Monkey Banquet Festival in Lopburi

In Lopburi city, monkeys and humans live side by side. The Thai locals go about their normal working day, whilst the monkeys roam the street, buildings, and vehicles.

These macaque monkeys can cause a bit of a nuisance to the locals, but they are seen as good luck, so they are kept fed.

To celebrate their presence in this city, there is a festival held every year in November. This festival is known as the Monkey Banquet Festival.

What happens at the Monkey Festival?

There will be an opening ceremony in the morning run by the founder of the festival, Yongyuth Kitwattananusont. Fruit is then laid out and displayed for the monkeys to feast on.

This feeding will happen again at different times in the day. There will also be other performances happening throughout the day.

Keep your distance when taking photos. The monkeys may jump onto people, and you shouldn’t touch or feed them.

When is Lopburi Monkey Festival?

This festival is held on the last Sunday of November every year (it was cancelled in 2025 while the country mourned Queen Sirikit). In 2026 that should be Sunday 29 November. This is the time when tourists and other Thais go to visit Lopburi City, but you can also visit all year round to go hang out with the Macaque monkeys.

If you travel there at a different time in the year, you will not see the banquet festival, but you will get to experience ‘Thailand’s Monkey Town’ when it is less busy and without so many tourists. You will still get to see how the monkeys live amongst the locals and you definitely shouldn’t skip on a visit just because the festival isn’t on.

Where is the festival?

Most of the event occurs around the Phra Prang Sam Yot ruins, though in 2024 part of it was held at the monkey shelter in Pho Kao Ton. Fortunately, the ruins are very near Lopburi train station and there is some cheap accommodation nearby.

The easiest way there is the train from Bangkok. It takes 2-3 hours and a third-class seat costs 50 baht or less.

A brief history of the Monkey Festival

Many locals believe that the monkeys of Lopburi are descendants of the Monkey God, Hanuman. This belief originates from the story of ‘Ramakien (Ramayana)’.

This is the reason why these macaque monkeys are so tolerated in the city and even cared for.

In 1989, a hotel owner named Yongyuth Kitwattananusont created a festival to pay gratitude to the monkeys and also to bring in more tourism. You will see him at the festival every year.

Since 2024 the town has been catching its monkeys and moving them to a shelter in Pho Kao Ton, just outside the old town, which now holds around 3,500 of them. Only a smaller, sterilised group is meant to stay around Phra Prang Sam Yot and San Phra Kan, so there are far fewer in the streets than there used to be (though they still get into houses and shops).

A final word of warning

The macaque monkeys are used to being around people, but it is possible for the monkeys to get aggressive when food is involved. They may also try to steal your personal belongings.

If a monkey bites or scratches you, wash the wound immediately with plenty of soap and running water and get medical care straight away, even if the wound looks minor.

Do not carry anything loose on you, such a hat or sunglasses, and use a camera with a wrist strap.

You will probably want to have a shower afterward as well!