Amazing Thailand Thai Festivals July 2017 Across the Country
June 22, 2017Amazing Thailand Thai Festivals July 2017 Across the Country
Festivals across Thailand in July
Revised June 2017
Amazing Thailand Thai Festivals. Here in the Land of Smiles, festivals are a way of life, with any number taking place at any one time all across the country. Getting to the bottom of the actual dates is never easy, with the events determined by all manner of calendars and other strange and wonderful reasoning. see more
Below are a selection of events in Thailand, with links to the relevant Wikipedia web page, where you can find details on how to get to the province, along with information on what else to do when you get there.
The date and time of the following festivals may change as a result of the weather or postponement by the organisers of the events. To confirm the dates and times….. Call the Tourism Authority of Thailand 1672 or 0 2250 5500.
Candle Festivals across Thailand
Amazing Thailand Thai Festivals
When: Throughout July
Where: Mainly North East Thailand
Candle festivals take place right across North East Thailand almost exclusively in July each year, prior to the 3 month Buddhist lent. It is believed the modern candle festivities have been taking place annually for over 120 years.
Candles make up an important part of most Thai merit making, no more so on Asanha Bucha Day and the start of the Buddhist Lent period. Both of which are typically held in July each year, this is also the traditional time for preparation for the rainy season.
Merit making at this time of year comes with donating items for the personal use of the monks at local temple, these same monks will in turn not leave the temples during the 3 months of Lent, gifts include such things as clothes, food and candles.
This form of ‘merit making’ was and is still the core event of many village celebrations especially during Asanha Bucha Day, when the giving of candles and their use in the evening Candle Light Procession, the Wian Tian, takes center stage. During the Wian Tian, believers will walk three times around a Temple in a clockwise direction, carrying a lighted candle, it is this ancient religious event that forms the bases of these now major festivals.
For more on the different locations and the history of the candle festival click here.
Kathu Culture Street Festival
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When: 7 – 13th July 2016 (2017 TBA)
Where: Kathu District, Phuket
The 8th annual Kathu Festival, or the ‘Kathu Street Culture Festival’ as it is known by the people of Kathu, is a relatively new festival on the Phuket calendar. Kathu is one of the 3 districts of Phuket Island, the other 2 being Muang and Thalang. Kathu district includes Patong Beach and Kamala Beach.
From its humble beginnings the people of this once sleepy village who’s main income was once derived from rice farming and later tin mining, now offer one of the regions fastest growing and most vibrant of festivals,’ show casing as it does its tin mining past along with the local peoples Chinese ethnic background.
The event includes both Chinese and Thai influenced local treats (many of which are vegetarian dishes), lion dances, martial arts, exhibitions, traditional dancers and colourful parades where you will find the local people dressed in their best Chinese-style clothing as well as Phuket traditional costumes.
Kek River Rafting Festival
When: July – October 2017
Where: Phitsanulok. Lower Northern Thailand
If you need your adrenaline fix then try this river for rafting. During the rainy season (don’t let the rain put you off it never lasts long and you will be wet anyway!) nature brings new life to the river that originates from the Phetchabun mountain range and the rapids become a wonderful (if at time scary) joyride. The full course is 8 kilometres long and takes around 2-3 hours, the course is divided into 1 – 5 difficulty levels, with 17 rapids.
Pang Sida Butterfly Watching Festival
When: May 1st – 30 July 2017
Where: Pang Sida National Park Sa Kaeo. East Central Thailand
See more than 300 species of butterfly, while camping and trekking in the National Park visit the butterfly exhibition and play in the Pang Sida waterfall, it is also here as soon as the ground becomes touched by water butterflies in their hundreds will come to feed on the minerals that are released.
Cape Panwa Phuket Race Week
When: 19 – 23rd July 2017
Where: Cape Panwa Hotel, Phuket
4 days of sailing and five nights of beach side parties at the 5-star Cape Panwa Hotel, at Asia’s most exciting and fastest growing regatta. With 500 plus sailors and friends expected to participate again this year.
Kaeng Hin Phoeng White-water Rafting Festival
When: 1 June – 31 October 2017
Where: Kaeng Hin Phoeng, Prachinburi
White-water Rafting at Kaeng Hin Phoeng Festival is an annual event and during the rainy season, the water level is practically high, providing a faster flow, cleaner rapids, and generally less hazardous conditions. Through-out the event, there are a number of rafting competition.
