Traditions and customs in Pattaya

1. Wan Lai (Songkran in Pattaya)

The local extension of Songkran, running days later than the rest of the country, with sand pagoda building on the beach.

• Best time: Around 18–19 April

2. Muay Thai training camps

Pattaya has a dense concentration of camps that take walk-in visitors for single sessions, not just multi-week stays.

• Cost: 400–600 THB for a drop-in session

3. Thai fruit carving

The court tradition of carving melons and papaya into flowers, taught in short classes around the city.

4. Alms giving at dawn

Monks walk residential streets at first light collecting food. Lay people kneel to offer rice as they pass.

• Best time: Around 06:00
• Tip: Women should hand offerings via a cloth or the monk's bowl rather than directly.

5. Loy Krathong on the bay

Krathongs are floated off the beach rather than a river here, which makes for an unusually wide field of candles.

• Best time: November