Sansiri and SCB Support Phuket Vegetarian Festival for 14th Year
Sansiri and Siam Commercial Bank are continuing the Phuket Vegetarian Festival for its 14th year, organizing volunteer activities at six temples to promote inclusive growth, waste reduction, and Phuket’s goal of becoming a global festival city. The festival, a 200‑year‑old cultural heritage, draws over 650,000 visitors each year and generates billions in baht of economic and tourism revenue. The 2069 event runs from October 10‑18, with temple‑cleaning scheduled for October 4‑5.
Sansiri and Siam Commercial Bank are continuing the Phuket Vegetarian Festival for its 14th year at the Jui Tui Tao Bo Gong temple under the theme 'Sustaining Goodness, Growth, Sustainability,' aiming to link business with community through Inclusive Growth, support Phuket's rise as a global festival city, and foster economic growth alongside cultural and environmental preservation. Sansiri's managing director Utai Utai-angsuk said Phuket is an area where the company has grown with the community, and 14 years of participation reflects business‑community‑public cooperation preserving cultural heritage while delivering socioeconomic benefits. This year Sansiri opened an 'Inclusive Growth Hub' linking social and environmental activities, expanding volunteer efforts to six temples: Saam Aong Hou (Cherng Talay), Saam Kong, Bang Niau, Bang Ku Sum Kong Tao Tong, Jui Tui Tao Bo Gong, and Kathu. They invite Sansiri families, SCB customers and staff to clean the temples. They also partnered with local brand YAYEE to produce 'Scent of Legacy' sachet bags from leftover pha tha cloth, employing female inmates and elderly locals, applying upcycling and circular economy to create products that generate jobs, income and reduce waste. They further support local businesses through collaboration with BEANS Coffee Roaster, offering special vegetarian drinks for volunteers and participants. SCB Home Lending Product executive Ekaphat Phuthiplagon said joining the vegetarian festival preserves local culture and extends through the 'SCB Do Good Together' project, giving employees and customers chances to engage in community activities and promote public spirit. The Vegetarian Festival, or 'Jia Chai,' is a Phuket tradition spanning over 200 years, registered as national intangible cultural heritage, covering more than 40 shrines island‑wide and attracting over 650,000 visitors annually, generating over 5.7 billion baht in economic and tourism revenue during the nine‑day period and creating about 4,500 jobs. The 2069 Phuket Vegetarian Festival will be held in full scale from October 10‑18, 2069 (nine days and nights), while the temple‑cleaning activities will take place October 4‑5, 2069. The public and tourists can observe the precepts, abstain from meat, and experience key rites such as raising the Go Teng pole, the Gooi Hoy ceremony, the Iu Gong ceremony, and sending the Phra Kiew Ong Tay Tao ceremony, which are part of Phuket’s cultural identity.
