Festivals

Chak Phra Festival

Surat Thani celebrates the official end of the annual 3-month Buddhist Rains Retreat (Ok Phansa) in mid-October with the Chak Phra Festival (literally 'the procession of hauling the Buddha image). The tradition stems from the belief that the Buddha ascended to Heaven during Phansa to preach to his mother. The festival marks the Buddha's return to Earth, and is an occasion for religious merit-making and general celebrations. Local people organise dazzling land and waterborne processions of revered Buddha images (to symbolise the Buddha's return to Earth) and boat races on the Tapi River where long boats, manned by up to 50 oarsmen, are ebulliently raced. Religious devotion, spectacle and merriment combine to make Surat Thani's Chak Phra Festival a memorable annual event.

This is a Southern native tradition which is held in the 1 st night of the elevenenth month (October) just 1 day after Orkphansa. The tradition came from the Buddha era, Lord Buddha returned from giving bless to His monther at dusit level heaven, the town folks have come out to receive Him with joy and invited him to ride a Busabok car, so this has been remodelled into a tradition of Southerners and the ceremony has been held and passed on since then. The Buddha Image hauling will be held both on land and in water and is called Water Buddha Image Hauling or land Buddha imge Hauling.

Lak Phra, Takbatr Thevo and Tour Festival of Songkhla Province Amphur Muang, Songkhla Province: take part in Theve alms giving to priest, see Buddha image boat procession, enjoy the running up Khao Tangkuan, see Musical gathering at Samihra beach, native sports and san castle building contest, tour kohyor, make a trip of the beach, native sports and san castle building contest, tour kohyor, make a trip of Songkhla Lake, enjoy watching Khuked water birds, see Southern Region culture and art. at South Studies Institure, guided tour of Songkhla ancient town survey khao Namkhang, tour Piyamity village and taste Thai Bay food. The period of festival is about 12-18 October.

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Rambutan Fair

The annual August fair celebrates the delicious fruit, first planted in Surat Thani during 1926. Highlights include floats adorned with rambutans and other fruits, exhibitions of local products and ornamental plants, and demonstrations by specially trained monkeys who harvest coconuts.

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