The Phuket Vegetarian Festival takes place from October 10 to 18, with street processions, shrine ceremonies and a night procession rooted in the island’s Hokkien Chinese traditions.
Phuket’s 2026 Vegetarian Festival brings nine days of religious observances and public processions to the island. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) describes it as a living expression of the Hokkien Chinese community’s traditions, intertwined with local family and community life. For readers looking up the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, the dates distinguish the main observances from the opening ceremony.
Two dates mark the opening
The main festival runs from October 10 through October 18. A separate ceremony on October 9 raises the Go Teng pole. Thailand’s Government Public Relations Department says this marks the opening, followed by nine days of vegetarian observance and rituals. This distinction explains why some announcements describe the event period as October 9–18 while TAT lists the nine-day festival as October 10–18.
The name used locally is Jia Chai. TAT says the festival is observed annually according to the Chinese lunar calendar. Thailand’s Department of Cultural Promotion listed the Phuket festival as intangible cultural heritage in 2018.
Processions bring rituals into the streets
Iw Keng processions are scheduled from October 11 to 18. The Nine Emperor Gods are carried through Phuket City, while residents prepare household altars along the routes. Flags, ceremonial signs and palanquins form part of the processions described by TAT.
A night procession, Ham Si Iw Keng, is scheduled for October 11. TAT says more than 40 shrines take part. Its route through the municipal area gives the festival a public dimension beyond ceremonies held within individual shrines.
Two other named rites are Koi Han, a bridge-crossing ritual associated with cleansing misfortune, and Koi Hoi, a fire-walking ritual associated with spiritual purification. These are religious practices, not simply staged performances; the festival’s ceremonies reflect beliefs passed down through Phuket’s Thai-Chinese Hokkien community.
How the festival concludes
Farewell rituals are scheduled for Sunday, October 18. TAT says the Jade Emperor is traditionally sent back to heaven at around 22:30, followed by a farewell to the Nine Emperor Gods towards Saphan Hin. The authority identifies Thalang Road, Phuket Road and Surin Circle among the routes where crowds gather.
There is also a daytime viewing point on October 16. From 06:00 to 12:00, the TAT Phuket Office plans to set up a ceremonial reception table outside its premises for the procession from Jui Tui Shrine. The schedule gives visitors a specific location and time to observe local participation, while the broader procession programme continues across the city.
The festival’s dates and rites provide a clear picture of its scale: an opening pole-raising ceremony, nine days of observance, processions across the city and a final farewell at Saphan Hin. For Phuket, the event is both a public gathering and a continuation of cultural practices recognized nationally as intangible heritage.
