Phuket International Blues Festival

Rich Harper Blues Band

The 2nd Annual Phuket International Blues Festival is rocking the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa in Karon Beach the third weekend of February.

The highly acclaimed Rich Harper Blues Band (USA) will once again headline the event and close the show Saturday night. The phenomenal voice of British blues legend Victor Brox will again fill the air as Friday night draws to a close. If you did not see these magnificent performers last time, here’s your second chance!

Also confirmed are The Groove Doctors, Blue On Blue, Cannonball, The Blues Machine and Soi Dog Blues Band, as well as Victor Brox’s daughter, Kyla Brox. Don’t miss this young lady, destined to be Britain’s #1 female singer!

Ticket prices: 500 baht for one night, 800 baht for a two-night pass. VIP tickets, inclusive of both performances and access to the musicians' back stage tent, are 3,000 baht.

Puravarna Phang Nga Bay Regatta 2007

Dates: February 16 - 20, 2007
Venue: Various
Contact: info@bayregatta.com

The Puravarna Phang Nga Bay Regatta is now in its tenth year, and it has grown into one of Asia’s most popular sailing events. This year, more than 40 boats will take part in the festivities. Four days of casual racing through Phang Nga Bay’s picturesque scenery – hopping between Phuket, Koh Yai Noi, Krabi, and Phi Phi Island – are punctuated with nightly parties at host resorts in each destination. The event wraps on February 20th with closing ceremonies at Nai Harn Beach in southern Phuket. For more information, please see www.bayregatta.com.

Wat Chalong Fair

Wat Chalong Fair

Dates: February 16 - 22, 2007
Venue: Wat Chalong
Contact: Opas Chobdee Tel: +66 (0)86 953 3199

Phuket’s most famous temple, Wat Chalong was hosting fairs way before it was cool. With fifty years of experience, this year’s event is bound to be a smashing success. From February 16 - 22, the temple’s grounds will transform into a cultural immersion wonderland, featuring nang talung (traditional Thai shadow plays), Thai music, and an outdoor cinema playing Asian and European movies. Stalls full of tempting Thai cuisine and handicrafts will show by the hundreds – after all, it wouldn’t be Thailand without a little dining and deal making.

Chinese New Year Festival

Chinese New Year 2006

Dates: February 20 - 21, 2007
Venue: Her Majesty the Queen's 6th Cycle Birthday Anniversary Park, Thalang road.
Contact: TAT Tel: +66 (0)7 621 2213

On February 20th, the Phuket governor and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) director will officially open the festival at 18:00 at Her Majesty the Queen's 6th Cycle Birthday Anniversary Park, Thalang Road, Phuket Town. There will be traditional Chinese performances such as Hangzhou dance, Peking opera, and a folk music exhibition. The day concludes with a fashion show that lasts until 22:00. On the second day, the performances will run from 18:00 until 22:00. During the day, there will be a special tour visiting 9 spirit places around the island including Wat Chalong, Wat Pra Tong and Pod Joh Shrine. The tour is limited to 40 and will last from 08:30 until 15:00 on February 21 only.

Old Phuket Festival

A parade during Old Phuket Festival 2006

Dates: February 23 - 25, 2007
Venue: Thalang road, Phuket town
Contact: Sujittra Chalittanont at Phuket Municipal Office Tel: +66 (0)7 621 2196

Three streets in Old Phuket Town – Thalang, Krabi, and Phang Nga roads – will close to motorized traffic for three evenings of celebrations. It's a sensory circus, with performances of traditional dance, food, music, and art. The festival starts at 17:00 at Her Majesty the Queen's 6th Cycle Birthday Anniversary Park, near the TAT office on Thalang Road. During the festival, there will be a Sino-Portuguese shophouse open for guests to get a look at the famous architecture (please try house number 63 on Thalang Road). The community event is free and open to all.

