Short answer
The Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2026 ran for nine days, from 10 to 18 October, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Street processions took place daily from 11 to 18 October, led on 11 October by a night procession of more than 40 shrines in Phuket Town. Provincial authorities forecast at least 140,000 visitors and 1.4 billion baht in local spending. The festival has ended; no source we read gives the 2027 dates.
Nine days from 10 to 18 October 2026
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) highlighted the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, known locally as Jia Chai, on 6 October 2026 and dated it 10–18 October. It describes a nine-day observance by Phuket's Hokkien Chinese community, held each year from the first to the ninth night of the waxing moon in the Chinese calendar. The Nation, reporting on 5 October, said the observances open with the raising of the Go Teng pole on the evening of 9 October.
The Iw Keng street processions, in which the Nine Emperor Gods are carried through Phuket Town, ran daily from 11 to 18 October. On Sunday 11 October the Ham Si Iw Keng night procession brought together more than 40 shrines. The Nation called the dedicated night procession a new feature for 2026.
The rituals visitors came to see
TAT names two other key ceremonies: the Koi Han bridge-crossing ritual, associated with cleansing misfortune, and the Koi Hoi fire-walking ritual, observed as a spiritual purification. It also notes that Thailand's Department of Cultural Promotion listed the festival as intangible cultural heritage in 2018.
The festival closed on Sunday 18 October with farewell rituals for the Jade Emperor, traditionally at around 22.30, followed by the farewell to the Nine Emperor Gods towards Saphan Hin. TAT said crowds gather along Thalang Road, Phuket Road and Surin Circle for it. It also said Pudjor Shrine, a century-old Guan Yin shrine, was restored from 2024 to 2026.
The numbers behind the festival
Phuket authorities projected at least 1.4 billion baht in local spending and more than 140,000 domestic and international visitors, the Nation reported. It said the 2025 festival drew roughly 140,000 visitors and more than 1.3 billion baht. These are forecasts from before the festival, not final counts.
In Mueang Phuket, the district of the shrine ceremonies, hotel bookings were up 10 per cent on the previous year and occupancy was forecast at 80 per cent during the festival, according to the same report.
What to do now that the festival is over
The processions are finished, but the streets they used are still there. Our half-day city tour ends with a walk through the Sino-Portuguese shophouses around Thalang Road, after Karon Viewpoint, the Big Buddha and Wat Chalong. It does not visit the festival shrines, so treat it as a look at the town, not at the rituals.
If the festival is the reason for your trip, wait for the 2027 dates. None of the sources we read gives them, and they follow the Chinese lunar calendar. Our guide to the Phuket Vegetarian Festival covers the festival in more depth.
Practical checklist
- Check the Tourism Authority of Thailand's newsroom for the 2027 festival dates before you book flights.
- Cover your shoulders and knees if you visit a temple or shrine.
- Book Phuket Town hotels early for festival week; the Nation reported 80 per cent forecast occupancy.
- Plan a separate day for the Old Town, the Big Buddha and Wat Chalong outside the festival.
Questions and answers
When was the Phuket Vegetarian Festival in 2026?
TAT dates the nine-day festival 10–18 October 2026. The Nation reported that the Go Teng pole was raised on the evening of 9 October, and processions ran daily from 11 to 18 October.
Is the festival still on?
No. It closed on 18 October with the farewell rituals for the Jade Emperor and the Nine Emperor Gods. The festival follows the Chinese lunar calendar, and no source we read gives the 2027 dates.
How many visitors did Phuket expect?
Provincial authorities projected more than 140,000 domestic and international visitors and at least 1.4 billion baht in local spending, the Nation reported. These were forecasts, not final figures.
Can I see the shrines when the festival is over?
TAT highlights Pudjor Shrine, a century-old Guan Yin shrine restored from 2024 to 2026, as a place to visit. Our city tour does not include shrines, so ask us on WhatsApp if you want one added as a stop.