Laos: Events

Festivals in Laos are generally linked to agricultural seasons or historical Buddhist holidays. A highlight is the Lunar New Year which begins in mid-April; the entire country comes to a halt and celebrates. Houses are cleaned, offerings are made in wats and everyone gets dowsed by water. Bun Bang Fai (Rocket Festival) takes place in May. It's an irreverent pre-Buddhist celebration with plenty of processions, music and dancing, accompanied by the firing of bamboo rockets to prompt the heavens to send rain. Bun Nam (Water Festival) in October is held in Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Savannakhet and, as well as water fights and general good-natured mayhem, there are highly competitive boat races on the Mekong. The week-long That Luang Festival in Vientiane in November has the whole repertoire of fireworks, candlelit processions and music.