Wax Castle Festival

Prasat Phueng, the wax castle festival, is held in Sakon Nakhon at Ok Phansa, the end of the three-month Buddhist rains retreat in October. Communities, temples, schools and government offices each build a prasat - a model of a temple or palace, several metres tall, made on a wooden frame and covered in beeswax formed into tiles, flowers, nagas and figures, worked by hand over weeks. The offering derives from the practice of giving candles and wax to monasteries at the end of Lent, when monks emerge from the retreat, and the structures are offerings on that scale. On the festival day the castles are paraded through the town on floats with music and dancing and brought to Wat Phra That Choeng Chum, where they are judged and displayed. Boat races on Nong Han lake run alongside. The dates follow the lunar calendar and change yearly.

What you'll find

• The wax castles - temple and palace models several metres tall in worked beeswax.
• The procession - floats through the town with music and dancing.
• The offering context - candles and wax given to monks at the end of Lent.
• The boat races - held on Nong Han lake during the same festival.

When to go

October, at Ok Phansa - the date follows the lunar calendar and changes each year, so check locally. Two days covers the parade and the display.

Practical notes

Dates move yearly and are announced locally. Accommodation in Sakon Nakhon is limited and fills. The parade is crowded and hot. The castles are displayed for a few days and then dismantled.

Nearby

Wat Phra That Choeng Chum and Nong Han lake are central; Phu Phan is south.