Phuket Vegetarian Festival brings Hokkien traditions to the streets - Get updated on what's happening in tourism!

Phuket will celebrate one of its most distinctive cultural traditions from 10 to 18 October, when the annual Vegetarian Festival returns to shrines and streets across the island. Known locally as Jia Chai, the nine-day event has its roots in Phuket’s Thai-Chinese Hokkien community and combines religious ceremonies with large public processions and traditions that remain closely connected to everyday community life.

A central feature will be the Iw Keng processions from 11 to 18 October. Representations of the Nine Emperor Gods are carried through Phuket City while residents prepare altars outside their homes to receive blessings. Flags, ceremonial signs and decorated palanquins accompany the processions through historic neighbourhoods, giving visitors an opportunity to experience a side of Phuket far removed from its familiar beach image.

One of the largest gatherings is scheduled for the evening of 11 October, when more than 40 shrines will participate in the Ham Si Iw Keng procession. The festival reaches its climax on 18 October with farewell ceremonies for the Jade Emperor and Nine Emperor Gods, drawing crowds to streets including Thalang Road and Phuket Road and towards Saphan Hin.

Rituals rooted in local life

The Vegetarian Festival follows the Chinese lunar calendar and is observed from the first to the ninth night of the waxing moon. Its ceremonies have been handed down through generations and remain an important expression of Phuket’s Hokkien Chinese heritage.

Among the principal rituals is Koi Han, a ceremonial bridge crossing associated with cleansing misfortune. Koi Hoi involves fire walking as an act of spiritual purification. While some ceremonies have become striking spectacles for visitors, their religious significance remains central to the participating shrines and communities.

On 16 October, the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Phuket office will set up a ceremonial reception table for the Iw Keng procession from Jui Tui Shrine. The event offers visitors another opportunity to observe how businesses, public institutions and residents participate along the procession routes.

The festival also provides a reason to explore Phuket’s historic Chinese shrines. Among them is Pudjor Shrine, a century-old religious centre dedicated to Guan Yin and other Chinese deities. Its latest restoration, carried out between 2024 and 2026, drew on historical and artistic references to preserve the building’s traditional Hokkien architectural character.

Beyond Phuket’s beaches

The festival has gained recognition beyond the island. Thailand’s Department of Cultural Promotion added it to the country’s intangible cultural heritage list in 2018. In 2024, it received a Silver Grand Pinnacle Award at the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards.

For international visitors, the event adds a strong cultural dimension to a destination predominantly associated with beaches, resorts and marine tourism. Phuket’s role as a major international gateway makes the festival comparatively easy to incorporate into a wider Thailand itinerary.

The nine days also reveal how deeply Chinese migration has shaped the island’s identity. Historic shrines, old neighbourhoods, religious practices and community participation turn Phuket City into the centre of the experience, offering travellers an opportunity to encounter traditions that continue to form part of local life rather than being staged solely for tourism.

Image Credit: © AI generated illustration using material courtesy of TAT