August Festivals Thailand Throughout the Kingdom 2017

August Festivals Thailand Throughout the Kingdom 2017

Author: Josh@Asiabackpackers

Discover Thailand with Thailand Discovery

August Festivals Thailand. While July is undoubtedly the month of candles and Buddhist lent, August is the month for the deceased to return to this realm.  Getting to the bottom of the actual dates of any event in the Kingdom is never easy, with the dates determined by all manner of calendars and other strange and wonderful reasoning. See more.

 

August Festivals Thailand

Listed here are the biggest and best events across Thailand in August with links to more of our posts on each subject and links to what’s happening in each province and how to get there.

Edited 23/06/2017

 

Queen’s Birthday & Mother’s day in Thailand

 

August Festivals Thailand

When: 12th August every year

Where: Across the Kingdom

While Mothers Day is celebrated across the world on various days, most commonly in the months of March or May, here in Thailand it is celebrated annually on the 12th of August and is known as “Wan Mae” (literally Mother’s Day).

Mother’s Day was first introduced to the Kingdom on 15th April, 1950. Later in 1976, it was changed to 12th August to commemorate the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, Queen Regent of Thailand and the Mother of all Thai people.

While the monarchy in Thailand are deemed as semi-divine, this is not the only reason the people love their King and Queen. Her Majesty is venerated through-out the Kingdom for her compassion and goodwill.

For more on this special day click here

 

 

Ang Thong International Drums Festival

August Festivals Thailand

When: 18-21 August, 2016 (2017 TBA)

Where: Ban Phae Village (Drum-making Village), TambonEkkarat, Amphoe Pa Mok, Ang Thong Central Thailand

The Ang Thong International Drums Festival is an annual event, held in what is known as the Kingdoms Drum-making Village.  The locals of Ban Phae are renowned for their production of drums, which they would traditionally make at the end of the harvest season, as a secondary form of income. This is still the case for most of its inhabitants, so much so that many shops are only open seasonally. This festival is an event to show case the local peoples long mastery of this art of drum making.

During the normal 3 days of celebrations you can find many demonstrations and parades, including the Wai Khru Klong Ceremony, majestic drums procession and a nightly mini light-and-sound presentation, telling the “Legend of the Drum-making Village”.

The festivities also includes both regional and International drum and cultural performances. For more on this event click here

 The Akha Swing Festival

August Festivals Thailand

When: End of August until the beginning of September
Where: The mountains of Chaing Rai Northern Thailand

The 80,000 or so Akha people who now reside in the mountains of northern Thailand, known colloquially as one of Thailand’s ‘Hill Tribes,’ once had their own Kingdom in what is now China, but over centuries of persecution, slavery and prejudice, (the latter is still evident today), they find themselves still fighting to keep their own unique identity.

Swinging for fun and the dead

Perhaps the most important annual festival for the Akha people is commonly known as the Swing Festival. The four-day festival comes in late-August  and is known by the hill tribe people as, Yehkuja, (or Loa Cher Bee Err) which loosely translates as “eating bitter rice”. A phrase which is believed to be a references the previous year’s dwindling rice supply, it incorporates the hope that the expected rains will soon water the newly planted rice crops.

Festival activities include ritual offerings to the family ancestral spirits at the ancestral altar in a corner of the women’s side of the house. (Akha life is segregated by gender both in the home and in common areas). The swing festival is particularly important for Akha women, who eagerly wait the opportunity to wear the clothing and the ornaments they have spent all year making. It is also the time for the younger women, to show that they are becoming older and of marriageable age.

For more on this festival and the Akha ‘Hill Tribes People’ click here

 

Southern Agricultural Fair (งานเกษตรภาคใต้)

August Festivals Thailand

When: annually during July – August (2017 TBA)

Where: Prince of Songkhla University. Songkhla Southern Thailand

The Fair features activities relating to agricultural-industry, including sales of goods produced from in the Southern provinces. There are a number of produce contests, and various demonstrations of farming techniques and local handicrafts.

