Monkey Buffet Festival — the Monkey Banquet
Animal Banquet · Phra Prang Sam Yot Temple, Lopburi, Thailand
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The festival
The only banquet in the world where the guests of honour are thousands of monkeys. At the Khmer temple of the thirteenth century Phra Prang Sam Yot, in Lopburi, whole tables of fruits, vegetables and sweets — pyramids of watermelons, durians, pineapples and ice sculptures — are set up for the city's macacos, venerated from the epic Ramayana, where the god-sing Hanuman helped Prince Rama to save Sita.
After an opening danced by artists in monkey costumes, the sails rise and the macacks throw themselves on the feast: almost 2 tons of offerings, according to Atlas Obscura. The festival was created in 1989 by a local hotelier, to thank the monkeys and to boost tourism.
The week before, the inhabitants even distribute to the monkeys "invitations" garnished with cashew nuts. On D-Day, after the dance opening ceremony, the banquet is unveiled and served in several services throughout the day, between the Phra Prang Sam Yot temple and the nearby San Phra Kan shrine, the other great meeting of the Lopburi macaques.
The festival has changed its face in recent years. After the pandemic, the cohabitation with thousands of macaques that have become invasive has extended the life of the city centre. Since 2024, the authorities — the Department of National Parks and the Municipality — have been conducting a program of capture, sterilization and relocation to a dedicated shelter in Pho Kao Ton: part of the recent síy banquets, while a small group of sterilized macaques continues to live around the temple and San Phra Kan. The tradition of the last Sunday of November continues.
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Good to know
Local festival carried by the municipality and tourist operators — no official dedicated site; numbers of visitors to tourist guides (up to about 3,000 macaques and 10,000 visitors) are to be handled with caution. Photo credit: the Phra Prang Sam Yot temple and its macaques — © Andreas Haja, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Since 2024, the official sterilization and relocation program has reduced the number of macaques in the city centre and part of the banquet can be held at the dedicated shelter: check the exact place of publishing with the Lopburi office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand before leaving.
In our articles
To see around the festival
Loppuri is on foot: the old town concentrates 3,000 years of history around the monkey temple.
- Phra Narai Ratchaniwet, the palace of King Narai — built from 1666 when Lopburi was the second capital of Ayutthaya kingdom; its enclosure houses the Somdet Phra Narai National Museum. Less than one kilometre from the temple.
- San Phra Kan — the neighbouring Khmer shrine on the other side of the railway tracks: the other large residence of the pimps of Lopburi, all year round.
- Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat — One of the oldest temples in the city, right across the train station, recognisable by its Khmer style.
Liens officiels
The Monkey Buffet Festival has no dedicated official website. For practical information about Lopburi and the upcoming edition, the official relay is the local office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Contact being verified.