Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival (Asahna Bucha)
One of Thailand's grandest festivals — Ubon's July Candle Festival features months-in-the-making beeswax sculptures paraded through the city in a 300,000-person celebration.
About this Place
The Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival (Prasat Pheng) is one of Thailand's grandest provincial festivals and the cultural highlight of the Isaan calendar. Held annually in July to mark the Buddhist Lent (Khao Phansa), the festival involves the creation of enormous beeswax candle sculptures — elaborately detailed mythological figures, temple scenes, and Buddhist cosmologies carved over months by skilled artisans. The candle floats are mounted on decorated wagons and paraded through the city in a dazzling procession. The sculptures reach 5–8 metres in height with extraordinary detail. Thung Sri Mueang park hosts the static exhibition where the candles are displayed before and during the parade. The festival draws 300,000+ visitors. Ubon's hotels book out months in advance. The creativity and community effort invested in the candle sculptures makes this a genuinely moving cultural experience beyond the spectacle.
Location
15.2283, 104.8641