2025 Akha Swing Festivals

[DavidFL]

2025 Pa Hee Akha Swing Festival
Information received says this festival is on 5-8 September 2025

Akha Swing Festival Reports on GTR

2020 Akha Sam Yaek Swing Festival

I attended the Akha Sam Yaek Swing Festival again this year, a couple of Akha girls I know told me the festival was on the 26th of August, then it changed to the 9th of September, so it was hard to know if this was the same festival as I attended last year or not ? One thing for sure the...

www.gt-rider.com

2019 Akha Sam Yaek Swing Festival

Every year in August the Akha of North Thailand celebrate the end of the planting of the rice crop with a Swing Festival. All villages should have a 4-day festival, and in the top North they celebrate a final community festival for all the Akhas around Mae Fah Luang - Doi Mae Salong. This final...

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Akha Swing Ceremony At Pahee 2018

August is the Swing Ceremony month for the Akha people. It was the Harvest full Moon weekend. We went up the Burma ridge road to Bahn PaHee, just down from Doi Chang Moob on the Nang Non mountain ridge, near Doi Tung. We have been buying coffee for our hotel, from Khun Aran, the village Headman...

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Thoed Thai & The 2018 Akha Swing Festival Sam Yaek

Following on from Akha Swing Ceremony At Pahee 2018 Auust - September are Akha Swing festival months, and Jurgen had the hot tip that Akha Sam Yaek was going to be the big one (again) this year. A million thanks to Jurgen for getting the info earlier on & thanks too Cedric for the company &...

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The Akha Sam Yaek Festival

The Akha hilltribe people are originally from China; like other folks from the Mongolian and Yunnan regions, some migrated to the South, particularly to Laos and Thailand, when conditions in their homeland became harsh or when they were pushed aside by invaders. North Thailand has been...

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Akha Swing Festival, Doi Chang 2012

I like these little festivals and Davidfl told me about this one, so off we went to Doi Chang on a lovely sunny day. Straight up the R118 form Chiang Mai and a left into R3037 and a right into R (I dont know what) through Saeng Charoen to DoiChang. I little bit of road works up through the...

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Akha swing ceremony - 2009, 2010, 2011....

There are 2 dominant landmarks/symbols in an Akha village - the Sacred Gate & the 'Swing'. The Swing Ceremony is unique to the Akha tribe. It falls in August or September each year depending on when that particular village will harvest its rice. Determined by the village priest, the date can...

www.gt-rider.com

 

[Franz]

Thanks for that valuable info, already booked a room from 6.-8.9. at the OASIS Pha Mee, want to join this festival since years..... hope to see some riders up there.

 

[DavidFL]

Akha Sam Yaek
6-7 September 2025.

This is usually the biggest one.

 

[DavidFL]

2025 Summary Akha Swing Festivals

Doi Saenjai Area
Mae Fahluang District, Chiang Rai
22 - 27 August 2025
.
Akha Junction (Doi Sam Yaek) Area
Mae Fahluang District, Chiang Rai
5 - 7 September 2025
.
Pha Mee and Pha Hee Akha Village
Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai
5 - 7 September 2025
.
Akha Culture Chiang Rai Center
Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai
11 - 14 September 2025

Source: FB Akha Cultural Centre Chiang Rai.

 

[Franz]

Thanks for that valuable info, already booked a room from 6.-8.9. at the OASIS Pha Mee, want to join this festival since years..... hope to see some riders up there.

Cancelled as i suffer from repeated severe Costochondritis, unable to ride right now, severe pain on my ribcage.

 

[ADV]

Cancelled as i suffer from repeated severe Costochondritis, unable to ride right now, severe pain on my ribcage.

Wishing you a speedy recovery Franz...I hope you can get good pain relief.

 

[Franz]

Thanks Julian, pain is severe so i got Tramadol prescribed. Hope it doesn't last as long as last time, took 2 months.

 

[ADV]

Today is the opening day of the Pha Hee Swing Festival 2025.

There are no traditional costumes, dancing or music and singing at the moment. I think that will likely kick off tomorrow?

Instead a lively game of 4-a-side football with lots of cheering.

The swing poles haven't been replaced since last year...I wonder why not?

 

[ADV]

Saturday 6th

Maesai and Pha Mee were hit with a significant rain storm during the night. River Sai is at full capacity. At Friendship Bridge #1 the river is as high as the bridge. Fortunately all temporary flood walls are holding fast. Tachileik side is flooding.

At Pha Mee there are areas of road thick in washout mud and stones and areas if road washed away.

The powerline crews are working on rehanging the power lines.

Between Pha Mee and Pha Hee the road is basically clear and the sun is bright, weather is crisp and cool.

The Akha men are erecting new swing poles as I arrive. The start of festival is seems like it will be this afternoon..

I'm going to continue my ride through the mountains to Akha Junction for the festival . Hoping the roads will be clear of landslides

 

[ADV]

Taking the amazing minor border road 1139 I ran across an army drug patrol

...then dropped into the outskirt of Thoet Thai before heading on to Akha Junction where the festival is in full swing, heaving with people.

 

[DavidFL]

Awesome. Nice work. I'm waiting for a new chain and sprocket set to turn up, which should be today. Then I can venture into the mountains next week I think, weather depending.

 

[ADV]

 

[ADV]

 

[ADV]

The nothern festival season roles from now until March/April 2026.

(Serious faces because of the heat and humidity. Climate change / fk you privileged west, get a grip of your impact, please).

Apparently Akha Junction has a welcome relief and change in energy as the temperature drops (significantly) as the evening approaches.

I'm dripping in perspiration... its like Bangkok, for me.

 

[ADV]

I think I'm.going to stay for the evening (rather than bail early in previous years).

Some Thoet Thai acquaintances have arrived.

The nothern festival season roles from now until March/April 2026.

(Serious faces because of the heat and humidity. Climate change / fk you privileged west, get a grip of your impact, please).

Apparently Akha Junction has a welcome relief and change in energy as the temperature drops (significantly) as the evening approaches.

I'm dripping in perspiration... its like Bangkok, for me.

 

[ADV]

 

[ADV]

Hospitality and respect .