 

 

The festival of Tiggkrahad also known as Thing Krachat (งานเทศกาลทิ้งกระจาด)

 

August Festivals Thailand

When: The merit-making festival is held annually around August–September. 20-24 August, 2016 (2017 TBA)

Where: Around the Dragon Descendents Museum  Suphanburi Central Thailand

Suphanburi has a long and glorious history with the Chinese people this can be seen in the cities arguably two largest events that of the Chinese New Year and this festival of Tiggkrahad Buri. This strong association can be seen in the recently opened Dragon Descendents Museum which now plays its part in this festival.

The event features a colourful parade, with bands, traditional dancers, the thunderous noise from war drums and fire crackers. Ladies in traditional costume, Lion and dragon dancers a multitude of decorated floats carrying drums, stilt walkers and pageant queens.

There are also numerous traditional Chinese monk merit making ceremonies, a lantern parade, releasing fish and birds ceremonies, plus Chinese exhibitions, including a Chinese opera. There are also, displays of traditional lion dancers, twisting and turning as they do high above the crowds on stilts. To add to the fun there is a traditional Thai fair and of course a mass of vendors selling a multitude of different local food, drink and handicrafts.

For more on this festival click here

 

Kaeng Hin Phoeng White-water Rafting Festival

August Festivals Thailand

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 competitions.

 

Yala Product and Cultural Revival Festival (งานเทศกาลฟื้นฟูประเพณีและของดีเมืองยะลา)

August Festivals Thailand

A vibrant mix of 4 cultures, that have been blended over centuries and is showcased in this musical extravaganza

When: The festival is held annually on the first weekend of August

Where: On the grounds of the Yala Municipal Office. Yala Southern Thailand

This eagerly awaited annual event is packed with Folk cultures from the various groups, in what is the only landlocked province in the south of Thailand, with its southern region bordering Kedah and Perak of Malaysia. The festival is awash with sound and performances that blends Thai, Muslim, Indian and Chinese Musical Performances.

For more on this event click here.

Dok Krachiao Blooming Festival

 

August Festivals Thailand

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

Also Known as the Siam Tulip Festival: 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.

 

Sukhothai Mini-Light and Sound show

When: 12th August 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. 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.

 

Khek River Rafting Festival

When: 1^st July – 31^st August 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, 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.

 

Trang Cake Festival 

 

When: August

Where: Ban Lam Phu Rais village. Trang Southern Thailand

The province of Trang is famous nationwide for its mouth-watering food, which it showcases in this annual Cake Festival. The small rural village of Ban Lam Phu Rais is renowned for their delicious cakes and scrumptious sweets.

Made using recipes that date back several generations, these frosting-free cakes have a special characteristic in that the texture is similar to kanom kha Plai, in which Rice Flour is mixed with Toddy Palm and Shredded Coconut.

These cakes come in many flavours, including orange, coffee and coconut. Apart from these delicious sweet treats, there will be numerous other locally produced food and drinks and hand-made gifts on sale plus a colourful parade and a number of demonstrations on cake making, along with different stage performances.

 

 

Rambutan Fair

August Festivals Thailand

When: 18 – 29 August 2017

Where: Surat Thani Southern Thailand

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 parade of floats bearing more of the same.

There are also demonstrations from trained monkeys used to harvest coconuts along with an open air Thai Fair with traditional games and rides.

 Hua Hin Food Festival

 

When: 1^st – 31^st August 2016 (2017 TBA)

Where: Hua Hin Queen Sirikit Park 19 Rai, Prachuap, Khiri Khan, Central Thailand

The event will highlight a wide variety of local food and international delicacies cooked by professional chefs from participating hotels and restaurants in Hua Hin and Cha-am.

Throughout three-day, the event will showcase professional skills from talented kitchen staff in a series of competition, including ice carving, vegetable and fruit carving, and cooking.

There are also free evening mini concerts by Thai leading singers.

