Events

Thailand events, festivals, cultural celebrations, and business conferences—stay updated on the latest happenings for travellers and residents alike. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for events in Thailand.

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    Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run

    Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...

  • Top 5 places to spend New Year’s Day in Phuket 2022 | Thaiger

    Top 5 places to spend New Year’s Day in Phuket 2022

    We are all looking forward to 2022 because it will provide another chance for a fresh start and a celebration of new beginnings. On January 1st, start the year off perfectly with a delicious New Year’s Day brunch. Enjoy an international buffet with live seafood stations and a selection of house drinks. Create fruitful memories this new year with a…

  • Where to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Bangkok 2021 | Thaiger

    Where to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Bangkok 2021

    New Year is one of the most exciting events. Whether you are looking to end the year with a glass of champagne, countdown party or an intimate dinner, you have come to the right place. Nothing can be more special than celebrating New Year with your loved ones amidst a fancy setting, so if you haven’t planned anything yet, we…

  • New Year’s events reminded of Covid-19 safety and 1 am booze curfew | Thaiger

    New Year’s events reminded of Covid-19 safety and 1 am booze curfew

    New Year’s Eve is fast approaching and some big parties have been cleared to proceed, but the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is reminding people that the Covid-19 safety regulations need to be followed still, including the rule that alcohol can only be served until 1 am. The BMA’s public relations page announced that Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang will be following all…

  • Amazing Thailand Countdown 2022 event announced in Phuket | Thaiger

    Amazing Thailand Countdown 2022 event announced in Phuket

    Phuket officials are promising a spectacular New Year’s Eve party as they finish preparations for the “Amazing Thailand Countdown 2022” event. The event is planned to be a show of joy that will instil confidence and desire in potential tourists who will see the fun and the safety of the event and be encouraged to travel to Thailand. Phuket is…

  • The Christmas scene on shiny, sparkly Samui | Thaiger

    The Christmas scene on shiny, sparkly Samui

    Are you looking to celebrate Christmas in Koh Samui? The magical Gulf of Thailand island features an expat community that makes sure to bring a slice of home with them, especially during the holidays. Here, we have a list of venues that are offering Christmas celebrations that may include fine dining and Santa’s grotto for the little ones. At The…

  • Mixed doubles Thai badminton stars retain World Tour Finals crown | Thaiger

    Mixed doubles Thai badminton stars retain World Tour Finals crown

    Thailand’s mixed doubles, badminton stars Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai have successfully defended their crown in the World Tour Finals. The duo competed on Sunday in Bali after winning the Indonesia Masters and the Indonesia Open before this week’s finale. They also claimed the Hylo Open in Germany before their trip to Bali. The Thai world number 2 pair made…

  • Phuket gets approval for all-nighter New Year’s Eve party | Thaiger

    Phuket gets approval for all-nighter New Year’s Eve party

    Phuket is approved to allow New Year’s Eve celebrations to go on all night, along with alcohol sales. The notice was issued yesterday that states alcohol sales would be extended on NYE, from 11pm-6am. The order says usually it is forbidden to sell alcohol during those times, but notes that December 31 is an exception. The Phuket governor signed the…

  • An aquatic meal with Olga Belka – taking art to new depths | Thaiger

    An aquatic meal with Olga Belka – taking art to new depths

    by Baz Daniel I am sitting at the edge of the gorgeous Kata Rocks infinity pool at sunset with the world’s only underwater portraitist, who as far as I can tell, is probably also a mermaid. Her name is Olga Belka and she is as gorgeous and exotic as you might expect of someone with such a gorgeous and exotic…

  • TAT highlights November and December events in Blue Zones | Thaiger

    TAT highlights November and December events in Blue Zones

    Throughout the Blue Zone, designated as tourist provinces that are welcoming tourists in a 7-day Sandbox scheme, events and celebrations are taking place to welcome people back to Thailand. The Tourism Authority of Thailand compiled a list of activities and highlights in November and December from these 17 zones where fully vaccinated travellers can arrive from around the world with…

  • Pattaya Loy Krathong festival is a go, despite cancellation rumours | Thaiger

    Pattaya Loy Krathong festival is a go, despite cancellation rumours

    Contrary to rumours of cancellation, Pattaya Public Relations officials have confirmed again that the city will hold a Loy Krathong festival on November 19. Rumours have been seen spreading on social media and even some Thai language news outlets ran stories earlier this week suggesting the event would not take place. But Pattaya PR firmly denied the rumours and say…

