🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Bun Phawet, which many people also call Bun Maha Chat, is the merit-making festival built around hearing the story of the Buddha's final life before enlightenment, when he was born as Prince Vessantara — the prince who perfected the virtue of giving to the point of giving away his own children and wife. The word 'Phawet' is the Isan pronunciation that drifted from 'Phra Wes'. In the Isan calendar of Heet Sip Song, this falls in the fourth month, around March, after the rice harvest is done and the farmers are free from the fields, so the villagers gather for a big round of merit-making.
Roi Et takes this festival more seriously than anywhere else in Isan, lifting it from a temple event to a province-wide one and pulling in every district to join the procession. In 2026 it's the 36th edition in its provincial form, scheduled for 6–8 March 2026, spread across three main locations in the heart of town.
Where and when it's held
- Timing — early March every year (in 2026 it falls on 6–8 March). Some years it has been held mid-month — for example 2024 ran 15–17 March — so the dates are announced ahead of time each year. Check again before you travel.
- Somdet Phra Srinagarindra Park, Roi Et — a wide lakeside ground that serves as the main stage for ceremonies and performances.
- The island in Bueng Phlan Chai — the public park in the centre of town, the spot for photos and activities around the lake.
- The ground in front of the provincial hall — where the procession assembles, plus extra exhibition space.
Before you go
All three spots are in central Roi Et and within a few hundred metres' walk of each other. If you stay at a hotel near Bueng Phlan Chai you'll have it easiest — step outside and you're at the festival. Rooms fill up fast during this period, so book at least a month ahead.
Want more out of Roi Et? Book tours & activities
Booking online ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide is usually cheaper than the gate and skips the queue. Pick only the experiences you actually want — prices and availability are shown live on each site.
Four things at the heart of the festival
Bun Phawet isn't just a pretty procession. Once you understand where each ceremony comes from, it all becomes a lot more interesting to watch. Four things make up the core of this festival.
The Vessantara procession
A huge procession that acts out all 13 chapters of the Vessantara Jataka as a parade — real elephants, thousands of dancers, mor lam singers, and dancers in full traditional Isan dress moving through the centre of town.
The 13-chapter Maha Chat sermon
The full telling of the Vessantara story across all 13 chapters and 1,000 verses, finished within a single day. Tradition holds that whoever hears it through to the end will be reborn in time to meet the future Buddha, Phra Si Ariya Mettrai.
The Phawet cloth
A long cloth painted with the entire Vessantara Jataka story from beginning to end, carried around the town and hung around the sermon hall — symbolically bringing Prince Vessantara into the city.
The thousand rice balls parade
A thousand sticky-rice balls are rolled and carried in procession to honour the thousand verses before the sermon begins in the pre-dawn hours — the opening rite of the Maha Chat sermon.
What the 13 chapters of the Maha Chat are
If you sit through a whole day of sermons and lose the thread, it helps to keep a rough running order in mind so you can tell where the story is up to. The 13 chapters follow the Vessantara Jataka in this order.
- Thotsaphon — Queen Phusati asks for ten boons before being reborn as Vessantara's mother.
- Himmaphan — Prince Vessantara is born and begins his life of giving.
- Than Kan — he gives away the rain-bringing white elephant and is driven out of the city.
- Wanaprawet — he journeys into the forest with Queen Maddi and their two children.
- Chuchok — the old beggar Chuchok sets out to ask for the two children (the chapter people love most).
- Chunlaphon — Chuchok passes through the smaller forest.
- Mahaphon — Chuchok crosses the great forest and reaches the hermitage.
- Kuman — Vessantara gives his two children to Chuchok as a gift.
- Maddi — Queen Maddi returns to find the children gone — the most heartbreaking chapter.
- Sakkabap — the god Indra, in disguise, comes to ask for Queen Maddi.
- Maharat — Chuchok brings the two children to the city, and their grandfather the king ransoms them back.
- Chokasat — the six royals are reunited.
- Nakhon Kan — Vessantara returns to the city, bringing the story to its full close.
A note on belief
Before the sermon begins there's a ceremony to bring Phra Upakhut up out of the water. Villagers believe Phra Upakhut protects the festival from any evil that would disturb it, so the whole event runs smoothly from start to finish. The offerings for the thousand verses must include a thousand incense sticks, a thousand candles, and a thousand of each kind of flower — one thousand of everything, matching the number of verses.
A 3-day plan to make the most of it
The festival runs three days, and each day has a different highlight. Come for all three and you'll catch both the procession and the Maha Chat sermon. Here's a suggested rhythm based on how the festival has run in past years (actual times can shift, so check the on-site schedule again).
Opening ceremony, the Phra Upakhut procession, and evening shows
The grand Vessantara Jataka procession
The thousand rice balls parade and the 13-chapter sermon
Food at the festival and around it
- Khao pun (Thai rice noodles) with Isan curry sauce — the festival's free giveaway: soft noodles ladled with a bold fish-curry sauce, eaten with fresh vegetables.
- Khao ji — grilled sticky-rice cakes brushed with egg, an easy-to-find local snack at Isan merit festivals.
- Som tam, grilled chicken and larb — the classic Isan spread from the food carts around Bueng Phlan Chai.
- Thung Kula Rong Hai jasmine rice — Roi Et's famous souvenir, available at the OTOP booths inside the festival.
Straight talk — what to brace for
March in Roi Et is hot with strong sun — bring a hat, sunglasses, drinking water, and an umbrella. The festival grounds involve a fair bit of walking and get packed during the procession. If you're bringing older relatives, plan for places to sit and rest. And remember the temple rites are genuine merit-making, so dressing modestly and behaving respectfully is the better fit.
Plan a full Roi Et trip around the Bun Phawet Festival
See the Roi Et travel guide →