Thai Festival
Enrique Fats
Thai Fest, which is sponsored by the beverage brand, Chi Forest, was organized as a sister brand of the Dragon Fest. This NYC festival was founded in 2023 and celebrates Chinese culture through a schedule of events, tastings and market fairs.
The 12 restaurants will set up booths and offer around 35 different food items. As admission to Thai Fest is free and open to the public, the cost for purchasing food and drinks will range between $8-$15 each.
The offers include Thai delicacies include some well-noted city establishments. The planned list extends to: Crab Fried Rice from Fish Cheeks in Manhattan; spicy Krapow from Mayree in Manhattan; savory Fried Meatballs from Sappe in Manhattan; rich Khao Soi from Soothr in Manhattan; and crispy Fried Chicken from Somtum Der in Manhattan.
Other choices will incorporate classic Pad Thai from Rua Thai in Brooklyn; sweet Mango Sticky Rice from Zabb PuTawn in Manhattan; flavorful Garlic Noodle from Obao in Manhattan; and tangy Tom Yum Ramen from 11Tigers in Manhattan.
I hurried straight up to Chiang Mai upon arriving in Thailand in order to participate in these three days of festive activities. Here, the krathongs are released on the Ping river, and most of the activities and events are happening near the Tha Phae gate.
I arrived in Chiang Mai on the Sunday afternoon, on the very day of the opening ceremony for both festivals. The opening ceremony consisted of several parts, starting off with speeches, song and and dances on large stages, followed by a big parade filling the streets.
Young girls dressed up in traditional costumes and with full make-up sat on some of the krathongs, while other parts of the parade consisted of people walking, dressed up in different themes. The streets were crowded, brimming with locals, tourists, food stalls and krathongs. Luckily, the police had blocked off the streets for all traffic.
During the day, Chiang Mai seemed like quite a normal city, although there were several events you could participate in as part of the celebration all through the day. A lot of people sat around next to the streets making and selling krathongs, in all shapes and sizes, and some places also offered courses for those who wanted to make their own. Lanterns were also sold, and people also decorated these, but to less of an extent than the krathongs.
A young couple held a krathong between them, both with eyes closed and heads leaning on each other. I think they were saying a prayer inside. Others sat alone, some chanting and humming quietly to themselves. A young man said a prayer, bowed, continued, bowed again. I am not a religious person myself, but I spent some time thinking, lit my candle, and handed my krathong over to one of the men in the river.
Expensive events! Wait, what, these all costs like 1500 Norwegian kroner*?! (*About 165 USD or 5000 baht) I said to Thomas as I was doing my research. I knew Thomas already had attended these festivals once before, and as he knew I was trying to do this on a low budget I imagined he would have told me about such an expense. Turns out, they took what used to be free and turned them into a big, expensive touristy business.
The most magical of Thailand's events and holidays include Thai New Year and the water-throwing celebrations of Songkran, the fairy-tale floating offerings of Loy Krathong and the unexplained phenomenon of Naga Fireballs, which rise from the Mekong River during every October full moon.
Whether you're looking to learn about Thai culture and Buddhist rituals, pay your respects on religious holidays, or simply have fun participating in and witnessing some of the best Thailand festivals, here are our recommendations for unmissable Thailand holidays and other events that you can time with your Southeast Asia trip:
The narrow alleyways of Bangkok's Chinatown (Yarowaraj) are filled with festivities: dragon and lion dances, parades, firecrackers, lanterns and plenty of excellent things to eat from Chinatown's famous street food vendors.
You'll also find Chinese New Year celebrations elsewhere in Thailand, most notably in Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Sawan and Phuket. Head to the area's Chinese temples and you're sure to find celebrations around in the days leading up to and after Spring Festival.
Every year in the first week of February, Thailand's northern city of Chiang Mai (known as "the rose of the north") explodes in floral wonder, with the Chiang Mai Flower Festival. Blooms indigenous to Chiang Mai and its surrounds are in abundance, including yellow and white chrysanthemums, as well as the Damask rose.
To see parades of floral floats, horticultural contests and stunning botanical displays, head to the public garden of Suan Buak Haad, where there are also vendors selling flowers such as orchids, plants and garden decorations.
The biggest parade takes place on the Saturday morning, with huge floats, traditional dances and music. Many young girls sit atop these floats, waving to the crowd - these are the candidates for the Chiang Mai Flower Festival Queen.
