Phuket Vegetarian Festival (เทศกาลกินเจภูเก็ต)

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival (กินเจ), also known as the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, is a nine-day Taoist celebration rooted in the Chinese-Thai community of Phuket. Each year during the ninth lunar month, devotees dress in white, abstain from meat and animal products, and participate in elaborate daily processions between shrines beginning at dawn. Streets fill with stalls serving creative plant-based dishes, and the atmosphere is charged with firecracker smoke, incense, and the sound of drums. The festival has been observed since 1825 and is the largest vegetarian celebration in Thailand, drawing visitors from across the country and around the world.