New Year Festival (AKA Phuket Red Cross Fair)

Date: 29 December 2007 - 6th January 2008
Venue: Saphan Hin Park, Phuket city
Contract: Phuket Provincial Public Relation Office Tel: + 66 (0) 7 621 6118

Fireworks on Patong Beach

Thais are probably the luckiest people in the world – we get to celebrate New Year three times every year. The first time is the conventional Western New Year of December 31-January 1. Then there’s Chinese New Year (in February this year) and Thai New Year in April, also known as Songkran.

January 1 is a public holiday, and islanders celebrate big-time. Most Thais start out by gathering at a family member’s home or visiting friends to exchange gifts.

But there’s also plenty happening elsewhere. Saphan Hin Park in Phuket City is one of the best places to go. There will be a fair there from December 29 until January 6 – a total of nine days. During the day you’ll find stalls selling lots of fascinating handicrafts, including Thai silk, from all over Thailand. You can also sample many different kinds of authentic Thai food from the dozens of food stalls.

Fun activities usually start in the evening on the main stage, with live music by famous Thai singers and bands, and other live shows. Some of the proceeds raised from this fair will go to the Thai Red Cross.

Long Distance Windsurf Race

The International Windsurfing Rally

Dates: January 16th - 19th, 2008
Venue: Nai Yang, Surin, Patong, Kata and Nai Harn Beach
Contact: Thanit Raksanaves, Tel: +66 (0) 81 859 1234 or email: ewc@loxinfo.co.th

World-beating windsurfers from 21 countries have been invited to take part in a long-distance competition that will take them right along most of the west coast of Phuket, as part of nationwide events to celebrate the 80th birthday of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej

The International Windsurfing Rally for His Majesty the King will start from Nai Yang Beach on January 16 and finish at Nai Harn Beach on January 19. Each day the windsurfers will race for 2½ or three hours.

The four legs of the race are as follows: Day 1 - Nai Yang Beach to Surin Beach, 12:00 to 3pm. Day 2 - Surin Beach to Patong, 12:30 to 3pm. Day 3 - Patong to Kata Beach, 12:30 to 3pm. Day 4 - Kata to Nai Harn, 12:30 to 3pm.

Tanit Raksanaves, the event manager, told Phuket.com, “We have invited windsurfers from 21 countries – including gold, silver, and bronze Olympic medallists – as well as legendary local windsurfers such as Sa-ard Panyawan and Anan Homraruen. In all, we should have about 30 competitors. All of them will be required to use identical equipment.”

The competition and related events will be beamed to the world by major TV networks such as Star Sports, Extreme Sports, Fox Sport, Espanol and Sky Sports, as well as dedicated tourist-oriented networks such as TPS, NOVA, ONO and Global TV.

The organisers hope that the event and the TV coverage will help establish Thailand as a world centre for competitive windsurfing.

For further information, contract Thanit Raksanaves, Eastern Windsurfing Club, Tel: + 66 (0) 81 859 1234 or email: ewc@loxinfo.co.th, or contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand at Tel: + 66 (0) 76 212 213

Chinese New Year 2008 & Old Phuket Town Festival

Chinese New Year

Date: February 13-15th 2008
Venue: HM the Queen’s 6th Cycle Birthday Anniversary Park, next to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office, and along Thalang Rd and Krabi Rd.
Contact: TAT office on Tel: + 66 (0)7 621 2196

Chinese New Year this year falls on February 7. This is one of the most important days for ethnic-Chinese Thais in Phuket. People prepare for the day by giving their homes a thorough cleaning in the belief that one should start a new year by washing away bad things and being ready to welcome all the good, new things in life.

They also wear colorful clothing, particularly red and gold, and avoid dark colours such as black.

Businesses are often closed during the Chinese New Year period because this is a time for families to come together to spend time and share meals with each other.

Old Phuket Festival

This year, the TAT and the Muang District Municipal Office have decided to combine the Chinese Year celebrations with another colourful occasion, the Old Phuket Town Festival, allowing everyone to get a taste of the old charm of Phuket before tourism.

From 5 pm until 11 pm every day, food stalls will be found along Thalang and Krabi roads, with their century-old Sino-Colonial shophouses. Visitors can taste local savoury dishes and desserts with Chinese influence, harking back to the days when many Chinese came to Phuket to work in the tin industry.

Many locals will be wearing beautiful traditional costumes and there will be lots of entertainment, including lion dances and – the highlight of the festival – nightly performances by dancers and acrobats from China. The shows, from 7 pm to 9 pm, will feature a total of 140 performers from Beijing, Guangzhou and four other mainland Chinese cities. If you are staying in Patong, you’ll be able to enjoy the same shows on February 11 and 12 at the Jungceylon shopping complex, from 8 pm to 10 pm.

For more information, contact Uthit Limsakul at the TAT office

Phuket International Blues Rock Festival 2008

The Rich Harper Band

Dates: February 22 and 23, 2008
Venue: The Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa
Contact: Andy Anderson, Tel: +66 (0) 86 6822639
email: phuketmusic@yahoo.com

This year’s Phuket International Blues Rock Festival – the third – will feature ten of Southeast Asia’s finest acts, topped off with an international headliner each night. Confirmed so far are Bangkok’s Soi Dog Blues Band, Georgia’s Blues Band, Full House and Cannonball, as well as The Blues Machine from Pattaya and the Boy Blues Band from Chiang Mai.

The two top international bands are one of Australia’s top blues acts, Salty Dog, and the Rich Harper Band from Los Angeles, who also appeared in the 2006 and 2007 events.

Proceeds from the festival will go to two local charities that support children’s education – the Phuket International Women’s Club and the Phuket Has Been Good To Us Foundation.