Lions Club of Phuket Pearl's Fundraising Night

Date: February 24, 2007
Venue: Latino Restaurant, Nai Harn Beach
Contact: Wanida or Christianne on Tel: 081-5351849 or Tel:081-8930880

Join the Lions Club of Phuket Pearl for a Latin-style night out that will be fun for you and your date, and will benefit others. The Lions Club of Phuket Pearl has been assisting the underprivileged in Phuket since 1991 with a mission to improve the lives of the elderly and give children every chance to be successful. At 18:30 on February 24th, the club with gather at Latino’s Restaurant at Nai Harn Beach for cocktail food, a drink, and a night of salsa dancing. Tickets are 500 baht per person; all funds will go to charity projects under Lions Club of Phuket Pearl.

120-year Japanese and Thai Relationship Fair

Dates: February 24, 2007
Venue: Phuja Square at Central Festival Phuket
Contact: TAT Tel: 076-212213

TAT and the Phuket Japanese Association will be holding a fair to celebrate the 120-year anniversary of the relationship between Thailand and Japan. There will be stage shows from both countries, Thai sweet cooking and fruit craving show, and a lot of Japanese food from various local Japanese restaurants. The fair runs from 17:00 until 22:00 – don't miss it.

2007 Johnnie Walker Classic

Dates: March 1 - 4, 2007
Venue: Blue Canyon Country Club
Contact: Blue Canyon Country Club Public Relations Tel: +66 (0)7 632 8088

The 2007 Johnnie Walker Classic is luring the world’s top golfers to Phuket with the promise of sun-filled days on Blue Canyon Country Club’s immaculate fairways; the £1.25 million (US$ 2.44 million) in prize money is just icing on the cake. Adam Scott, Ernie Ells, and Retief Goosen – ranked fourth, fifth, and sixth in the world, respectively – will join the likes of young star Paul Casey in what has historically been a suspenseful battle. Greg Norman snuck the win in 1994; Tiger did the same in 1998. Phuket’s third year as honoured host is sure to be exciting.

Soi Dog Benefit

Date: March 3, 2007
Venue: The Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa, Karon Beach
Contact: Maxine or Joan Tel: +66 (0)86 944 7721 or +66 (0)87 282 0422

The Soi Dog Foundation is delighted to announce its first major fund-raising event at The Hilton Phuket on Saturday, March 3rd. Enjoy an elegant candlelit dinner followed by a ‘Let Your Hair Down’ party. Tickets are 2,000 baht per person. It includes a cocktail reception plus a four-course dinner, lots of entertainment and a silent auction. The Soi Dog Foundation will use funds raised for its work sterilizing and feeding street cats and dogs.

Phuket Gay Festival

Phuket Gay Festival 2006

Dates: March 29 - April 1, 2007
Venue: Patong Beach
Contact: Patong Municipal Office Tel: +66 (0)7 634 2080

Possibly the island’s most colourful festival, the Phuket Gay Festival, March 29 - April 1, 2007, needs no description – the name says it all. Patong beach comes alive with feathered, glitter-glue-covered festival participants, dancing, parading, partying and playing in the streets and on the beach. In its eighth year, the festival has become one of the biggest tourist happenings on the island and its international reputation grows yearly.

Songkran and Phuket Bike Week

Songkran 2006

Dates: April 12 - 16, 2007
Venue: Loma Park, Patong Beach, Soi Bangla and Jungceylon department store
Contact: TAT on Tel: +66 (0)7 621 2213

Songkran, the Thai New Year’s celebration, is a countrywide water fight. Phuket Bike Week is a gathering of leather-clad Harley (and Harley look-alike) enthusiasts atop rumbling beasts. Since no two things pair better than big motorcycles and water thrown by the bucketful, organizers merged the events. Come to see if the combination is more oil-and-water than burger-and-fries, but stay for the parades, live entertainment, two beauty contests, and an abundance of wild, watery mayhem. Join the crowds at various spots around Patong: Loma Park, the beach, the main drag (Soi Bangla), and Jungceylon department store.