Pattaya in October 2026: Vegetarian Festival in Naklua, dragon parade and jay food
From October 10 to 18 Thailand keeps the jay fast, and in Pattaya the Vegetarian Festival takes place in Naklua: a parade with dragons and lions and rows of food stalls under yellow flags. Here is when to go, what to try and how to prepare.
Pattaya in October 2026 runs on the jay calendar. From October 10 to 18 all of Thailand celebrates the Vegetarian Festival, and Pattaya has its own main stage - Naklua. The festival takes place at the Sawang Boriboon Foundation in Naklua: a parade with dragons and lions, rituals at the shrine and dozens of stalls with meat-free food. Of all the events in Pattaya in October, this is one of the most colourful, and it is free.
In Pattaya the festival usually starts a day before the nationwide fast and ends a day after, so in 2026 expect it roughly from October 9 to 19. The foundation announces the exact dates and parade time about a week before the start.
The parade is the main event of the first day. In the morning the foundation holds a ceremony to invite the gods, and in the afternoon a procession of dragons, lions and people in white leaves Sawang Boriboon, follows Sukhumvit and Sawang Fa Road past the Naklua markets and ends by the sea near Lan Pho Market. In 2025 the procession set off at 15:19, so keep the afternoon free.
The most extreme rituals, with piercing and fire walking, take place in Phuket - read about them in our big story about the festival. In Pattaya the festival is calmer: here it is all about the parade and the food.
On every day of the festival, jay food stalls work around the foundation from morning till evening. The biggest crowds come after 17:00: arrive by then if you want to catch the festival at its liveliest.
Jay is stricter than regular vegetarianism: no meat, fish, milk or eggs, and no garlic, onion or other strong-smelling vegetables. Stalls sell noodles, curries, dim sum, sweets and "meat" made from tofu and soy protein. Look for the yellow flag with the red "เจ": wherever it hangs, the food is jay. These days such flags appear all over the city, from the centre to Jomtien, and 7-Eleven, Lotus's, Big C and Tops set up separate shelves with jay products.
How to prepare for an evening in Naklua:
1. Clothes - white or light. Believers wear white during these days, and it looks more appropriate at the shrine.
2. Small change - it makes paying at street stalls easier.
3. Earplugs - if you are going to the parade: dragons and lions come with drums and gongs.
4. A raincoat - October in Pattaya is still rainy season, and evening downpours are common.
From Jomtien or the centre, the easiest way to get to Naklua is by scooter: the area around the foundation is crowded in the evening, and driving a car through Naklua's narrow streets takes longer. Scooter rental in Pattaya starts from 200 baht a day.
Two kilometres from the foundation stands the Sanctuary of Truth - a 105-metre wooden temple built without nails. The tour leaves in the morning and takes half a day, so you will make it to the Naklua stalls in the evening: a whole day in one neighbourhood.
Forward this story to friends who will be in Pattaya in mid-October: let them save one evening for Naklua and try jay food before the festival is gone until next year.
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