Chonburi Buffalo Races

The Chonburi buffalo races are held around the end of Buddhist Lent in October and have been recorded for well over a century, originating in the gathering of farmers who came to town to make merit and trade at the end of the rains, and who raced their working animals while they were there. The racing is the centre: water buffalo run a track of roughly a hundred metres ridden bareback by jockeys who hold on with rope and legs, and falls are frequent - the animals are not bred for speed and the whole thing is chaotic, which is much of the appeal. Around it are a decorated buffalo contest, a health and beauty judging class, buffalo-cart parades, a market and the usual fair. The festival also functions as a statement about the animal's place in Thai farming at a time when tractors have replaced buffalo almost everywhere. Chonburi is about ninety minutes from Bangkok.

What you actually see

• The races - buffalo ridden bareback down a hundred-metre track.
• The falls - frequent, and part of why the crowd comes.
• The decorated buffalo - the beauty and health judging classes.
• The farming context - a working animal now largely replaced by machinery.

When to go

October, around Ok Phansa - the date follows the lunar calendar and moves each year. A day covers the racing and the fair.

Honest expectations

Dates change yearly and are announced locally. Crowded and hot, with limited shade at the track. Animal welfare at events like this attracts criticism; conditions vary. Grandstand seating is charged.

Nearby

Chonburi town is the venue; Pattaya and Bang Saen are south.