Vegetarian Festival - Phuket Old Town

Phuket, Thailand

Witness the world's most intense spiritual festival where devotees perform extreme acts of self-mortification and firewalking to purify their souls and bring good fortune to the community.

About this place

This nine-day Taoist festival in October features dramatic processions where participants pierce their bodies with various objects while in trance states, believed to channel gods' power. The festival centers around Chinese shrines in Phuket Old Town with the most spectacular ceremonies at Jui Tui Shrine and Bang Neow Shrine. Wear white clothing to show respect and arrive early morning for the most intense ceremonies - street food stalls offer elaborate vegetarian dishes throughout the festival period.