Festivals are held throughout the year in Thailand and many overlap. Researching them in advance makes it easier to schedule cheap flights to Phuket and popular cities.
Thao Thepkasattri-Thao Sri Suntorn Festival
This cultural and sporting festival is the most popular and well-attended in Phuket. A bazaar of local crafts and foods is accompanied by entertainers of all types and several traditional sporting events. The capstone of the show is a historical play where hundreds of actors gather to re-enact the founding of Phuket over three evenings.
Monkey Buffet Festival
The city of Lop Buri is an exciting place to be on the last Sunday of November. Residents believe monkeys are the descendants of a legendary figure named Hanuman, and monkeys roam the city streets freely. During the festival, students prepare food and present it to the monkeys in a grand parade. Students are known to play pranks on the mischievous creatures by freezing food inside blocks of ice.
Candle Festival in Ubon Ratchathani
Monks confine themselves to their temples for three months during Buddhist Lent, but they take part in the Candle Festival before retiring. This massive celebration widely considered to be the most beautiful in Thailand. Commoners and monks alike carve and decorate elaborate candles, and the parade features dancing, floats and other entertainment.
Old Phuket Festival
For three days that follow the Chinese New Year, large crowds gather on several pedestrian-only streets in the Old Phuket district. Rickshaw tours of the old city are available, and every type of entertainment can be found, from opera to folk dancing. Numerous parades makes their way through the streets starting at around 3pm until midnight. The Phuket Baba light show is one of the most popular events.
Wat Chalong Festival
For seven days of temple-led uproar, be sure to visit Phuket during the Chinese New Year. Live entertainment and hundreds of stalls set up by local families are accompanied by a daily sermon from the temple monks. This is one of the largest celebrations, so it is a good idea to search for cheap flights to Phuket well in advance.