Venue
Mueang Chon Buri, Chon Buri, Thailand
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Chonburi Buffalo Racing Festival guide
Bareback buffalo racing in Chon Buri.
In short
The Chonburi Buffalo Racing Festival is a week-long fair ending with race day just before Ok Phansa in October, with dates confirmed only a few weeks ahead. Riders sit bareback on water buffalo and race down a dirt straight before the town hall. It suits travellers who want a rural tradition staged for locals, not tourists.
The Chonburi Buffalo Racing Festival is a rice farmers' tradition that has outlasted more than a century of change on Thailand's east coast. Riders sit bareback on water buffalo and charge them down a dirt straight in front of the town hall, cheered on by families who have come in from the surrounding districts.
It matters because so little of it is staged for outsiders. The buffalo belong to working farms, the beauty contest is judged by people who know the animals, and the week-long fair before race day is a provincial night out with Muay Thai and pop concerts. For visitors staying in Bangkok or Pattaya it is the easiest way to see rural Thailand's festival calendar at close range.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Ends: Thursday, 14 October 2027
Where: Chon Buri, Thailand
Venue: Chon Buri Provincial Hall and Mueang Chon Buri District Office grounds
Held: Every year
Type of event: Cultural Events, Folk Festival, Fair
Currency: Thai baht (THB, ฿)
Time zone: Indochina Time, UTC+7
Language: Thai
Map
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Heat, dust and buffalo running off the track
- Late October mornings already sit around 30 to 33 degrees, so bring a hat, sunscreen and more water than you think you need.
- Wear closed shoes you do not mind ruining. The ground churns into mud and dust by the second heat.
- Buffalo sometimes swerve into the crowd. Stay behind the barriers at all times and move when the marshals tell you to.
- Keep small children on the inside of your group, away from the barrier line.
Where to stand along the track
The start line is where everyone gathers, and it is the worst place to watch. You see a scramble of horns and backs, then the animals vanish. Walk halfway down the track instead: the riders are at full stretch there and the crowd is thinner. For the beauty contest, drift back towards the parade area between heats, where owners lead their animals past slowly. Ask before taking close portraits of the owners.
The alcohol ban on the following day
Ok Phansa follows race Sunday, and alcohol sales stop nationwide on Buddhist holy days. If you are staying in Chon Buri or Pattaya for the Monday, buy what you need on Sunday. Cash in small notes is the easiest way to pay at the food stalls, and a cool box in the car makes the hot drive home far more pleasant. Expect the convenience stores near the grounds to be busy on the Sunday afternoon as people stock up.
What happens on the day
- The week before
Night fair
Food stalls, Thai music and dance, Muay Thai bouts and concerts fill the grounds each evening, drawing families from across the province.
- Race day, by 9:00
Parade of carts
Decorated carts from the districts and from Pattaya roll in to open the programme. Be in place by nine to see them.
- Morning
The heats
Riders sit bareback and drive their buffalo down the dirt straight, one heat after another.
- Between heats
Beauty contest
Owners lead out their best-dressed animals, with painted horns, garlands and embroidered cloth, to be judged on looks and fitness.
- Early afternoon
The final
The deciding race is run, and by mid-afternoon most of the crowd has gone home.
Visiting as a day trip from Bangkok or Pattaya
One day covers it. The races take a single morning and early afternoon, and the town sits close enough to both Bangkok and Pattaya that very few visitors stay overnight in Chon Buri itself. Pattaya, half an hour down the coast, is the easier base if you want a beach afternoon afterwards. Bangkok suits anyone who would rather be back in the city for dinner.
Nothing needs booking. The grounds are free to enter and there are no seats to reserve. The only thing to settle is the timetable, which the province had not published in full when we last checked. The TAT branch in Pattaya is the office to ask for confirmed times in the final week. If the races are only one stop on a longer trip, our Thailand travel planner is a good place to sketch the rest.
Consider coming for an evening of the fair as well as the Sunday. It runs nightly in the week before and gives a looser, more local picture of the festival than race day.
The race's farming roots and long history
The races began as a farmers' celebration, a way for rice growers to mark the close of the growing season with the animals that did the heavy work. The tradition has run for well over a century. The 153rd edition was held in 2024, which makes the 2026 festival the 155th.
