Monkey business at Thailand fruit festival

Their table manners might be shocking, but the Monkey Buffet Festival is proof that in Lopburi, it’s the monkeys who truly run the show.

Each year, Lopburi, a Thai town famous for its ancient temples and mischievous residents, hosts a unique and lively celebration that brings together both monkeys and humans in a tradition spanning decades.

The stars of the show—macaques—may lack proper table manners, but the guests of honour at this special banquet love to monkey around, feasting on tables laden with fresh fruit outside the 800-year-old Pra Prang Sam Yod temple.

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For over three decades, the people of Lopburi have celebrated their furry inhabitants by offering them an all-you-can-eat buffet of fruit and snacks.

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Part of a religious tradition and a major tourist draw, the festival is a delightful spectacle of mischievous monkeys enjoying the feast—often at the expense of their human guests, as the cheeky macaques tend to help themselves to more than just food. 

Each November, the festival draws hundreds of spectators who gather to watch as nearly 1,000 hungry macaques descend on tables and wheelchairs piled high with a variety of fruit. Known for their mischievous antics, the monkeys have a particular taste for durian—the pungent love-it-or-hate-it tropical fruit popular across Southeast Asia.

Originally intended as a simple religious gesture to honour the town’s monkeys, the festival has blossomed into a major cultural and tourist event, drawing visitors from around the globe. As the primates eagerly renew their acquaintance with their human cousins, they often take the liberty of clambering over onlookers, stealing hats, chewing long hair, and occasionally offering a playful bite.