Lopburi prepares for annual Monkey Buffet Festival with vibrant rehearsal
The rear courtyard of Lopburi’s Phra Prang Sam Yot was abuzz with activity as the local primate population feasted in a rehearsal of the annual Monkey Buffet Festival.
Yongyut Kijwatthananusorn, president of the Lopburi Tourism Association and initiator of the annual festival, held the rehearsal one week ahead of the festival scheduled for next Sunday.
A variety of fruits, cookies, fruit juices, jelly and Thai desserts adorned the tables for the long-tailed macaques. Several locals also showed up to help city officials arrange the trays, as others kept eager monkeys away until Yongyut officially declared the feast had started.
Extending a warm invitation to both Thai and foreign tourists, Yongyut said this year’s event will be a grand spectacle because a much larger budget has been allocated for it.
The annual Chinese-style banquet for Lopburi’s resident monkeys is held on the last Sunday of November. This year’s feast will unfold in four rounds, at 10 am, noon, 2 pm and 4 pm, in the front courtyard of the Phra Prang Sam Yot and nearby locations where the monkey population resides.
Recognised as a creative tourism initiative, the Monkey Buffet Festival aims to draw in both Thai and international tourists. The ultimate goal is to generate revenue and breathe new life into Lopburi’s tourism industry.
