Rocket Festival Yasothon

📍 Location of Rocket Festival Yasothon 🚘 Directions to Rocket Festival Yasothon

About Rocket Festival Yasothon

Bun Bang Fai, also known as the Rocket Festival, is a unique and thrilling event that takes place in the northeast of Thailand, specifically in the region known as Isan, and in Laos. The sleepy rural town of Yasothon is known for hosting the largest event, where rockets can reach up to 9 metres in length and weigh over 100 kg. The festival is a Thai version of a rain dance, where participants aim to impress judges by launching beautiful rockets that soar higher and farther than their competitors. The event takes place during the May full moon and is a way of making merit and an offering to bring a successful rainy season. It is a dangerous, exciting, and extremely fun event, filled with music, dancing, and a wonderful party atmosphere.

The festival spans over three days, each filled with its own unique activities. The first day is filled with street parties and bands, creating a lively atmosphere with music echoing everywhere. The second day is dedicated to the parade and judging of the floats, bands, and traditional dancers. This enjoyable event lasts for most of the day, accompanied by a street food fair offering a variety of food and merchandise. The third and final day is the rocket launch day, a perfect opportunity to wander around and immerse oneself in the culture of the event, with more bands and music adding to the festive atmosphere.

The 2019 Bun Bang Fai was a memorable event, with attendees witnessing the opening ceremony and the beautiful Thai dancing. The firing of the rockets was a special spectacle, and seeing the local people from many surrounding villages having a good time was truly heartwarming. The parties in the main street went on into the early hours, with music filling the air. The festival was a fantastic experience, with attendees being treated extremely well, invited into people's parties, and offered food and drinks.

The Rocket Festival is a must-do event, especially in Yasothon, which hosts the largest festival in Isan. It takes place on the second full weekend of April each year. The main street is closed to traffic and turned into a walking street, filled with bands, dancers, food vendors, and party-goers. The parade begins on Saturday morning and lasts until late afternoon. Sunday is dedicated to rocket launching, which goes on from morning to late afternoon. The event is a great opportunity to experience the friendly, festive, and happy atmosphere.

The festival is a blast and is recommended for anyone looking for a touch of crazy. Tourism in Yasothon is not so big, so when the festival is on, expect the nicest of people. The town is filled with music from dozens of stages, and the locals enjoy drinking, eating, and partying. The festival is not the safest, but it is definitely fun. It's hot, it's dusty, and not all rockets go in the desired direction. However, the locals enjoy the event and it's an amazing experience.

The festival is unique for its merit-making activities during the 5th Thai lunar month, requesting the angels for rain in preparation for the cultivating season. The highlight is the last day of the festival, usually Sunday, when the rockets are ignited to compete for which one soars to the highest altitude.

This is one of the best-kept secrets in Thailand. The festival is a fantastic, crazy, fun three days of complete madness, with amazing locally built gunpowder charged rockets. The festival in Yasothon is the most well-known, but there are many other smaller, more local events.

The Rocket Festival in Thailand is a long-standing tradition that you can't miss. It's a great opportunity to enjoy local food, traditional dress, and have fun. The day before the rocket launch, there is a parade with different local dancing from different districts, making it a great event to watch and enjoy the real local people.