Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2015 – Not for the faint of heart

The annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival is held over a nine day period between October 15th and 23rd and is a vibrant event celebrating the beliefs held within the Chinese community that meat and stimulant abstinence will bring them good health and mental wellbeing. The festival is visited by thousands of spectators and participants every year with both international and local travellers making the journey. Despite its rather sombre concept, the festival is not for the faint of heart. Various ceremonies are performed throughout the festival, some include spectacular feats of endurance where some participants engage in fire walking, piercing their bodies with various items like knives and skewers and other acts of self-mortification. Injuries are usually sustained from indiscriminate use of fireworks so always be aware of your surroundings and stay away from this aspect.

The festival takes place in 6 Chinese temples around Phuket, so travellers hoping to catch more than one event might find one of the Phuket luxury hotels an ideal choice for accommodation. They are usually centrally located, like the Anantara Phuket Layan Resort & Spa, and offer a little sanctuary from the frenzied festival.