From November 1st to 3rd, some 300,000 people – double last year’s number – are expected to enjoy this, the biggest ever carnival, which will have the theme, “Season Beach Fest”. Parades, shows and other activities will take place all over Soi Bangla to Patong Beach.

Main activities

Parade, 6-7 pm nightly

These will be led by marching bands with local students in fancy costume, and followed by light-and-sound trucks and carnival floats.

Street activities, 1-10 pm daily

Festival organisers

These are still being organised, but will be split into various centres of activity, some of which will be:

The Yellow Zone, dedicated to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, in celebration of his 80th birthday, which takes place on December 5. The venue has yet to be fixed.

The Purple Zone will be in Soi Bangla. Businesses along both sides of the street will come together to create a continuous bar along each side of the street. Vendors will sell food, drink or souvenirs, while others will mount a stage show with the theme ‘Show Girls’.

The Blue Zone, on the beach road, will specialise in seafood. Visitor will be able to enjoy Phuket’s famed fresh seafood and join in competitions and games. How many prawns can you eat? More than anyone else?

The Pink Zone, focused on the beach, will be the centre for health and beauty, with booths providing foot massages, hair braiding, and nail painting and polishing.

The Brown Zone at Loma Park (next to the beach road) will be all about Thai culture. There will be Thai shadow puppet shows and Manorah dancing. Tourists can join workshops to learn how to make batik or pearl necklaces. This area will also provide maximum opportunity for shopping for interesting souvenirs, with lots of ‘One Tambon, One Product’ items for sale.

Stage performances and entertainment from 7 to 10 pm nightly

Live performance

Entertainment will be on two stages simultaneously. In Soi Bangla, the variety will include shows from Phuket Fantasea and Simon Cabaret and concerts by Thai hip-hop stars such as Joey Boy and Kan Kho Club.

The second stage will be on the beach. There, you can enjoy Thai and international performances, including shows from Phuket Fantasea, flamenco dancing from Spain, and bikini, beachwear and batik fashion shows.

Tips

The organisers will be handing out daily guide maps with full schedules of all activities. Do get these if you can, because they will come with free vouchers to taste food and drink, and to exchange for free souvenirs.

Date: November 24th , 2007
Venue: Indigo Pearl Resort, Nai Yang beach
Contact: Joan at +66 (0) 87 2820422 or Sue at +66 (0) 87 2776948

Once again, it’s time for the most glamorous social event of the year, the Phuket International Women’s Club (PIWC) annual gala charity ball, this year at the Indigo Pearl Resort. The theme of this year’s ball is “Rhapsody in Blue”. As always, funds raised will go toward the education of Phuket’s underprivileged children – since 1988, the PIWC has handed out more than 500 education grants.

The tickets for the dinner are sold out but there are still ‘after dinner tickets’, at 1,500 baht each. These tickets admit the holder to join in the fun activities after dinner, from 9.30 pm until late. The price includes drinks, midnight snacks, live music, dancing and much more. For tickets, contact Joan or Sue at the phone numbers above.

An umbrella through the tongue

Date: October 11th-19th, 2007
Venue: At all Chinese shrines located on the island
Contact: Tourism Authority of Thailand, Tel: +66 (0) 76 212 213

A colourful event held over a nine day period from October 11th-19th, this celebrates the Chinese community's belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar will help them obtain good health and peace of mind. Please read more about Phuket Vegetarian Festival. See the Phuket Vegetarian Festival photo gallery.

For more information on dates and events of 2007 festival, contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand at +66 (0) 76 212 213.

Date: 22nd - 24th November, 2007
Venue: Sapanhin public park, Phuket City
Contact: Khun Daranee at Mung District Municipal Office
Tel: 076 212725

Krathong

Loy Krathong is probably the most romantic festival in Thailand and can be traced back to the 13th century in the Sukhothai period. It is held on the night of the 12th full moon which this year is in the month of November. The main purpose of the festival is to pay respect to the God of the river. The word ‘Loy’ means to float and the ‘Krathong’ means an object that looks like a tray made from banana leaves and trunk. When people float their krathong, they make a wish for good luck, happiness and wealth. A common scene at the festival is that of young lovers come to ‘loy krathong’ together.

Phuket Mung District Municipal Office is organising the festival at Sapanhin Public Park and this year’s event promises to be the biggest ever. It will last three days from 22nd November onward. There will be stage shows from Phuket students; these shows feature live music and traditional Thai classic dancing. Who is going to win the ‘Miss Nang Noppamas beauty contest? For more information, please contact Khun Daranee at the above number.