HatYai “Go Green” Vegetarian Festival turns 23, championing health-focused, eco-friendly tourism
HatYai, Songkhla – On Friday, 12 September 2025, at the Sararnrom Room, New Season Square Hotel, HatYai, Songkhla, the Songkhla Tourism Business Federation, together with partners from the public and private sectors, held a press conference for the 2025 HatYai Vegetarian Festival (กินเจ "Go Green"), now in its 23rd year. The event aims to honor a cherished tradition, bring auspicious energy to HatYai, and reinvigorate the local economy and tourism scene.
Mr. Kittana Subunprapwong, President of the Songkhla Tourism Business Federation, said, “This year’s HatYai Vegetarian Festival adopts the "กินเจ Go Green" approach, focusing on environmental care, waste reduction, and minimizing refuse to position HatYai as a destination for health-centric, eco-friendly travel.”
Event highlights and key activities
This year’s HatYai Vegetarian Festival will be held from 20–29 October 2025 at Supasarnrangsan Park, featuring a wide range of programs, including:
- Opening ceremony: 21 October 2025
- Citywide deity procession: 26 October 2025 at 14:30
- Spectacular lion and dragon dances: 26 and 27 October 2025 at 19:00
- Vegetarian food market: Enjoy more than 108 vegetarian vendors certified through a safe-food program promoting less sugar, fat, and salt for better health. Plus, international vegetarian bites from Malaysia, Korea, and Japan, alongside Thai vegetarian classics from all four regions.
- Special activities:
- “Little Jia-Chai” kids contest (การประกวดหนูน้อยเจี๊ยะฉ่าย)
- Talks on healthy eating and wellness
- Celebrity-led vegetarian cooking demos
Principal supporting partners
The festival is proudly supported by the Songkhla Provincial Administrative Organization, HatYai City Municipality, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, private-sector operators, the Songkhla Tourism Council, the Songkhla Chamber of Commerce, and allied associations.
In addition, the organizers have partnered with the Rak Ban Kerd Foundation (Southern) under the "กินเจ Go Green" initiative to implement systematic waste management, including waste sorting and food-scrap separation, while encouraging visitors to bring their own containers for special discounts.