Tak Bat Dok Mai Festival
Amazing Thailand Thai Festivals
When: 7-9th July 2017
Where: Wat Phra Phutthabat. Saraburi. Central Thailand
This annual event, also known as the Flower Offering Festival, is a special and unique merit-making time for the local people, who attend the temple of Wat Phra Phutthabat starting at 06.00 each morning to offer alms to the resident monks.
The festival celebrates the bloom of the local flower, known as Dok Khao Phansa at the begining of Vassa The flower offering takes place twice daily, when at 9 am and 3pm thousands of monks, mostly from Phra Dhammakaya temple, will walk among the people where they will be offered flowers.
While the monks are walking to take the flowers given to pay homage to the Lord Buddha, the people waiting along the route holding bowls of clean water in which are more floating flowers, they will then pour the water onto the feet of the monks as a means of washing away their own sins.
These herb like flowers which come in yellow, white and occasionally purple colours are also called “The Flower of Buddhist Lent”. It is believed that by offering purple flowers one will receive more blessings than those that offer other colours. The Flower of Buddhist Lent was only listed as a new species of plant in the world in the International Flowers Fair in July 2001
Buddhist Lent is from the first waning moon day of the 8th Lunar month to the 15th waxing moon day of the 11th Lunar month.
Rambutan Fair
When: 1 – 31st July 2017
Where: Surat Thani
The Rambutan with its strange hairy skin and pale fruit is celebrated once a year by the people of Surat Thani, who in turn have been growing this deliciously sweet gem for almost 100 years. The fair is a blaze of colourful displays of local handicrafts, fruits and ornamental plants and an equally vibrant parades of floats bearing more of the same. There are also demonstrations from trained monkeys used to harvest coconuts along with a traditional Thai Fair including games and rides.
Dok Krachiao Blooming Festival
When: 1 June – 31 August, 2017
Where: Pa Hin Ngam National Park, Thep Sathit district and Sai Thong National Park, Nong Bua Ra Haew district, Chaiyaphum
It is here during the rainy season when the blossoms of the wild Krachiao flowers (Siam Tulip), cover vast areas of these two national parks in a vibrant purplish pink colour. The festival also includes a selection of nature tours and treks around the national parks along with local performances and music concerts. There will be a vast array of booths selling local indigenous handy crafts and delicious food from the Chaiyaphum province. The best time to visit the fields of flowers is early in the morning when the dew is still on the ground and the early morning rays bounce of the just washed blooms.
Asanha Bucha Day
Amazing Thailand Thai Festivals
When: 8th July 2017
Where: Nationwide
Asanha Bucha Day (Wan Asanha Bucha or Dharma Day) is an annual Theravada Buddhist holiday and is sometimes reffered to as “Buddha’s Birthday” is held on the full moon day of the eighth lunar month. The day is a celebration of Lord Buddha’s first sermon given to five disciples to introduce the middle way, the noble eight fold path, and the four noble truth. The day is characterised with candlelight processions. For more on the day click here
Wan Khao Phansa (Buddhist Lent Day)
When: The day following Asanha Bucha Day (9th July 2017)
Where: Nationwide
The day following Asanha Bucha is another significant day which celebrates Wan Khao Phansa, sometimes reffered to as Buddhist Lent Day (พรรษา ‘phansa’ or วรรษา ‘watsa’). The day is the start of the three-month annual retreat, which takes place during the wet season, and is observed by all Theravada Buddhist practitioners (90% of Thai’s are Buddhists). Also known as “Lent Commencement Day” or Vassa, both literally mean “rains retreat”.
The day marks the beginning of the Buddhist Lent and where all Buddhist monks retreat to the temples. It is an auspicious time for Buddhist ordinations as it marks a period of spiritual renewal and is a time devoted to study and meditation. Buddhist monks remain within the temple grounds and do not venture out for a period of three months starting from this day.
Sukhothai Mini-Light and Sound show
Amazing Thailand Thai Festivals
When: 7th July 2017
Where: Sukhothai. Lower Northern Thailand
The former Thai capital city of Sukhothai will once again present a series of the mini-light and sound presentation with one show per month scheduled between April and September 2017. The show consists of classical performances and fireworks display.
The show takes place at Wat Sa Si inside Sukhothai Historical Park and starts at 19:30 Hrs. on Friday 7 April, 5 May, 2 June, 7 July, 7 September and 1 September. There will also be a special performance on 12 August which marks Thailand’s national Mother’s Day. Best of all its FREE.
TAT Sukhothai Office is also encouraging tourists to visit Rim Yom market, in the Kong Krailat district of the province, which is open on every first Friday and Saturday of the month. Here visitors can sample a wide variety of local dishes and enjoy shopping for some of the local products of Sukhothai.
