For nine days, yellow-flag stalls sell no meat, eggs, dairy or alcohol
Related guide: Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2026
Shrines across Phuket raise their Go Teng poles at 17:09 on 9 October, and nine days of fasting begin the next day. The festival is usually traced to 1825, when a Chinese opera troupe performing in Kathu fell ill, held a fasting ceremony and recovered, and the Hokkien community has held it every year since. Stalls flying yellow flags with red characters sell jay food, made without meat, eggs, dairy, garlic or onion.
From 11 to 18 October, palanquins of the Nine Emperor Gods are carried through Phuket city every day, and households along the route set up offering tables outside their doors. The mediums in the processions are called Ma Song. Early in the morning they pierce their cheeks with blades and skewers inside the shrine grounds before joining the procession, and devotees believe that once a deity descends, the Ma Song take on the community's misfortune.
Two purification rites also take place during the festival. In Koi Han, devotees cross a bridge to shed bad luck and receive the seal of the Nine Emperor Gods. In Koi Hoi, they walk barefoot over hot coals. Firecrackers start before dawn, and in the belief they clear a path for the gods.
On the night of 18 October, the Jade Emperor is sent back to heaven at around 22:30. The palanquins of the Nine Emperor Gods are then carried along Thalang Road, Phuket Road and Surin Circle, all the way to Saphan Hin.
The full guide to this festival
Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2026: 10–18 October, white clothes, yellow flags and nine days of fasting
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Phuket & Phang Nga
Private transfer Phuket–Phang Nga
One-way private car between Phuket and Phang Nga with hotel pick-up. Sedans seat up to 3, vans up to 9; surcharge outside the service area.
See plansPhuket
Phuket Old Town & Promthep Cape evening
16:00–21:00 in a small group (up to 10): Karon Viewpoint, sunset at Promthep Cape, Old Town and a night market. Pick-ups outside Patong, Kata and Karon cost THB 200 extra per person.
See pricesThailand 5G eSIM (AIS)
Unlimited data on AIS. Your phone must support eSIM; activate it in the Klook app before you fly. Full refund if cancelled before it connects.
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