  • Pattaya Music Festival begins tonight under Covid-19 safety measures | Thaiger

    Pattaya Music Festival begins tonight under Covid-19 safety measures

    The Pattaya Music Festival is set to begin tonight… but don’t expect packed crowds and beer. Rather than the audiences squeezing tight to get close to the stage, last year, attendees sat in chairs with each seat placed a certain distance apart to prevent the spread of Covid-19. With Thailand still experiencing a wave of the coronavirus, the festival needed…

  • Bangkok Governor warns of stiff penalty for Loy Krathong fireworks | Thaiger

    Bangkok Governor warns of stiff penalty for Loy Krathong fireworks

    The celebration of the national holiday Loy Krathong is coming up on November 19, but Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang warns people to avoid the sale and use of fireworks, firecrackers and lanterns this year. The holiday is a modern take on a tradition dating to the 13th-century Sukhothai kingdom where people launch little boats called Krathong on waterways as a…

  • Tourism Minister: “Maybe we should’ve confirmed Lisa first” | Thaiger

    Tourism Minister: “Maybe we should’ve confirmed Lisa first”

    In a rare apology from the government, Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakan says they announced that Blackpink megastar Lisa would play a New Year’s event without considering any details (like if she was available or interested). After the bold announcement of a massive countdown party to call global attention to Thailand reopening to tourism, multiple government agencies and…

  • Expelled monk returns to southern Thailand to celebrate birthday | Thaiger

    Expelled monk returns to southern Thailand to celebrate birthday

    A former monk who was expelled from monkhood has returned to southern Thailand to celebrate his birthday. Phra Yantra Amaro Bhikku, who is now known as Winai La-Ongsuwan, became disgraced from monkhood after alleged sexual misconduct. Although he has often returned to Thailand after his criminal defamation case against him in 2014, Covid-19 has kept him away for the past…

  • Full Moon Party attempt Saturday muted by Covid-19 restrictions | Thaiger

    Full Moon Party attempt Saturday muted by Covid-19 restrictions

    A cautious step at restarting Koh Phangan’s famous Full Moon Party has met with some hurdles in the interest of Covid-19 safety. The world-renowned monthly party has been on hiatus since the onset of Covid-19 with many questioning if the party, and Haad Rin, the town that hosts the massive event, will be able to bounce back after the pandemic.…

  • Today’s Awk Phansa holiday marks the end of the Buddhist Rains Retreat period | Thaiger

    Today’s Awk Phansa holiday marks the end of the Buddhist Rains Retreat period

    Today’s Awk Phansa holiday marks the end of the Buddhist Rains Retreat period or ‘Phansa.’ In Buddhist beliefs, Awk Phansa commemorates Buddha returning to earth from heaven after a 3 month retreat visiting his mother. Upon his return to Earth, his followers give gifts of food to him and visit temples to make merit. The occasion is also celebrated by…

  • Phuket celebrates end of Vegetarian Festival | Thaiger

    Phuket celebrates end of Vegetarian Festival

    Last night, a giant celebration marked the end of the 9-day Phuket Vegetarian Festival. A parade made its way through Phuket Town, with devotees either marching or travelling by motorcade. Midnight marked the hour at which observers were able to once again eat meat. Processioners marched through the streets of Phuket Town for hours carrying flags and shrines, while members…

  • Cobra Gold expected to be back to normal by 2022 | Thaiger

    Cobra Gold expected to be back to normal by 2022

    The military exercise known as Cobra Gold is expected to be back to it’s normal size by 2022. This massive joint military training operation between Thailand and the United States has been scaled down due to concerns over Covid-19. The exercise is one of the longest running military training events in the world that is has been held annually since…

  • Thammasat University Massacre – 45 year on | VIDEO | Thaiger

    Thammasat University Massacre – 45 year on | VIDEO

    Yesterday marked the 45th anniversary of the infamous October 6 massacre at Thammasat University in Bangkok in 1976, when 4,000 police and military forces blocked all exits from the university before firing machine guns, assault rifles, grenade launchers, and other military-grade weapons on the students after increased anti-government protests. Officially, some 45 people were killed and over 145 injured, but…

  • Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival schedule 2021 | Thaiger

    Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival schedule 2021

    Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival, also known as the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, has arrived. Spanning 10 days from October 5 to the 15, the festival is iconic for those who like exotic and very, very unique cultural events. It’s a commemoration that invites ancient Chinese spirts to come down from the heavens to witness almost 8 days of fire walking, noisy…