Sukhothai, which literally means “dawn of happiness”, is located 439.7 km north of Bangkok or about four-five hours by car or 1 hour 15 minutes by air.
Laplae Durian Festival
Amazing Thailand Thai Festivals
When: Believed to be mid July 2017
Where: Laplae District, in the western part of Uttaradit Province, northern Thailand
The festival in Laplae is the largest event of the year for this small, little visited district in Thailand’s mountainous northern interior. Orchards here are planted on hillsides so steep farmers use pulley systems to transport baskets of durian across the mountain gorges.
Lablae means “the hidden city,” and this little corner might have remained in obscurity except for their durian. The region has been making headlines for years because their durians lack the famous offensive odor. Although Thai scientists have been trying to breed an odorless durian for years, these durians just naturally popped up in somebody’s yard.
Highlights of the festival include tasting the nearly odor-free durians and attending a rowdy contest in which contestants prepare a durian version of a Thai pounded salad – som tam – while dancing to a lively traditional band. The cacophony on noise and flying stone pestles, looks dangerous enough for the contestants without having to watch out for the wickedly thorny 10 lb fruits which are stacked around them.
Betong Fruits Festival
Amazing Thailand Thai Festivals
When: 22 -29th July 2017
Where: Betong. Yala Province. Southern Thailand
The Annual Betong Fruit Festival is BACK ! Bringing us another chance to venture to the Land of Never-ending Excitement, the Amazing Sights & Sound of Thailand. Discover Thailand’s best Seasonal fruits during the fruit festival, especially the famous Durians of Betong. The event is a time for the locals to go out of their way and spare no expense dressing up for the parade.
Betong is the southernmost town of Thailand and, located on the border with the Malaysian state of Perak, is popular with tourists from Malaysia. The name Betong is actually the Thai corruption of Betung, its original Malay name means ‘bamboo’.
Nan International Folk Culture Festival 2017
Amazing Thailand Thai Festivals
When: 01 July 2017 all-day
Where: Wat Phumin, Nan Province
Thanks to its Lanna heritage, Nan is culturally-rich as well as being home to many tribal peoples. This is why the area was chosen to stage the first-ever International Folk Culture Festival 2017.
The event aims to present some of the many ways that Nan culture is interlinked with that of its neighbours in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. So the highlights will be cultural performances from China, Vietnam, Myanmar and Lao as well as Thailand.
The Nan provincial authority is planning to showcase the special ‘Pooja’ drum which is unique to the local Nan people. Other activities include cultural exhibitions, booths selling local products, seminars and lectures on Nan’s cultural heritage, knowledge exchanges about the culture, art and crafts of Nan and neighbouring countries.
Contact: TAT Phrae (&Nan) office +66 (0) 5452 1127
Pattaya Marathon 2017
Amazing Thailand Thai Festivals
WHEN: 16 July 2017 all-day
WHERE: Pattaya Chonburi
The Pattaya Marathon’s 26th edition is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 16 July, 2017.
Regarded as having one of the most beautiful and impressive running routes in the world, the race starts and finishes at the Central Festival Pattaya Beach before taking a route alongside Jomtien beach, passing Bali Hai Pier. The route also offers challenging uphill running thanks to a slope of 2km towards Khao Phra Tamnak before it turns back to the route along the Beach Road to finish at the starting point.
Participants can choose to run in any categories: a 42-km full marathon with five age groups of male and four age groups of female; a 21.10-km half marathon with four age groups, a 10.55-km quarter marathon with four age groups; a 10.55-km wheel chair; and a 3.70-km fun run. With many categories, this event offers something for everyone, whatever their fitness levels.
The first finishers in each group of each gender will be awarded with the King’s Cup and the five runner-ups in each age group of each gender will get trophies and cash prizes, worth a total of more than two million Baht.
CONTACT: TAT Pattaya Office +66 3842 7667
King’s Day in Thailand
Amazing Thailand Thai Festivals
When: 28th July 2017
Where: Across the Kingdom
This is the first ever Kings Day held on the 28th July, for the New King of Thailand; His majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun: มหาวชิราลงกรณ บดินทรเทพยวรางกูร). Also known as King Rama 10.
You can expect lots of flags, bunting and people dressed in yellow to celebrate this first ever, National Holiday in recognition of the Nations new king.
For more on the King see our post
We will aim to up date this post as more festivals come to light and dates of the festivals here become known.
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