Lopburi Monkey Buffet: Eat-All-You-Can Chaos

The Lopburi Monkey Buffet: Thailand’s Wildest All-You-Can-Eat Food Fight

Once a year in the ancient town of Lopburi, central Thailand, hundreds of monkeys gather for a buffet so chaotic it makes human brunch look like a silent retreat. It’s called the Lopburi Monkey Buffet Festival, and it’s part religious offering, part tourist spectacle, and part full-blown monkey circus of destruction.

Lopburi is home to thousands of long-tailed macaques, especially around the Khmer-style Phra Prang Sam Yod temple, which they have pretty much claimed as their own monkey kingdom. In response, the locals have wisely decided, “If you can’t beat them, feed them.”

So every year sometime in November (check your calendar), residents put on a feast for the furry freeloaders. We’re talking heaps of bananas, pineapples, sticky rice, corn, watermelon, and Coca-Cola, all laid out on banquet tables like some surreal royal reception where the guests arrive swinging from lamp posts and pooping on the appetizers.

The idea behind it is rooted in Buddhist merit-making and ancient Hindu beliefs, where monkeys are symbols of strength and good luck. But honestly, it also feels like a town trying to avoid a Planet of the Apes–style uprising by giving the monkeys what they want: snacks, selfies, and zero consequences.

Tourists love it. Locals tolerate it. Monkeys go absolutely feral. They climb over food pyramids, fight each other for soda bottles, steal cameras, unzip backpacks, and occasionally try to date your leg. It's like a birthday party hosted by wild toddlers on Red Bull.

And as you might imagine, cleaning up afterward is a Herculean task. Imagine hundreds of monkeys with sticky fingers and no sense of social decorum. Now imagine trying to mop that up with dignity.

Still, the Monkey Buffet Festival remains a beloved tradition, drawing in curious travelers from around the world who leave with great photos, banana-scented clothes, and a newfound respect for opposable thumbs.

Pro tip: don’t bring a bag, don’t wear jewelry, and for the love of all that is holy, don’t carry food. Or do. And make peace with chaos.

Because in Lopburi, once a year, the monkeys run the show, and the buffet.