Chao Le Boat Floating Festival Phuket

The largest island in Thailand, the most populous and the most popular one- Phuket is a major watershed in the tourism industry of Thailand. And festivals and events in Phuket are more than you can even think of. In this cosmopolitan island there are festivals for every faith, every religion every race, and every kind of tourist for that matter. The Chao Le Boat Floating Festival is celebrated in May and October at the Sea Gipsy villages in Phuket.

During the Chao Le Boat Floating Festival in Phuket, small boats are set adrift in the darkness of the night. This is said to drive away evil and bring good luck. Before being released, the little boats are decked up with fingernail clipping and strands of hair along with little dolls fashioned from wood. These are supposed to drive away evil along with them. After releasing the boats into the water, the villagers perform the Ram Rong Ngeng, a local dance around their own boats.

The Chao Le Boat Floating Festival still retains the rustic traditional Thai flavor about it and therefore offers an out of the way experience unlike during the New Year.