Phuket’s fizz-tastic fest: Sweet Baba Wedding festival promises bubbly fun

Champagne corks to pop as Phuket is all set to host the 11th Sweet Baba Phuket Wedding festival from May 11 to May 13, celebrating the rich Peranakan culture. Phuket Vice Governor Norasak Suksomboon announced the dates of the yearly festival during a press conference at Blue Elephant Phuket restaurant in Phuket Town.

Joining Norasak at the event were Dr Koson Tanguthai, President of the Peranakan Association of Thailand, Phuket Town Deputy Mayor Prasit Sinsaowaphak, and Rewat Areerob from the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO). Representatives from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Phuket Tourist Association, and the Phuket Provincial Culture Office were also in attendance.

The festival is a grand showcase of the traditions and customs of Phuket’s Peranakan community, also known as Straits Chinese or Baba-Nyonya, Norasak said.

“The rituals, which have been practiced continuously for over a century, maintain their sacredness.”

The locals are invited to join the newlyweds’ procession on Sunday, May 12, dressed in traditional attire, Norasak added.

“The procession is a part of Baba Phuket’s sweet wedding activities, and we urge everyone to help host the tourists who come to watch it.”

The procession will start from Ang Mo Lao Hongyok, the Hongyok family residence, and continue along Thepkrasattri Road. It will pass by the Peranakanitat Museum and along Phuket Road to the Clocktower Circle (Surin Circle). From there, it will turn left onto Montri Rd, pass the Phuket Pearl Hotel, continue to the Phuket Town Post Office, turn left onto Thalang Road, and conclude at Queen Sirikit Park, said Norasak.

“In the procession, you will witness the beauty of various styles of kebaya, a unique form of costume worn by female descendants of the Baba people.”

On the same day, the Phuket Provincial Culture Office and the Peranakan Association of Thailand initiated an exhibition of kebaya and other traditional Peranakan dresses at the Limelight shopping mall in Phuket Town. The exhibition will continue until Wednesday.

To recognise the cultural significance of kebaya, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Thailand have jointly nominated it for the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.