Phuket in December 2026: King's Cup Regatta 5-12 December at Kata, where to watch for free and what's for sale by the sea
Day-by-day programme of the 38th King's Cup Regatta, free spots on Kata Beach and the viewpoints, when the evening parties start, and what is currently for sale on Phuket near Bang Tao and in Patong - with prices in baht.
December on Phuket is the start of high season and the week when more than a hundred sailing yachts gather off Kata Beach: the 38th Phuket King's Cup Regatta runs here from 5 to 12 December 2026. Watching the races from the shore is free, the schedule is already out, and the first day of the regatta falls on a public holiday. Here is where to go, what time, and what to do on the other days of the week.
The regatta was started in 1987 for the 60th birthday of King Rama IX, which is why it is always tied to 5 December - his birthday, which became Father's Day and a national holiday in Thailand. In 2026, 5 December falls on a Saturday, so the day off moves to Monday the 7th, and Thursday 10 December is another holiday, Constitution Day. Banks and government offices are closed on those days; beaches and restaurants work as usual. In 2025 around 120 yachts came to the start line, and Queen Suthida went out to sea on the yacht Vayu in the top IRC Zero class: she took the helm in the long race, worked as navigator, and Vayu finished the regatta second in its class. So the 'King's' in the name is not just about the trophy.
The 2026 programme according to the official Notice of Race (the organisers reserve the right to shift the times):
1. Saturday 5 December - crew registration at the Beyond Kata hotel on the southern end of Kata Beach and the opening ceremony (time to be confirmed closer to the date).
2. Sunday 6 December - practice session from 13:00 about a mile offshore opposite Kata. This is the best day for photos: every yacht goes out to sea, and the beach is not crowded yet.
3. Monday 7 to Saturday 12 December - five race days plus one reserve day (Friday the 11th, if there was no wind). First start signal at 09:30, on Saturday at 09:00. Every evening at 18:30 - the daily prize-giving.
4. Saturday 12 December - final races (no starts after 14:00) and the main prize-giving ceremony at 15:00 at Beyond Kata.
Where to watch for free. The beach is open to everyone, and the whole life of the regatta is visible from the sand: in the morning dinghies ferry crews out to the yachts anchored off the beach, and after the finish everyone comes back to the same spot. The best place is the southern end of Kata Beach by Beyond Kata: the regatta HQ is here, the boats leave from here, and this is where everyone comes for prizes at 18:30. The courses themselves are set a mile offshore and beyond, around the little island of Koh Pu opposite the beach, so from the sand you see the sails but not the fight at the marks - bring binoculars or go higher.
Higher means Karon Viewpoint on the hill between Kata and Nai Harn: from there you see three beaches at once (Kata Noi, Kata, Karon) and the whole stretch of water where the races happen. Get there by 09:00 for the first start and leave before noon - after that the viewpoint fills up with tour buses. If on a race day the start is moved to Nai Harn (in past years that happened on the Friday), the grandstand becomes Windmill Viewpoint above Nai Harn and Ya Nui. Sunset on those days is at 18:07-18:10 - just as the fleet comes back to anchor, and that is the second shot of the day.
What costs money. The regatta's evening parties are for the crews, but the organisers sell a day pass for guests at 1,200 baht: the party of the day and that same 18:30 prize-giving. If you want to be inside rather than watching from the beach, this is the cheapest way in. For comparison: a yacht entry costs 35,000 baht, a crew spot for the week 6,500.
The December weather is on the regatta's side: the dry season has already begun, it is around 31° by day, the water is 28-29°, rain is short and rare, and the north-east monsoon gives a steady wind. On the west-coast beaches - Kata, Karon, Bang Tao - the sea is calm in December and red flags are almost never up. The one downside is accommodation: beachfront hotels in Kata and Karon are full a week before the start, as crews and their families stay close to base.
Which leads to the question everyone who comes to the regatta for the second time asks: where to live on the island permanently. A common answer is Bang Tao, the north-western beach with the Laguna area, where the hotels, the golf course and Boat Avenue sit around the lagoons. From here it is 26 km and 30-40 minutes by car to Kata (up to an hour in season), 22 km to the airport, and inside Laguna, with its beach, restaurants and Boat Avenue, you can go weeks without getting behind the wheel. From what is in our catalogue right now: a 60 m² two-bedroom apartment on the Bang Tao beachfront in Laguna Seaside Residences for 9.9 million baht - sea-view windows, infinity pools, direct access to the beach.
Cheaper, at the entrance to Laguna: a 40 m² apartment with a lagoon view in Laguna Lakeside Residences for 6.9 million baht. The beach, Boat Avenue and Porto de Phuket are within walking distance, there is a 60-metre rooftop infinity pool, a gym and a playground. This is the 'come for the season, rent it out in summer' option - demand in Bang Tao runs all year round.
And if you want to be closer to the regatta and get twice the space for the same money, there is Patong: four bedrooms, 170 m², in Patong Harbor View for 8.5 million baht, which is 50,000 baht per m² against 165,000 on the Bang Tao beachfront. It is 8 km and 15 minutes over the hill to Kata, 1.5 km to Patong Beach. One important thing about all three: right now they are sold under the Thai quota. A foreigner takes such an apartment through a Thai company or a 30-year lease rather than direct ownership - the partner explains exactly how in the chat, right from the listing.
If you are spending December in Pattaya rather than on Phuket, there are sails there too. The Serenity catamaran to three islands with a sunset at sea runs every day: a 23-metre catamaran, Ko Phai, Ko Rin and Monkey Island, lunch on board, snorkelling, a water slide, and at 17:40-18:10 a sunset in the open sea on the way home. 2,700 baht per adult, 1,350 per child, Russian-speaking guide. Not a race, but you will get the regatta feeling on board.
Cheat sheet for the week. 5 December - the opening and the holiday; in Pattaya that day there is its own plan for Father's Day. The 6th at 13:00 - practice, the best photos. The 7th to the 12th - races from 09:30, watch from the southern end of Kata or from Karon Viewpoint, 18:30 - daily prize-giving, the 12th at 15:00 - the final. Direct flights to the island have been added since 18 October - details in our news piece. All Phuket properties with prices and a chat with the partner are in the real estate catalogue.
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