Takua Pa Vegetarian Festival: Nine Days

2026 Schedule: Follow the Shrine Poster First

The poster of the shrine (Rong Phra Talat Nuea) in Takua Pa gives the festival period as 9 to 18 October 2026 (2569 BE) · tap to enlarge the poster image in this section.

The shrine poster states that rites begin on 9 October 2026, the day before the main period, which matches the customary cleansing day in general practice, while 10 October matches the 1st waxing day and 18 October matches the 9th waxing day as stated on the poster.

The poster also states that the bridge crossing rite for cleansing (kham saphan sadao khro) takes place in front of the shrine on the nights of 12 to 18 October at about 8:00 p.m.

The TAT guide describes the provincial level event across shrines in Phangnga · the author advises checking the announcement of the shrine you plan to visit before traveling, because each venue may hold rites on different days.

Bridge Crossing Rite: Which Nights, Where, and What Happens

For 2026 (2569 BE), the poster of the shrine (Rong Phra Talat Nuea) lists the bridge crossing cleansing rite in front of the shrine on the nights of 12 to 18 October at about 8:00 p.m. · arrive a little early so you can ask the shrine staff about the steps before joining the line.

A 2017 Thairath news report calls this the Koi Han rite and describes it at Ku Chai Tueng shrine in Bang Sai, Takua Pa: spirit mediums open the bridge, and each participant carries a toi sin, a stand in doll marked with their name and date of birth, while walking across.

The same report says oil lamps for each person's birth day star burn beneath the bridge, participants are cleansed again with fire as they step down, and mediums then tie a sacred thread on them for good fortune · the belief is that bad luck and misfortune are swept away, and people keeping the vegetarian precepts who want a complete observance join this rite.

These steps come from the report on Ku Chai Tueng shrine, and each shrine may run the rite differently, including what you need to bring · if you plan to join at Rong Phra Talat Nuea, ask the staff on site before lining up and wear white as is customary for the festival.

Take a Break: Eating and Exploring Takua Pa Before the Evening Rite

The bridge crossing starts at about 8:00 p.m., so there is still time during the day to walk the old town and find something to eat · shops hung with the Jae flag are where to find vegetarian food, and the flag's meaning is explained in the precepts section below.

For a seat in the shade, Siwara Cafe is a cafe in a teak house nearly a hundred years old in the old town, run by the people who make this guide, at 53 Rat Bamrung Road opposite 7-Eleven, with coffee in a choice of roast levels, homemade cakes, and board games.

The cafe opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and is closed on Mondays · the first night of the rite, 12 October, is a Monday, so the cafe is closed that day, while from 13 to 18 October it keeps its usual hours.

If you are keeping the vegetarian precepts, ask before ordering which items suit them, because some cakes and drinks may contain milk, butter, or egg.

Sunday 18 October, the last night of the bridge crossing on the poster, is also walking street day on Culture Street in the old town, usually open 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. · walk the market in the early evening and then head to the shrine, but check announcements first as festival arrangements may differ.

Siwara Cafe ↗Takua Pa food and travel guide ↗

What Takua Pa's Vegetarian Festival Is

The Kin Phak vegetarian festival takes place in the Takua Pa old town area. Local people call it the Kin Phak festival. It resembles the festival in Phuket province, lasts about 9 days, and carries rituals passed down from the past of the Talat Yai community.

The festival is a time when people who have homes in Takua Pa return home, and many descendants of local families come back during the festival.

The roots of the Talat Yai community lie in its large Hokkien Chinese population and tin mine coolies since the tin mining era · the TAT Phangnga guide states that Chinese migrants came to mine tin and settled in large numbers in Takua Pa.

The Old Town and Kuan U Shrine

Takua Pa old town has Sino-Portuguese shophouses · old buildings can still be seen around Udom Thara Road and Sri Takua Pa Road.

Kuan U shrine, locally called Am Tai, is a sacred place for people in the Takua Pa old town area. It is a ritual venue for Thai people of Chinese descent and stands on Sri Takua Pa Road.

To join the festival, pin the Talat Yai area and Sri Takua Pa Road first, then ask the shrine you plan to visit directly about its schedule and parade assembly point.

Provincial Picture: What Phangnga's Festival Usually Has

The TAT Phangnga guide states that the provincial level vegetarian precept observance tradition is held on the 1st to 9th waxing days of the 9th Chinese month, in October, at shrines across Phangnga province.

The same guide states that during the precept period villagers dress in white to receive food from shrines, and that the program includes the fire walking rite (lui fai), the rite honoring the seven daily stars (buang suang dao), the cleansing rite (sadao khro), and the parade of deities around town (hae phra).

A study of the Jae tradition in the context of Trang province states generally that it lasts 9 days, from the 1st to the 9th waxing day of the 9th Chinese lunar month · this is a general date frame, not the schedule of Takua Pa specifically.

If You Will Keep the Precepts: Conduct and the Jae Flag

The general guidance in the Excise Department document is to abstain from meat and harming animals, to avoid milk, butter, and animal derived oils, to avoid strong smelling vegetables and spices, to avoid intoxicants, to avoid strongly flavored food, to keep the five precepts, to keep the mind calm, to give alms, and to dress in white.

Shop signs bearing the word Jae mean the food has no meat. Red lettering stands for good fortune and the yellow background stands for Buddhism · shops displaying this sign are where to find Jae food.

These practices are general guidance, not rules specific to Takua Pa · if you will keep the precepts at a particular shrine, ask that shrine for its rules first.