Hat Yai Events Calendar 2020
Events by Month
Events take place at lots of locations, but a major activity centre in Hat Yai on Children's Day is Jiranakorn Sports Stadium on Niphat Songkhro 1 Road.
A lot of events take place along Supasarnrangsan Road (Map 2) around the vicinity of the Siang Theung temple and rescue centre, and this is where you can see acts of self-mortification.
A number of events are also scheduled at Srinakorn School (Map 4) over the CNY holiday period and this is where you will be able to meet some Thai celebrities (daa-raa).
Because of the big 2020 coronavirus panic, this year's Hat Yai Motor Show has been postponed. The new dates are 1-4 May. See the entry below for details.
Many Thais seem convinced that the Covid-19 virus won't be a problem after their Songkran festival in April. Tourism is vitally important to the Thai economy, especially Chinese tourism, and the virus outbreak has destroyed the Thai tourist industry. I admire their optimism, but as I write (in early March) the situation seems to be getting worse and the problem could drag on for a lot longer than they expect. Time will tell. Let's hope that things get back to normal soon.
Bullfights are held at the Hat Yai bullfighting arena once a month. These normally take place on the first Saturday of the month, but check first because the dates can change as a result of public holidays, etc. The bouts start at around 10am.
Update: The coronavirus panic has resulted in virtually every public event in Thailand being cancelled in early 2020, as well as virtually destroying Thailand's tourism industry. It has been announced that Songkran has been cancelled in Patong, Pattaya and other places. I haven't yet heard an official announcement that it will be cancelled in Hat Yai, but because of the general sentiment surrounding this virus I suspect it will be.
The traditional New Year in Thailand, and now the world's biggest water fight. Living in Thailand, you either love it or hate it. You can act like a seven year-old all day and squirt water at strangers, or you can do what I do. If I can't manage to be out of the country for Songkran, I stock up with food and stay indoors all day. I'm sorry, but I don't like this festival at all and find a lot of the behaviour quite obnoxious.
At least it only lasts for one day in southern Thailand. If you have the misfortune to be in Chiang Mai during Songkran the juvenile antics go on for an entire week.
Since 1940 the New Year in Thailand has commenced from 1st January (like most of the rest of the world), but the start of the traditional New Year in April is still one of the biggest festivals (probably the biggest) in Thailand.
The inaugural event was held in 2012, and 2020 will see the 9th Hat Yai Motor Show. The location is in the big International Conference Centre behind the Prince of Songkla University. It's quite easy to find.
Expect the usual pickup trucks and family saloons that can be seen everywhere in Thailand. In addition to the cars, there will also be lots of pretty Thai girls on display in the Miss Hat Yai Motor Show 2020 beauty competition. The competition is open to girls aged between 17-28.
Political correctness and woke culture killed off beauty competitions in Western countries years ago, but thankfully political correctness never arrived in Thailand and you can still see pretty girls voluntarily showing off their good looks in competitions all over the country.
I attended the first event in 2012 and don't remember there being an entrance fee. I think that it is still free.
Bullfights are held at the Hat Yai bullfighting arena once a month. These normally take place on the first Saturday of the month, but check first because the dates can change as a result of public holidays, etc. The bouts start at around 10am.
This Buddhist holiday celebrates the birth of the Buddha, his death, and also his enlightenment. All three events occurred on the same day. It's another day when Thai temples see a lot of activity and if you haven't been before it's a good experience. Thais walk around the temple carrying three flowers, three candles and an incense stick as a reminder of the Triple Gems. The actual date varies each year because it falls on the 15th day of the waxing moon in the 6th lunar month.
The whole nation of Thailand is transfixed today watching some oxen grazing in Bangkok to see what kind of food the animals eat. The cows' dietary choice will determine whether the forthcoming rice season will be good or bad.
The ceremony is held at Sanam Luang in Bangkok, but it is widely televised and transmitted by all of the Thai TV channels. Other Southeast Asian countries also observe this ceremony, which dates back hundreds of years.
Bullfights are held at the Hat Yai bullfighting arena once a month. These normally take place on the first Saturday of the month, but check first because the dates can change as a result of public holidays, etc. The bouts start at around 10am.
Bullfights are held at the Hat Yai bullfighting arena once a month. These normally take place on the first Saturday of the month, but check first because the dates can change as a result of public holidays, etc. The bouts start at around 10am.
Today is the 15th day of the waxing moon of the eighth lunar month. It was this day during the Buddha's lifetime that he delivered his first sermon to five disciples at the deer park in Benares, India.
Tomorrow is the start of the Buddhist Lent, or Rains Retreat, which lasts for three months. Traditionally, Thai males ordained as monks during this time. In addition to learning about Buddhism, keeping the men in temples also kept them from walking on and damaging crops. Nowadays, it is still traditional for Thai males to ordain as monks, but the ordination period is often less than a week.
