The festival, one of Phuket’s most important Chinese cultural events, honours ancestors and wandering spirits while reflecting the values of filial piety and respect that have long been part of the island’s Thai-Chinese heritage.
Celebrations will take place at shrines, markets and community venues across Phuket Town, with residents and visitors invited to take part in traditional merit-making ceremonies and witness rituals that have been passed down through generations.
One of the festival’s most recognisable traditions is the offering of ‘Ang Ku’, the distinctive red turtle-shaped cakes that symbolise longevity, good fortune and gratitude towards ancestors.
The PorTor Festival is observed during the seventh lunar month, when Chinese tradition holds that the gates of the underworld open, allowing the spirits of ancestors and wandering souls to return to the world of the living.
Families make offerings of food, incense and ceremonial paper items to honour their ancestors while also making offerings for spirits with no descendants, in the belief that doing so will bring good fortune and protection.
The red turtle cakes, made from glutinous rice flour and traditionally filled with sweet bean paste, have become synonymous with Phuket’s PorTor Festival and are among the event’s biggest attractions.
According to the municipality, this year’s programme will include:
- Aug 25: PorTor ceremony at Talat Yai, Phuket Thai Hua Museum on Krabi Rd
- Aug 27: Hok Nguan Kong Shrine, Surin Circle
- Aug 28: Cho Ong Shrine on Krabi Rd
- Aug 29-30: Public Market 1 (Baan San Market) on Ranong Rd
- Aug 31-Sept 10: Seng Tek Beow Kuan Yin Tai Si Shrine in Bang Neow
- Sept 1: Kian Tek Pho Chinese Association at Phuket Thai Hua Museum
- Sept 2: Ao Ke Community near Takua Pa Rd
The municipality said the festival offers visitors an opportunity to experience one of Phuket’s oldest and most distinctive cultural traditions while helping preserve the heritage of the island’s Thai-Chinese community.
The PorTor Festival has long been one of Phuket’s signature cultural events, attracting thousands of residents and tourists each year to witness the colourful ceremonies and sample the famous red turtle cakes that have become an enduring symbol of the celebration.