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Phukets Annual Calendar or "what is on"
There is always something to celebrate on Phuket. Traditional festivals like Loy Krathong are beautiful and traditional, while Songkran is wet and wild. The annual Vegetarian Festival, held only on Phuket, is host to some of the stranger and more bizarre rituals that you may ever witness.
Phuket is also where world-famous events such as the annual Phuket King's Cup Regatta and the Johnny Walker Classic Golf Tournament (held three times in Phuket) are held.
Phuket holds a variety of tournaments and festivals each year featuring international competitors in surfing, volleyball, rugby, and more. Jazz and blues festivals, boat shows, art exhibits, and much more will keep you as busy as you want to be.
Phuket in January
New Year celebrations are lively and colorful, with fireworks shows sometimes overlapping each other at the many resorts on the island.
Phuket in February
Chinese New Year usually occurs in February. The large ethnic Chinese population celebrates with decorations at the many Chinese shrines throughout the island, food festivals, and of course noisy firecrackers. Phang Nga Bay Sailing Regatta is also a highlight of the month.
Phuket in March
March 13 is the commemoration of an important historical event in Phuket history, when two sisters led the defense of Phuket against Burmese invaders in 1785.
The Phuket Gay Pride Festival is held at the end of March and beginning of April. This annual carnival is full of lively parties and events for gay locals and visitors, or anyone who needs a reason to have fun. This flamboyant festival began in 1999 and has grown each year as word spreads. Ao Yon Sailing Event also often takes place at the end of March.
Phuket in April
Songkran, the Thai New year celebration, is wet and wild. A nationwide water fight ensues, tempered somewhat by Buddhist rituals of purification. This is also the day that baby sea turtles are released on many beaches throughout Thailand, part of an ongoing effort to increase turtle populations in the wild.
Phuket in May
The Phuket International 10s Rugby Tournament is held each year in May at Karon beach. Teams from around the world compete in this exciting sport.
Phuket in June/July
The Amazing Thailand Grand Sale is held for two full months and features deep discounts at hundreds of shops throughout the island. Special discounts are available on goods made in Thailand.
Phuket Race Week in late July is a full of week of international-standard yacht racing. Parties every night are open to all.
Phuket in August
The three-day Kata Surfing Contest attracts competitors from around the world.
The Por Tor Festival is a 15-day festival celebrated at the Chinese shrines on the island. Chinese make offerings to the spirits of the dead who are released from the underworld during this time. Cakes in the shape of turtles are a popular offering.
Phuket in October
The Vegetarian Festival, held over nine days in October, is the largest and most colourful of all the year's festivals. This celebration features daily processions at the many Chinese shrines throughout the city and features vegetarian food and ancient rituals by devotees that are not for the faint-of-heart
Phuket in November
The first week in November, Phuket welcomes visitors with its annual Phuket Carnival. Parades, activities, and nightly entertainment light up Patong.
Loy Krathong is the most beautiful festival in Thailand, held on the full moon night in November. Thai people send their bad luck out on lotus-shaped floats (krathongs) made from banana tree trunks and leaves and decorated with flowers, candles, and joss sticks. Festivities throughout the island are picturesque, fun, and colourful.
Phuket in December
December 5 is the birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and there are celebrations throughout the island on this day.
The annual Phuket King's Cup Regatta, an international sailing event that attracts the world's best yachtsmen, is held the week of December 5. The party scene is in high gear every night after the races.
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