The buffalo are still the point. Out on the open ground before the town hall they are judged for fitness as well as speed, and the fashion contest is taken very seriously: horns are painted, garlands are hung around necks and bodies are draped in embroidered cloth. The races themselves cover a dirt straight of roughly 100 metres, short enough that a good start often decides the winner and a reluctant animal can lose everything in a few strides.
Chon Buri is not the only place that races. Ban Bueng and Nong Yai districts hold their own contests, smaller and less visited. At the provincial festival, the fair stalls sell everyday Thai street food, which is part of its appeal.
Getting there
Flying in
Most visitors land at Suvarnabhumi (BKK). A free shuttle links arrivals with the airport bus terminal, and Chon Buri is 85 km away, roughly 1 hour 10 minutes by bus. Travelling on a Bangladeshi passport? See our Thailand visa page.
From Bangkok by bus
Air-conditioned coaches leave the Ekamai terminal, a short walk from BTS Ekkamai, about every 40 minutes from 05:00. Buses from Mo Chit 2 also run between 06:30 and 18:30.
By car
Motorway 7 from Bangkok takes about 90 minutes. From Pattaya, a taxi or songthaew takes around half an hour.
At the race ground
The races use the open ground shared by the Provincial Hall and the district office in the middle of town. There are no seats; find a place along the barriers.
Where to stay during the festival
The next edition runs from 6 October to 14 October 2027. Book your room as soon as your dates are fixed, since rooms close to the festival are the first to go.
Weather and what to pack
October is still the rainy season on this coast. Chon Buri averages a high of 33°C and a low of 25°C for the month, with about 197 mm of rain over 13 wet days (1991-2020 normals).
Race mornings are usually hot and humid, and an afternoon downpour is common.
Worth packing
- A hat and sunscreen for a morning by the track
- A light rain jacket or umbrella
- Water, since there is little shade along the barriers
- Cash for the fair's food stalls
Car hire in Chon Buri
Airport transfer to Chonburi Buffalo Racing Festival
Met at arrivals at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and driven door to door to Chon Buri Provincial Hall and Mueang Chon Buri District Office grounds.
- Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) → Chon Buri Provincial Hall and Mueang Chon Buri District Office grounds
- 67 km · 55 min
Restaurants and food in Thailand
Places to eat in Thailand before or after the celebrations.
Yamazato
24th floor, Park Ventures Ecoplex, 57 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330
Cuisine:KaisekiEdomae sushi
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
- Delivery
Vertigo
61st Floor, Banyan Tree Bangkok, 21/100 South Sathorn Road, Thung Maha Mek, Sathon, Bangkok 10120, Thailand
Cuisine:GrillInternational
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
- Bar
Khao Soi Mae Sai
29/1 Ratchaphruek Road, Chang Phueak, Mueang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand
Cuisine:Northern ThaiNoodles
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Raya Restaurant
48/1 Dibuk Road, Talat Yai, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83000, Thailand
Cuisine:Southern ThaiPhuket
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Sorn
56 Soi Sukhumvit 26, Khlong Tan, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Cuisine:Southern ThaiFine dining
- Dine-in
Jay Fai
327 Maha Chai Road, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Cuisine:ThaiStreet food
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
It grew out of farming life. Growers brought their buffalo to town once the rice season was over, and racing them became the way to celebrate the work done and show off the strongest animals.
No. The races, the parade and the evening fair are free, and you simply find a place along the barriers.
For anyone curious about rural Thai festivals, yes. The ride is around half an hour by taxi or songthaew, and the morning leaves the afternoon free for the beach.
The 155th, by the organisers' count. The 153rd festival took place in 2024, so the tradition is comfortably more than a century old.
Between races, owners parade their animals dressed up for judging: painted horns, garlands and fabric covers. Fitness counts as well as looks, and the contest draws as much attention as the racing.
Yes. Ban Bueng and Nong Yai districts hold smaller contests of their own, although the event at the provincial capital is the largest and best attended.
Timing & weather
A morning and part of the afternoon. The carts open the programme, the heats take the morning, the final is decided in the early afternoon and the grounds empty soon after.
Roughly 100 metres of dirt, run in a straight line. Heats are over in seconds, so keep your eyes on the start.
The festival tracks Ok Phansa, which in 2027 falls on 15 October, so the next race day should come in the days before that. Official dates are usually released only weeks ahead.
Getting there
You can, but the daily service pulls in at 09:48, after the parade has begun. Buses from Ekamai leave far earlier and are the better choice if you want to see the opening.