Visiting Thailand’s Monkey Buffet Festival

The Monkey Buffet Festival is held each year in Lopburi, Thailand. The slightly odd event began in 1989 when a local businessman and hotelier wanted to increase tourism to the area, as most travelers would bypass Lopburi to go to Bangkok instead. He came up with the idea and, with some help from the Tourism Authority of Thailand, launched his inaugural festival. It turned out to be a huge success as thousands of travelers come from around the world to see the spectacle.

Macaque Monkeys of Phra Prang Sam Yot, Lopburi, Thailand © Sergeychernov | Dreamstime

The buffet is held at an overgrown 10th-century temple ruin associated with the Khmer dynasty, which holds some architectural similarities with Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia. Before the feast begins, each monkey receives an invitation attached to a cashew nut. Chefs spend hours preparing the feast for more than 3,000 monkeys, with plenty of fruits, vegetables, baked goods, vegetarian dishes, white rice and candy. It also includes one delicacy often reserved for honored and revered (human) guests — a traditional dessert called thong yod, made from egg yolk and difficult to make due to its teardrop shape. Some of the fruit is frozen into blocks of ice to make the smorgasbord last a little longer, but this usually only results in frustrating more than just a few primates.

© Manit Larpluechai | Dreamstime

The festival isn’t only about the actual monkey buffet. There are lots of monkey-themed celebrations and it’s not uncommon to see monkey statues set up throughout the area with many locals, especially children, dressed as monkeys as well. The monkeys in the town are accustomed to humans and will show no reservations when it comes to climbing on or over anyone to get what they want (whether it’s yours or not).

When it’s not festival season, these monkeys live side-by-side with humans in the downtown areas of the city. The locals think of taking care of the monkeys year-round as a sort of religious good deed.