Events & Festivals in Ubon Ratchathani

Dawn stays cool along the Mekong as runners glide past golden temples and morning alms rounds, finishing at Tung Sri Muang where sticky rice and grilled pork wait for spent legs.

Nighttime candle processions wind around Wat Thung Si Mueang's golden chedi while saffron-robed monks chant and devotees pad barefoot across cool stones, lotus buds and incense in hand.

Each night the temple fair swallows Thung Si Mueang in grilled squid smoke, ferris-wheel lights, and Isan pop blasting from carnival stalls that hawk durian ice cream and hand-woven textiles.

Elephants amble across dusty fields as mahouts guide them with knee signals. Trunks sway while players swing mallets and the crowd tears into grilled sticky rice.

Chalk-dusted faces and ice-cold water wars erupt along Upparat Road. Pickup trucks haul water barrels while teens dance and elders pour jasmine-scented blessings at temple gates.

Bamboo rockets screech skyward from muddy rice-paddy launch pads. Sulfur smoke drifts through fermented fish sauce aromas as teams dance to khaen music in elaborate homemade costumes.

Hand-painted ghost masks lurch through village lanes, bamboo phalluses swinging while drums hammer and rice whiskey disappears at this pre-Buddhist spirit rite.

Months of carving produce intricate wax sculptures that parade through town during Buddhist Lent; jasmine-garlanded forms glow under floodlights while traditional piphat music bounces off colonial façades.

Monks in saffron file clockwise around Wat Phra That Nong Bua three times, bare feet on sun-warmed stones while devotees kneel with lotus blooms and jasmine chains.

Saxophones cry against glowing temple walls as local fusion bands splice traditional khaen lines with jazz riffs. Humid air carries barbecue smoke and lemongrass incense in equal measure.

Charcoal smoke lifts above stalls where som tam is pounded in stone mortars, sticky rice steams in bamboo tubes, and fermented fish sauce sits ready for locals who claim it fixes everything.

Yellow-shirted devotees dish out meat-free Isan staples, mushroom larb, tofu laab, jackfruit curry, while incense from Chinese temples drifts across pop-up vegetarian stalls.

Banana-leaf boats loaded with incense and marigolds glide onto the Moon River while paper lanterns rise. Their trembling light mirrors off temple spires as monks chant the evening sutras.

Cool dawn air reveals flower stalls exploding with chrysanthemums and marigolds. Their perfume mingles with grilled chicken smoke as vendors push wool sweaters beside tropical blossoms.

Fireworks crack over the Mun River as countdown stages pump EDM and luk thung. Beer gardens pour ice-cold Leo while the night breeze carries barbecue smoke through the throng.