutely free to attend, and there’ll be food and drink stations and market stalls to ensure everyone gets a taste of the best food on the island. There will also be live music, and kids can have a ball playing in the Kids Fun Zone and joining in all the activities we have planned for the entire family.

Planning a vacation in Phuket to coincide with fun and exciting festivals, events, and activities just got easier with the online calendar of happenings at Blue Tree Phuket. Make our amusement park your first destination on your next visit to Phuket.