The tradition started back in the 13th century, when religious rituals such as sprinkling water on images of the Buddha took place to symbolise washing away the bad deeds of the previous year and starting anew. Today, water is is thrown by the bucketload and whether you're Thai or foreigner, you are guaranteed to get soaked.
Songkran is also one of the most significant Buddhist holidays in Thailand and although water fights and celebrations can get raucous, remember to be respectful, especially if visiting temples or religious sites around this time.
If you are celebrating Songkran in Thailand, be like the locals and wear a bright, floral shirt on top of your swimsuit (Thailand is still a conservative country and Songkran is a religious holiday). Goggles or sunglasses help protect your eyes from water and also the white paste Thai's will spread on your cheeks as a blessing. If you are taking your phone out, keep it in a plastic wallet or to be on the safe side, leave it at your hotel!
Boon Bang Fai, also known as Rocket Festival, is celebrated by the farming communities of Isan, up in the northeast of Thailand, as well as throughout neighbouring Laos. Taking place at the start of the wet season, Boon Bang Fai is the big party before planting season begins.
During the festival, villages come together and celebrations take the form of music, dance, pageants, float processions featuring homemade rockets and plenty of rice wine. On the third day, the rockets are fired as part of a competition and are judged by height and distance of the launch, as well as the beauty of the vapour trail.
One of the most unusual (and creepy) Thailand festivals is Phi Ta Khon, or Ghost Festival. Phi Ta Khon is actually the name given to a group of ghost-themed festivals that take place in Isan, northern Thailand, as part of the Bun Luang or Bun Phawet Buddhist merit-making holiday.
Phi Ta Khon combines Buddhist tradition with pre-Buddhist animism, with participants dressing up in ghostly attire, donning gruesome masks, waving wooden phalluses and competing in a series of games and contests.
The Buddhist strand of this festival comes from the story of Vessantara Jataka, which follows one of Buddha's past lives. In this life, he was a prince who made a long journey and was presumed dead, so once he returned home the celebrations were so huge they were said to wake the dead.
The parades take place over the days of Asanha Puja (a date that commemorates the Buddha's first sermon) and Wan Kao Pansa (the date that marks the start of vassa, a three-month retreat period observed by Theravada Buddhists during Thailand's wet season, also known as Buddhist Lent).
During this time, offerings such as candles are donated to monks for the vassa period and the Ubon Ratchathani festival grew out of this tradition. In the Isan region, candles are placed on huge floats, carved to depict scenes from Hindu and Buddhist mythology (or sometimes carved out of wood and coated in wax).
Thailand's monarchy is greatly revered, as shown with Mother's Day, which is on the date of the queen (now queen mother's) birthday and it is also a public holiday. This is a special occasion not only to celebrate the nation's mothers, but also the queen mother herself, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.
On this day, many Thais choose to celebrate by donating offerings to monks, treating their mothers to a special meal, as well as giving cards and gifts, such as jasmine - a flower that symbolises purity, gentleness and motherhood in Thai culture. Many schools hold special events for Mothers' Day and students' parents are invited to attend.
Thailand's Nine Emperor Gods Festival, also known as Jay Festival or Vegetarian Festival, is a Taoist celebration that takes place over a period of nine days during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. The festival is celebrated in Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia and Thailand, by Chinese communities, although locals tend to join in too.
During the nine-day period, participants must follow a set of 10 rules, including a vegan diet without pungent ingredients (such as onions or garlic) and abstinence from vices such as drugs, alcohol and sex.
However, Phuket takes this one step further and has now become infamous for mutilation rituals, including impaling, cutting, skinning and bloodletting. This gruesome side to Jay Festival comes from a legend that a Chinese opera group once got sick in Phuket, but after fasting and praying for nine days, they were cured, boasting invincibility.
Look out for yellow flags at restaurants and street vendors, which denote that they are participating in the festival by selling only vegan food. Bangkok's Chinatown is particularly busy at this time of year, as street vendors sell "mock-meat" which appears to look and taste like the real thing.
Two popular Thailand festivals that we have chosen not to include on this list are Buffalo Racing Festival or Wing Kwai (October) and Surin Elephant Festival (November). Although these festivals have a long tradition in Thai culture, we do not encourage or condone the animal abuse practices of these festivals, and we ask you to consider animal welfare before you choose to join in the celebrations.
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