Festival & Annual Event Calendar

Eastern Seaboard Festival Calendar

JANUARY

January 1,
NEW YEAR'S DAY

FEBRUARY

February 4-7,
CHINESE NEW YEAR

PATTAYA WOMEN’S OPEN 2006

Women's World Tour tennis comes to Pattaya at the Dusit Resort, Pattaya from 4-12 February. Features top stars including Australian Open doubles winners and Olympic Gold medalists, plus players from Europe, USA, Asia and Australia.   

Febuary: Makha Buja day Important Buddhist Holy day. (Full moon day)

Febuary: Burapa Bike week Pattaya.

Pattaya Gay festival: starts February 28.

MARCH

Pattaya Music Festival early March

If music festivals are more your idea of a participation sport, Pattaya has an even that will test your stamina.
In an effort to promote Pattaya as a music festival city, the Tourism Authority of Thailand began a Thailand Grand Festival project that includes the Music Festival. The festival dates can vary, but mark your calendar for the first week in March.

The 3-day event runs from 18:00 to 24:00 and features live performances by dozens of Thailand's top music artists is a good time usually held for 3 days in March from 6 p.m. to midnight. Pattaya Music Festival features musical performances. International artists are also invited to the festival.
Besides the music, you can Walking-Street among displays set up by record companies, film production houses, musical instrument dealers, CD sellers and music magazines.
Styles vary from jazz to pop, rock or hip-hop. Keep an eye out for final schedule date.

APRIL

April 6,
CHAKRI DAY - Chakri Dynasty Day

April
PATTAYA FESTIVAL
Fireworks, food and floral floats, beauty contests and stalls selling local delicacies fill the streets of Thailand`s world-famous seaside resort.

Pattaya Festival - middle of April
The Pattaya Festival is complete with a parade with floral floats, the ever popular Miss Pattaya beauty contest, sports contests, sandcastle competitions, arts and cultural performances and exhibitions.
Souvenirs are available and spectacular fireworks displays can be attended at the beach

Pattaya festival puts on its most festive face for this annual event, held in April at the height of the summer season. The festival involved an extensive calendar of sporting events and contests such as a Grand Prix and go-kart racing, sailing regattas, windsurfing, fishing and beauty competitions as well as stalls selling local food and crafts, and a spectacular display of fireworks on the beach.

April 11 - 15,
NATIONWIDE SONGKRAN FESTIVAL

Songkran is a wet and wild water festival held in mid-April. Songkran was traditionally celebrated by bathing Buddha images and the showing respect to monks and elders at the Lunar New Year. It has since evolved into a frenetic national water fight for anyone who decides to venture outdoors. This has to be one of the friendliest, though wet, festivals anywhere and a great way to make new friends.

For water, fun and excitement, nothing beats the Thai New Year. Pattaya offers the most enthusiastic celebrations. Parades, beauty contests and merit- making ceremonies at local temples. Songkran is a Thai traditional New Year, which starts on April 13 every year and lasts for 3 days. Songkran festival on April 13 is Maha Songkran Day or the day to mark the end of the old year, April 14 is Wan Nao, which is the day after and April 15 is Wan Thaloeng Sok, which the New Year begins. At this time, people from the rural areas who are working in   the   city   usually return home to celebrate the festival.  Thus, when the time comes, Bangkok temporarily turns into a deserted city.

Songkran is a Thai word, which means "move" or "change place", as it is the day when the sun changes its position in the zodiac.  It is also known, as the "Water Festival" as people believe that water will wash away bad luck.

Chonburi Festival in mid-April is an annual activity organised by the people of Chonburi since 1932. The festival combines the festivals of Puttha Sihing, Songkran and the Red Cross Fair together into one. Its activities include a procession for venerating the Pra Puttha Sihing Buddha image, water pouring for the elders, folk games, Khon or classical masked-dances from the Department of Fine Arts, cultural performance, exhibitions and stalls. The festival aims to conserve and promote local customs as well as to instill a sense of value for the cultural heritage. Well worth a visit if you are in the area and Chonburi isn't that far of a drive from Pattaya.

MAY

May 5,
CORONATION DAY

May 7 – Royal Ploughing Ceremony
May (full moon day) - Visakha Bucha

May
VISAKHA PUJA, NATIONWIDE
The holiest of all Buddhist religious days marks the birth, enlightenment and death of the Lord Buddha. It is honored in temples throughout the land with beautiful candlelit processions.

Buddha’s Birthday is the 15th of May. Local Wats (Buddhist Temples) celebrate by holding candlelit processions. A tourist may take part in these parades and it can prove great fun.

JUNE

June,
PHI TA KHON FESTIVAL, LOEI
Prince Vessandorn`s (the Buddha’s penultimate incarnation) welcome home procession was grand enough to inspire the spirits to join the celebrations. Men dressed as spirits parade a Buddha image and tease villagers and visitors while monks recite this ancient Buddhist tale.

JULY

Pattaya Marathon 2006 Sunday, July 16, 2006
Almost anyone can run the Pattaya marathon and hundreds participate each year. The race starts, quite naturally, on Beach Road. But don't make the mistake of thinking the route is like a stroll on Walking Street. The route winds its way along Jomtien Beach to a half-way mark, then returns to Beach Road via Pattaya Hill along km 36 - 38.