Stallholders will move into the streets of Chinatown for the duration of the festival. Chinese tradition calls for abstinence from dairy products and fish as well as meat and alcohol for the nine days so products on offer are strictly vegan.
The stalls are laden down with noodle soups, cakes, imitation meat articles, tofu delights, soya bean milk and fruit and vegetable juices. Most stallholders will allow prospective buyers to sample unless there is a long queue waiting. For this reason it is better to arrive early at say around 17:00.
Although the primary reason to visit is food as with all festivals in Thailand entertainment in never far away. At the Kin Jae Festival this comes in the form of Chinese operatic performances which are staged on one of the side sois off Charoen Krung Road.
Temples in the district are also at their most vibrant during the festival as ethnic Chinese residents visit to light candles and joss-sticks. Chinatown in Bangkok is centred around Yaowarat Road. The area can be reached via short walks from either Hua Lumphong MRT Station or Ratchawong Ferry Pier on the Chao Phraya River.
Bangkok Chinatown gears up for annual veggie fest
News in Asia
The Chinatown district of Bangkok is getting ready to stage its annual vegetarian festival. This year’s Kin Jae Festival will begin on the evening of Monday 12th October and run through until the 20th.