As usual for these important days in the Buddhist calendar, there will be ceremonies at all temples involving processions with candles and incense sticks.
This holiday falls on a Saturday this year, therefore some businesses will be closed on Monday.
The start of the Rains Retreat or Buddhist Lent.
The much loved King Rama IX's birthday is still observed on 5th December and this is still the date for Father's Day. In Thailand, Father's Day is celebrated on the King's birthday so I wasn't sure if the date of Father's Day would change after King Rama X ascended to the throne, but apparently not.
Bullfights are held at the Hat Yai bullfighting arena once a month. These normally take place on the first Saturday of the month, but check first because the dates can change as a result of public holidays, etc. The bouts start at around 10am.
This is a regular event at the Prince of Songkla University every August and it attracts tens of thousands of people from all over southern Thailand. It's actually very good and caters to a wide variety of people. Farmers can buy a new tractor, while members of the public can buy a new car, truck or motorbike. There are lots of plants, pets, and handicrafts on sale. Many of the handicrafts are from Chiang Mai and they are not available in Hat Yai at other times of the year.
To be completely honest, a lot of the fairs and festivals in Hat Yai aren't really worth going to, but this is an exception. I have been attending since 2004 and each year I like to visit the fair at least once.
HM Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother's birthday and also Mothers' Day in Thailand.
This is a regular annual event, but because of the coronavirus lockdown and huge loss of business this year, the 2020 Hat Yai Hard Sale will be the biggest so far. Many people visit Hat Yai to shop and this event, hopefully, will entice some regular visitors back to the town. The businesses involved include airlines, tour guides, hotels, restaurants, department stores, car rental, beauty clinics, automotive and properties. In addition to discounts on goods, "Tourists will enjoy up to 25 per cent discount on hotel rooms as well as other benefits." (I'm not sure at the moment what the other benefits will be, but more information should be made available later.)
Bullfights are held at the Hat Yai bullfighting arena once a month. These normally take place on the first Saturday of the month, but check first because the dates can change as a result of public holidays, etc. The bouts start at around 10am.
A Moon Festival was held in Hat Yai last year for the first time and I believe it will be a regular event. My 2019 calendar tells me that 13th September is Moon Festival date, but when I see posters nearer the time I will confirm the date.
The end of the Rains Retreat or Buddhist Lent.
Bullfights are held at the Hat Yai bullfighting arena once a month. These normally take place on the first Saturday of the month, but check first because the dates can change as a result of public holidays, etc. The bouts start at around 10am.
Today Thais will observe the passing of their much beloved monarch King Rama IX in 2016.
Although the Phuket vegetarian festival is much more famous, the equivalent festival in Hat Yai is a major event and it goes on for nine days. It is another festival based on lunar dates and therefore the actual date changes each year.
The venue is along Supasarnrangsan Road. Lots of regular restaurants close for the duration of the festival (or just serve vegetarian food) and lots of vegetarian stalls open on the street. You can watch devotees perform acts of ritualised mutilation by having their bodies pierced with various objects. There is a lot of blood and it isn't for the squeamish.
On another page about Festivals in Hat Yai I posted some photos from the festival and then ran into a problem with Google. Google regards the photos as being 'shocking' and won't allow me to have ads on that page.
King Rama V was a very special king for the Thai people. He was born on 20 September 1853 and died on 23 October 1910. He is remembered every year on the anniversary of his death. In Hat Yai there is a large Rama V statue inside the municipal park and a lot of people attend early in the morning on 23 October. If you plan on going, get there before 9am.
This festival falls on the full moon day of the 12th month, which is normally in November but this year it falls on the last day of October. Thais float (loy) their 'gratongs' on the nearest convenient body of water. Inside the gratongs they place a nail clipping, some of their own hair and a coin. Ask around to find out where you can participate. At PSU in the afternoon there is a parade with lots of pretty girls. In addition to floating gratongs, there are also beauty contests staged to find 'naang nopamaat' (a Thai legend). Loy Gratong is a far more civilised occasion than Songkran and normally very enjoyable.
Bullfights are held at the Hat Yai bullfighting arena once a month. These normally take place on the first Saturday of the month, but check first because the dates can change as a result of public holidays, etc. The bouts start at around 10am.
Today commemorates King Rama IX's birthday and is also Father's Day in Thailand.
Bullfights are held at the Hat Yai bullfighting arena once a month. These normally take place on the first Saturday of the month, but check first because the dates can change as a result of public holidays, etc. The bouts start at around 10am.
Today commemorates the day in 1932 when Thailand became a Constitutional Monarchy. It is a national holiday.
Thailand is a Buddhist, and therefore atheist, country. However, Thais like receiving gifts and they like coloured fairy lights. The department stores are decorated with Christmas decorations in the run up to Christmas and Jingle Bells can be heard over the PA system while you are shopping.
Thais make a big thing of New Year and there is a big countdown ceremony around Lee Gardens Plaza. You will also see and see a lot of fireworks.