  • Officials talk turkey about size of Phuket Vegetarian Festival | Thaiger

    Officials talk turkey about size of Phuket Vegetarian Festival

    With Covid-19 still infecting over 200 people per day in Phuket, organisers of the yearly Phuket Vegetarian Festival are fishing for an answer to how big the event planned for October 6 to 14 can be. Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew said the event’s scale will be based on the Covid-19 situation in the days leading up to the festival. If…

  • Today is Asanha Bucha Day (Wednesday is also a public holiday) | Thaiger

    Today is Asanha Bucha Day (Wednesday is also a public holiday)

    Asanha Bucha Day is a special Buddhist holiday in Thailand marking the day when the Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon at Benares in India over 2,500 years ago. The exact date of the holiday is determined by the waxing moon and the lunar months, but is usually held in July or August each year. In 2021 it falls on…

  • OPINION: Where have all of Thailand’s boat shows gone? | Thaiger

    OPINION: Where have all of Thailand’s boat shows gone?

    OPINION by Paul Poole (The opinions stated here are those of Paul Poole’s and do not necessarily represent the thoughts of the boating industry or those of The Thaiger) In 2017, ahead of the usual stream of boat shows and yachting events scheduled around the Kingdom, and before the current worldwide pandemic, I was asked if there was room for…

  • Visakha Bucha Day 2021, Buddhist holiday | Thaiger

    Visakha Bucha Day 2021, Buddhist holiday

    Today is a public holiday in Thailand to mark Visakha Bucha Day, the most significant day in the Buddhist calendar, commemorating three defining events in the life of the Lord Buddha… his birth, attaining enlightenment at 35 years old, and then his death 45 years later, which all occurred on the full-moon day of the sixth lunar month. There is…

  • Burmese students to hold Bangkok cultural event to support Civil Disobedience Movement | Thaiger

    Burmese students to hold Bangkok cultural event to support Civil Disobedience Movement

    Burmese students in Thailand are holding an art and culture concert to raise awareness and funds for the Civil Disobedience Movement. The concert, called “Myanmar Spring,” will be held on April 24 at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. The event will help fund the movement, which has staged protests over the February 1 coup in Myanmar by the military.…

  • Giant monitor lizard visits Thai 7 Eleven store, video goes viral | Thaiger

    Giant monitor lizard visits Thai 7 Eleven store, video goes viral

    A giant, nearly 2 metre long, monitor lizard decided to visit a 7 Eleven store looking for food, with customers and staff wondering what he (or she) was going to do next. The lizard climbed up a fully stacked shelf of dairy products, with apparently no cares in the world, as he clumsily knocked off cartons of milk and other…

  • Weekend party event in Phuket reports positive Covid attendee | Thaiger

    Weekend party event in Phuket reports positive Covid attendee

    A band member from Bangkok who attended three ‘Kolour’ party events in Phuket over the weekend has tested positive for Covid-19. The main Kolour Beachside Main Event was held at Cafe Del Mar, along Kamala’s foreshore. Other pre and post event parties were also held at Shelter and Illuzion, both in Bangla Road, Phuket. The promoters Kolour Beachside have a…

  • Chakri Memorial Day – why is it a public holiday in Thailand? | Thaiger

    Chakri Memorial Day – why is it a public holiday in Thailand?

    April 6 is a prominent holiday for Thais as they commemorate Chakri Memorial Day which remembers King Rama 1, the Founder of the Chakri Dynasty, which continues to this date. The current King Maha Vajiralongkorn is Rama X, the tenth Thai King of the Chakri Dynasty. Officially known as ‘King Buddha YodfaChulaloke the Great Day and Chakri Dynasty Memorial Day’,…

  • Pattaya rounding up the homeless ahead of this weekend’s Pattaya Colorful event | Thaiger

    Pattaya rounding up the homeless ahead of this weekend’s Pattaya Colorful event

    Pattaya is rounding up homeless people ahead of its Pattaya Colorful event this weekend after locals complained. Officers from the Chonburi Social Development and Human Security Division, along with the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division inspected and interviewed homeless people and beggars on Pattaya Walking Street, Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya Beach and Soi Buakhow last night. Officials say most of the…

  • Rohingya refugee camp fire leaves at least 11 dead in Bangladesh | Thaiger

    Rohingya refugee camp fire leaves at least 11 dead in Bangladesh

    A fire at a Bangladesh Rohingya refugee camp has left at least 11 dead. The camp, in Cox’s Bazar was destroyed by the fire leaving at least 10,000 Rohingya families without homes. The Inter Sector Coordination Group reports that those families total around 45,000 people, but say that number could climb as rescue organisations assess the situation. Hospitals, schools, women’s…