Monkey Buffet Festival

The Monkey Buffet Festival is an annual event in Lopburi, Thailand, where locals offer a lavish spread of fruits and vegetables to the city’s crab-eating macaques. Held at the Phra Prang Sam Yod temple, the festival celebrates the town’s unique relationship with its monkey population, drawing visitors each year.

• Held annually at Phra Prang Sam Yod temple in Lopburi
• Thousands of crab-eating macaques are fed fruits and vegetables
• Fruits are sometimes embedded in blocks of ice for the monkeys
• The monkey population in Lopburi reached 3,000 by 2024

What it is

The Monkey Buffet Festival is a lively annual celebration in Lopburi, Thailand, dedicated to the city’s large community of crab-eating macaques. Locals prepare an extravagant buffet of fresh fruits and vegetables, which is laid out for the monkeys to enjoy, often in creative arrangements. The festival is a spectacle that highlights the coexistence—sometimes uneasy—between the people of Lopburi and their monkey neighbors. For residents, it is both a gesture of goodwill and a way to honor the animals that have become a symbol of the city.

How it is celebrated

During the festival, tables are set with an array of fruits and vegetables, sometimes embedded in blocks of ice to keep them fresh and to provide a playful challenge for the monkeys. The main festivities take place at the historic Phra Prang Sam Yod temple, where hundreds of monkeys gather to feast. The sight of monkeys clambering over tables, snatching treats, and interacting with visitors is central to the event. The festival is as much a spectacle for tourists as it is a local tradition, with the monkeys’ antics providing amusement and photo opportunities. In recent years, the growing monkey population has led to tensions, but the festival remains a highlight of Lopburi’s calendar.

Joining in

Visitors to Lopburi during the Monkey Buffet Festival can expect a unique and lively experience at Phra Prang Sam Yod temple. The event is open to all, and watching the monkeys enjoy their feast is a memorable sight. Travellers should be mindful of their belongings, as the monkeys are known for their curiosity and boldness. The festival offers a rare chance to witness a close interaction between people and wildlife in a historic Thai setting.

Sources and attribution

This page is Mela's own summary, written in new words. Its facts are drawn from the Wikipedia article Monkey Buffet Festival, whose text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Each photo is credited to its author beside it. For the full account, read the originals below.

Read more

• Monkey Buffet Festival on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos
• Wikidata recordOpen data

This page was written with AI assistance from the sources listed above, and checked automatically before publishing. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-02.