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Chinese New Year is now celebrated the world over, and in Phuket, with its large ethnic Chinese population, the festivities play out with an extra dose of verve and excitement. This year’s Chinese New Year festival begins on January 23, ringing in the year of the Water Dragon.
 
Chinese Dragon Years are typically full of change, energy and passion, though the Water element – which occurs every 60 years – is expected to add a sense of calm and cool reflection to the year ahead.
 
Phuket City is at the heart of the festival, with street parades, live performances and street-side feasts among the many lively activities carried out over two days of celebration.

The annual 10-day Phuket Red Cross carnival is a big draw for families seeking festive fun and food in celebration of the New Year. Taking place each evening at Saphan Hin public park in Phuket City, the fair is a typical Thai extravaganza of live music and dance shows, games, local arts and crafts for sale, and loads of fresh snacks to sample. Tickets are 100 baht each, with proceeds going towards the Red Cross.
 
The fair is open daily from 3.30pm until January 8.

Phuket International Airport handled a record-breaking 8.2 million passengers during 2011, Airports of Thailand (AoT) has revealed. This represents a significant jump from previous passenger levels, which have always fallen short of 8 million in past years. The figure includes both departing and arriving passengers, making the number of visitors to Thailand’s largest resort island a healthy 4 million or so.
 
Across Thailand, some 66 million passengers were served by the nation’s airports under AoT authority during the fiscal year October 2010-September 2011, a 15.46 per cent increase year-on-year, said AoT President Anirut Thanomkulbutra. Among these, 42 million were international passengers, an increase of 17.5 per cent, and over 24 million were domestic passengers, a 12 per cent increase.
 
Passenger numbers dropped during the flood crisis that hit Bangkok and central Thailand, but quickly rebounded, the AoT reported.
 
AoT operates six Thai airports – Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Mae Fah Luang/Chiang Rai in the north, and in the south Hat Yai and Phuket.

Phuket art and design aficionados will have the chance to see local and international talent on display at the Think Design Art Festival, running from December 27-30 at the Royal Phuket Marina.
 
Among the artists joining the festival are Marilyn Band, a British artist who has been chronicling Phuket and her travels around Asia for more than 20 years through her art, John Underwood, who will display his distinctive sculptures, kinetic and still and paintings, Spanish painter Gomez Bueno, and Thai artists Mr Zen, Nalidsa Sukprasert and Mekphat Srinantaphan.
 
Adding to the colour of the festival will be people of all ages wandering the venue in outrageous costumes; street performers and live entertainment daily from well known Phuket artists such as PJae Stanley, the Colin Hill Band, saxophonist Milo Reznikof, the Legends of Siam and illusionist Joe Conrad.
 
The event is open from 11am-8pm daily with free entrance for all. More information at www.thinkdesignartfestival.com.

A tropical beach is not what usually comes to mind for Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, but Phuket is putting on a plethora of events for visitors and residents alike.
 
Most Phuket resorts are hosting gala events complete with gourmet festive food and sparkling entertainment, while for New Year’s Eve the place to go is the beach, where the night sky is filled with floating lanterns and fireworks. Those hoping for some added holiday cheer and cocktails join the party at their favourite Phuket beach club to do the year-end countdown in style on the sands.

Karon Beach will play host to two nights of electronic music at the Phuket Electronic Music and Dance Festival featuring international DJs and the top music spinners of Thailand including J. Monton and Dom Parkorn Lam, Mark Brain, Slick and Domination, winner of the Best Video DJ of the World Contest in Dubai 2011. Fashion TV, the world’s Number One fashion and life style channel and co-organizer, will broadcast the event.
 
The music cranks up from 7pm onwards on December 30 and 31. Contact Nan on 086 340 5600, email media1.rakchatgroup@gmail.com or visit the festival’s Facebook page for more information.

The Nakonnai Art Museum in Rawai is hosting an exhibition by local artists featuring works of art created from trash collected from the sea. The show aims to raise awareness in youth and residents about the sea pollution and how we can work together to solve this problem.
 
Open daily until January 12.Email nakonnai.art.museic@gmail.com for more information.

Parades, stage shows and loads of food and drink are among the highlights of this year’s six-day Patong Carnival, launching on December 15 with a merit-making ceremony with Buddhist monks at Loma Park at 9am. At 5pm, a colourful parade will start at Soi Ton, go to Prachanukhro Rd, then travel along the length of Thaweewong Rd (the beachfront road) until it reaches the stage at the football field next to Loma Park, where opening ceremonies will take place.
 
Every evening during the festival, this stage and a second stage at the beachfront near Bangla Rd will present contemporary and traditional music and dancing shows from 7pm onwards.

YouTube sensation Matt Harding stopped by Phuket this week to record a session of his signature jig, a happy dance that has taken him all over the world and chalked up tens of millions of viewers.
 
The ultimate viral video celebrity, Matt first uploaded a video of himself dancing in various locations to entertain family and friends. It has since spread rapidly through cyberspace, spawning more videos and launching a decidedly 21st century career of travelling the world, dancing badly, and recording it all along the way.
 
Matt’s dances in Phuket, Bangkok and Ayutthaya came at the invitation of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, to help with its latest promotional campaign: “Go Thailand: All That Is Missing Is You”.
 
More information on Matt’s travels can be found on his website “Where the Hell is Matt – Dancing Badly Around the World” on www.wherethehellismatt.com.