For more information contact Hua Hin TAT on Tel: +66 (0) 3251-1047, 0-3251-1347, 0-3253-2433

Longan Fruit Festival 

August Festivals Thailand

When: Annually beginning of August

Where: Lamphun Provincial Stadium, Lamphun Northern Thailand

The festival features exhibitions on this succulent but small longan fruit and local community products, on the main stage begin at 20.00 hrs. Every night there are talent shows and performances from celebrities. There are also longan contests, golden dried longan contest, longan farmers beauty contest and longan parade featuring many people in different traditional clothing along with a mass of colourful floats decked in local produce.

Rafting in Pai River

August Festivals Thailand

When: 1 July – 31 December 2017

Where:  Pai River Mae Hong Son Northern Thailand

Thailand has a number of provinces which can offer the thrill seeker the chance to take what would seem to most as a hair raising fall into the unknown. Rapids on the river vary from class I to class V on the International Scale of River Difficulty and everything in between, along distance of 50 kilometers. The Pai River offers a scenic view of mountain forest and many choose to camp along the quiet river banks.

Lang Suan’s Fruit Fair (งานวันผลไม้เมืองหลังสวน)

 

August Festivals Thailand

When: This fair is organized annually around August. (2017 TBA)

Where: Amphoe Lang Suan, Chumphon province

August is traditionally the harvest time of many kinds of fruits in the province and this is the time for the growers to showcase their produce and for people to taste the many kinds of fruit for themselves. There are a number of fruit, flower and Jam Competitions along with a Fruit Maiden Pageant.

Cultural Relations Fair (งานวัฒนธรรมสัมพันธ์)

August Festivals Thailand

When: Annually July – August

Where: Songkhla Rajabhat University. Songkhla Southern Thailand

This event gets bigger and bigger each year and is in essence a cultural exchange fair, featuring cultural performances from different regions of Thailand and neighbouring countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, along with many stalls showcasing produce and handicrafts from across the Kingdom well as neighbouring countries.

Songkhla Long-tail boat racing

August Festivals Thailand

When: August

Where: Songkhla Lake

While racing goes on almost throughout the year and all over the Kingdom this is one of the largest and is normally held in late August and features a vast array of boat teams battling it out on the waters of Lake Songkhla. In fact these are not really longtail boats (haeng yao) but soong dtoon lek.

Two other activities will also be held on the same day: Cruising by boat to visit the special scenic parts of Songkhla Lake and a photo contest on the theme “Looking for the Dolphins.”

The people of Songkhla have been trying to revive long-tail boat racing, which was part of the cultural identity of the people living around the lake for generations.

The Queen’s Cup Hua Hin Triathlon 2016

When: 13-14 August, 2016 (2017 TBA)

Where: Black Mountain Water Park, Prachuap Khiri Khan

To commemorate Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s 84th Birthday Anniversary, the annual Queen’s Cup Hua Hin Triathlon will return for the eighth consecutive years during 13-14 August, 2016.

The two-day event will feature various races. On Saturday, 13 August, the competitions will comprise the sprint triathlon which is a short-distance triathlon involving a 750m swimming, 20km cycling and 5km running; the duathlon which consists of 2.5km running and 20km cycling; and a running event 5km).

The Queen’s Cup Hua Hin Triathlon 2016 will take place on Sunday, 14 August. This Olympic-distance triathlon will involve three disciplines 1.5km swimming, 40km cycling and 10km running.

The start and finish line for all races will be at the Black Mountain Water Park, located about 15km from Hua Hin town centre. The top three winners from each competition will receive trophies and prizes worth in total 550,000 Baht.

Contact Details:
Visit: www.huahintriathlon.com
Or Contact,
Tourism Authority of Thailand
Prachuap Khiri Khan Office
Tel: +66 (0) 32 513 885
E-mail: tatprachuap@tat.or.th

Lang Suan Fruit Festival 2017

August Festivals Thailand

When: 9-20 August, 2016 (2017 TBA)
Where: Auy Chai Market, Lang Suan District, Chumphon

The annual Lang Suan Fruit Festival 2016 is scheduled to take place from 9-20 August, 2016, which is normally the fruit harvesting time in Lang Suan, Chumphon – the land of fruits growing and tropical fruit plantations, especially rambutan, durian, snake fruit or sala in Thai, and mangosteen.

