Firecrackers boomed throughout Phuket city on the 'Sending Off the Deities' night as, this evening (19 Oct 2026), each shrine will hold the pole-raising ceremony, marking the complete conclusion of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2026.
Reporters noted that from 10:00 p.m. on 18 Oct 2026 into the early hours of 19 Oct 2026, the final night of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival (Jea Chai), which began on 10 October, participating shrines conducted the deity send-off ceremonies. Processions of male and female possessed mediums from each shrine walked through various streets in central Phuket, heading toward Laem Saphan Hin to perform the ritual of sending off the main deities Yik Hong Song Tao (Lord Shiva) and Kiew Hong Tai Tao (the Nine Emperor Gods), regarded as the highest deities and the festival's patrons, back to heaven.
Along the procession route, tens of thousands of Phuket residents and tourists, both Thai and foreign, gathered densely to join the send-off ceremony, lighting millions of firecrackers. This created a thunderous atmosphere throughout the night, as participants continuously set off firecrackers around the possessed mediums and deities during the procession.
The send-off ceremony takes place on the festival's final night, starting with the sending of Yik Hong Song Tao (Lord Shiva), typically conducted at the shrine's pole around 10:30 p.m., to return the deity to heaven. Afterwards, Kiew Hong Tai Tao is sent off, usually at the seaside at the end of Laem Saphan Hin. Once the procession passes through the shrine gates, all lights inside are extinguished and the main doors are closed.
The dates for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2027 have also been set, scheduled from 30 September to 8 October 2027. On 19 Oct 2026, starting from 4:00 p.m., each shrine will hold the pole-raising ceremony to officially conclude this year's Vegetarian Festival.
