Vegetarian Festival in Bangkok – The feast of a thousand vegetables

The annual vegetarian festival in Bangkok takes place from the 12th to the 20th of October every year and is quite possibly the quintessential dream of every vegetarian on the planet. The focal point of all the “vege-centric” festivities is Chinatown, where you’ll come across dozens of pop-up stalls that sell everything from inexplicably realistic fake meat to sweet treats and delectably simple fare. If you’re staying at a hotel near Siam Paragon Bangkokshopping mall like the Vic3 Bangkok, getting to Chinatown is just a matter of hitching a 15 minute taxi ride.

If you’re heading to Yarrowat Road you’re likely to see yellow and red flags flapping about, this signals shoppers that the food being sold is in keeping with festival regulations that exclude the use of dairy, all meat products (even fish), garlic, onions and any other strong smelling items. If you’re looking for a bit more excitement though, head down to Charoen Krung Road Soi 20 and catch the Chinese Opera perform, or if you’re looking for something a little more extreme head to Phuket where the Vegetarian Festival takes a bit of a peculiar twist as devotees pierce and slash themselves with knives.