Por Tor Festival Phuket 2026 (Hungry Ghost Festival)

The Por Tor Festival, Phuket's version of the Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival, runs from 19 August to 6 September 2026, with the main ceremony day on 27 August. It is one of the island's most atmospheric and least touristy traditions, centred on the Chinese shrines of Phuket Old Town, where the local Hokkien community makes offerings to ancestors and wandering spirits. Admission is free, and for anyone curious about the Sino-Portuguese culture behind Phuket Town, it is a rare window into a living tradition.

What the Por Tor Festival is

Por Tor is Phuket's observance of the wider Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival, which falls in the seventh lunar month. The belief at its heart is that during this month the gates of the underworld open and the spirits of the dead return to the world of the living, so families lay out food, incense and offerings to honour their ancestors and to comfort the hungry ghosts who have no descendants to remember them. On the island it is kept alive by Phuket's Hokkien Chinese community, whose roots run deep in the Old Town, and it carries a quieter, more solemn mood than the famous Vegetarian Festival that follows in October.

The red turtle cakes and offerings

The signature sight of Por Tor is the ang ku, a red, turtle-shaped cake made of sticky rice flour, offered in great numbers at the shrines. The turtle is a symbol of longevity, and the cakes range from small handfuls to enormous display pieces. Alongside them, families and shrines lay out fruit, roast meats, sweets and other food, together with burning incense and joss paper, all arranged as offerings for the returning spirits. The markets around the Old Town fill with these red cakes and offering goods in the run-up to the main days, and the shrines glow with candles and incense after dark.

Where to see it

The heart of the festival is the Chinese shrines of Phuket Town. The central one is the Seng Tek Bel Shrine, also known as the Por Tor Kong Shrine, in the Bang Niew area beside Bang Neow School, which hosts the ceremonies across seven days and nights while most other shrines observe them for only a couple of days. The fresh market on Ranong Road and other shrines around the Old Town also take part, so a slow evening walk through the historic streets around the main ceremony day on 27 August will take you past much of the activity. Come in the evening, when the incense, lanterns and candlelit offerings are at their most striking.

Coming as a visitor

Visitors are welcome, and there is no ticket or entry fee. This is a genuine religious and community occasion rather than a show put on for tourists, so the respectful approach is to watch quietly, dress modestly when entering a shrine, ask before photographing people at prayer, and avoid touching or leaning on the offerings. Doing so, it is a moving and photogenic experience, and a real insight into the Chinese heritage that shaped Phuket Town. If you enjoy this, the island's Phuket Vegetarian Festival in October is the larger, more intense event from the same cultural roots.

Practical notes for visitors

Por Tor lands in Phuket's green season, so expect warm, humid days, thinner crowds across the island and the odd heavy afternoon shower that clears quickly. The Old Town is compact and walkable, and its cafes, shophouse restaurants and street food make it an easy area to spend an evening around the shrines. Parking near the main shrine is limited on the busy nights, so consider a ride-hail into the centre and a stroll between the shrines on foot. Later in the year the island turns to its festival of lights, Loy Krathong, so August through November is a strong stretch for traditional culture in Phuket. Bring modest clothing for the shrines, a little cash for the market stalls, and a light rain layer for the season, and you are set for an evening among one of the island's oldest living traditions.