The festival is held annually to enhance the image of Lang Suan district as the land of tropical fruits, both among the local and international tourists to Chumphon.

Set to take place at Auy Chai Market, the festival will feature booths selling famous fruits of Lang Suan, including durian of various varieties.

For more information, contact:
Chumphon Provincial Operation Center
Tel: +66 (0) -7754-1009, +66 (0) 81 313 3195

International Herb Expo 2016

 

When: 31 August – 4 September, 2016 (2017 TBA)
Where: Hall 6-8, IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, Nonthaburi

The annual 13th International Herb Expo 2016 will this year take place from 31 August – 4 September. Under the banner “Thailand herbs, Thailand’s economy, Thailand’s future” the expo will showcase Thai herbs to the world and provide a forum for health professionals, as well as alternative medicine practitioners to meet and network.

The Ministry of Public Health and the Department for the Development of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicines are joining with the private sector to invite exhibitors to show and encourage the use of Thai herbs by the general public for health reasons.

During the Thai Herb Expo, there will be talks and workshops about Thai and Chinese traditional medicines, alternative medicines and the use of herbs and plants in healing. This is also a great chance for herb growers and buyers from ASEAN and beyond to make deals and sign contracts. Supplementary consumers such as the cosmetic, animal feed and spa industry will also benefit from this chance to share knowledge. In addition, talks and discussions will look at ways to improve and enhance supply capacity of herbs and vital plants.

Ultimately, the aim of the expo is to take Thailand’s traditional medicine into the mainstream and benefit people’s health with wisdom that has been built up over centuries. This will help to create jobs and boost national income.

For information contact visit: natherbexpo.dtam.moph.go.th

Or contact:
Ministry of Public Health Nonthaburi
Tel: +66 (0) 2 149 5696-7, +66 (0) 2 591 7007
E-Mail: annalis2112@hotmail.com

Bhumibol Dam International Mountain Bike Championship 2016

 

 

When: 26-29 August 2016 (2017 TBA)

Where: Around the Bhumibol Dam. in Amphoe Sam Ngao district of Tak Province. Western Thailand

The annual Bhumibol Dam International Mountain Bike Championship 2016, which celebrates its 15^th anniversary this year, will comprise three days of biking events.

On the first day (26 August, 2016), there will be a biking campaign around the city under the theme, exercising for good health for dad. The activity will start at the King Taksin Shrine in Mueang Tak district.

The next day (27 August, 2016) will feature three biking categories. The long-distance mountain bike racing will cover a distance of 60 kilometres from the King Taksin Shrine in Mueang Tak district to the Bhumibol Dam in Sam Ngao district. The family-oriented mountain bike racing will take place at the Bhumibol Dam and will cover a total distance of 18 kilometres in three loops. The team racing is available for couples and friends of 2-3 members per team and covers 12 kilometres of the Bhumibol Dam with games en route.

The Bhumibol Dam International Mountain Bike Championship 2016 itself will take place on the last day (28 August, 2016), covering a distance of 36 kilometres in three loops at 12 kilometres per loop. The Amateur Racing for both male and female mountain-bike riders will also take place on this day, and will cover a distance of 20 kilometres in two loops. Both events will take place at the Bhumibol Dam.

The three-day event will also feature other fun-filled activities, including a cycling tour around the Bhumibol Dam. Visitors and bikers will also have the chance to shop for bicycle and bike accessories and famous local souvenirs and snacks of Tak as well as enjoy evening concerts from local youth in the Bhumibol Dam area.

For more information, please contact:
TAT Tak Office
Email: tattak@tat.or.th
Tel: +66 (0) 5551 4341-3

 

 

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