What's on in Phuket (Patong), Thailand through the year

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Chinese New Year

  15–21 FebLunar New YearCrowdedBook early

  Regional flights and hotels fill for a fortnight, and Phuket Town's Chinese shrines run processions. Rates are at their highest of the season either side of the day. Source ↗

Still on: Dry season, calm sea (15 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Chinese New Year

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Chinese New Year (15–21 Feb), Dry season, calm sea (15 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Dry season, calm sea (15 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Songkran

• Festival

  Songkran

  13–15 AprWater-festival New YearCrowded

  Three days of water thrown at everyone from pickup trucks and the roadside, in the hottest week of the year. Nothing electronic survives the street unwrapped. Source ↗

Still on: Dry season, calm sea (15 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Long summer break in Thailand

• Hazard

  Red flags on the west coast

  15 May – 31 Oct · usuallySurf seasonClosures

  The southwest monsoon puts swell and rip currents onto Patong, Karon and Kata; lifeguards fly red flags for days at a time and most drownings happen in these months. Source ↗

• Closure

  Similan Islands closed

  16 May – 14 Oct

  The national park north of Phuket shuts to visitors for the monsoon, which takes the best liveaboard diving off the table for half the year. Source ↗

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Red flags on the west coast (15 May – 31 Oct (usually)), Similan Islands closed (16 May – 14 Oct)

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Red flags on the west coast (15 May – 31 Oct (usually)), Similan Islands closed (16 May – 14 Oct)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Red flags on the west coast (15 May – 31 Oct (usually)), Similan Islands closed (16 May – 14 Oct)

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Vegetarian Festival

  10–18 OctMajor festivalCrowded

  Nine days of processions, firecrackers and street food around Phuket Town's Chinese shrines, with piercing rituals that are not staged for visitors and are hard to watch. Source ↗

Still on: Red flags on the west coast (15 May – 31 Oct (usually)), Similan Islands closed (16 May – 14 Oct)

Busy — between the peaks, Vegetarian Festival

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Red flags on the west coast (15 May – 31 Oct (usually)), Similan Islands closed (16 May – 14 Oct), Vegetarian Festival (10–18 Oct)

Shoulder season — between the peaks

• Festival

  Loy Krathong

  25–26 NovMajor festival

  Floats of banana leaf and candles go onto the water on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, from hotel pools to the beach at Patong. Source ↗

• Season

  Dry season, calm sea

  15 Nov – 15 Apr · usually

  The northeast side of the year: light offshore wind, flat water on the west coast beaches, and the best underwater visibility for diving and the island boats.

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Phuket King's Cup Regatta

• Festival

  Phuket King's Cup Regatta

  5–12 DecMajor festivalCrowded

  A week of racing out of Kata, the biggest sailing regatta in Asia, and the point at which the high season is properly full. Source ↗

Still on: Dry season, calm sea (15 Nov – 15 Apr (usually))