The Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2026 runs from 10 to 18 October, with the Go Teng poles raised at shrines on the evening of 9 October. It's free to watch. The main sights are early-morning street processions through Phuket Town, vegetarian food stalls marked with yellow flags, and a farewell send-off at Saphan Hin on the last night. (Updated 8 October 2026.
See Full Phuket Festivals in 2026 here.
If you're also planning a boat day, this guide shows how to fit both in: see our tours.
Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2026 at a glance
Procession schedule 2026
Processions start early, between 06:00 and 08:00, so arrive before they begin. Times come from the published programmes, so confirm with the shrine or the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) before you go. Phuket101 describes the Jui Tui (16 October) and Kathu (17 October) processions as the two biggest.
See the full itinerary: Phuket E-Magazine
What the festival is and where it started
The festival is held in the first nine days of the ninth lunar month, so the dates move every year. It's also called the Nine Emperor Gods Festival. It's said to date from 1825, when a travelling Chinese opera troupe fell ill with malaria while performing in Kathu. After the troupe recovered, locals held a festival to thank the gods, and Kathu Shrine is widely seen as its birthplace.
The five oldest shrines
Put Jaw, Jui Tui and Bang Neow are in Phuket Town. Cherng Talay is in Thalang, and Kathu Shrine is on Wichitsongkram Road in Kathu. More than 40 shrines take part across the island. Jui Tui, on Soi Phuthon off Ranong Road, is the main temple.
Rules and etiquette for visitors
Followers observe ten rules, including wearing white, eating no meat or animal products, avoiding alcohol, and keeping body and mind clean. You're not expected to fast.
- Wear white if you can. It's appreciated, though not required.
- Don't eat meat or drink beer directly outside a shrine.
- Expect fireworks and smoke. Bring ear protection, and keep your distance.
- Some processions include entranced devotees performing piercing rituals. They're not for the squeamish, so keep children with you.
- Be respectful when taking photos, and don't touch participants.
What to eat
Look for a yellow flag with a red character: it marks a vegetarian stall. The food is meat-free, and many dishes use soy-based mock meat. Evening food stalls are busiest around Ranong Road and the Jui Tui and Put Jaw shrines.
In other times you can see what locals eat with Phuket Local Food Guide here.
Combine the festival with an island tour
Our hotel pick-ups run 08:15–09:15 and the boat returns around 18:00–18:30, so you can't do a morning procession and a tour on the same day. Plan it like this:
- Watch a procession on a free morning, then take your tour on another day.
- Or take a tour and catch the evening food stalls afterwards.
- On Sunday 18 October, join the farewell at Saphan Hin after your tour.
Maya Bay reopened on 1 October (details). October is the wetter season, so see the best time to visit Phi Phi. Both tours cost ฿3,900 per adult and ฿2,900 per child: Phi Phi & Bamboo Island and James Bond Island & Panyee Island.
Questions about timing a tour around the festival? Contact us.
