Wat Chalong Fair

The festivals on Phuket are one of the better reasons to leave your Phuket luxury villa! Wat Chalong (or Chalong Temple) Fair is the biggest of all temple fairs on the island and one of the best festivals to attend.  Taking place over 7 days, it is a sensory and visual experience like no other.

Wat Chalong is the largest and most visited temple on Phuket.  It is believed the original temple was built during the reign of King Rama II (1809-1842) but there is no definite proof and the temple has been rebuilt and relocated since then. Many locals, as well as tourists, come to pay their respects to the monks that were the founders of Wat Chalong, among them Luang Pho Cham and Luang Pho Chuang, 2 monks who were well known for herbal medicine and took care of local villagers and negotiated for a settlement during fighting between Chinese secret societies in the 1870’s.

Wat Chalong Fair was first held in 1933 by local farmers living around Wat Chalong. A small fair with entertainment and local attractions was hosted on the temple lands to celebrate a successful harvest and the hard work that employed. In later years, the fair was celebrated during Chinese New Year to create a sense of community spirit and united togetherness between the Thai and Chinese locals.

As part of the fair there are plenty of performances, activities and games going on. Every night at around 7pm, performances by famous Thai folk (luk-thung) singers and big name singers take place, and of course the traditional Thai puppeteers perform, a must-see for any Phuket luxury villa owner!
Wat Chalong Fair 2014 takes place February 9 – 15