LOPBURI, THAILAND • ANNUAL BANQUET • NOVEMBER

The Lopburi Monkey Buffet: A Royal Feast for Primates

On the last Sunday of November, thousands of crab-eating macaques in Lopburi are treated to a 4,000-kilogram feast of dragonfruit, watermelons, sticky rice, and fruit jellies.

Macaque monkey holding fruit near ancient stone columns

Mythology Meets Tourism

Lopburi, located 150 km north of Bangkok, has lived alongside monkeys for centuries. According to Thai folklore, the town was created by Lord Rama with the help of the monkey king Hanuman. The local macaques are considered descendants of Hanuman’s heroic army.

In 1989, local businessman Yongyuth Kitwatananusont launched the official Monkey Buffet Festival to thank the macaques for bringing tourists (and revenue) to the historic town center.

The Elaborate Preparation

Local chefs spend days carving intricate statues out of watermelons, stacking pyramids of pineapple, and setting up long banquet tables decorated with red tablecloths outside the 13th-century Phra Prang Sam Yot temple.