Bang Phli Ancient Floating Market & Rap Bua Festival (Samut Prakan)

Bang Phli Ancient Floating Market is a canalside market of old wooden shophouses on Khlong Samrong in Samut Prakan — the province that also holds Suvarnabhumi Airport. It is one of the two best-known near-Bangkok markets, and it has been trading for more than 160 years. Once a year the market and the temple beside it host the Rap Bua Festival, the lotus-throwing merit-making ceremony that the Tourism Authority of Thailand calls the world's only tradition of its kind. This guide covers what the market actually is, when to go, the temple and its Buddha image, and the 2026 Rap Bua dates with the day-by-day schedule.

What Bang Phli Ancient Floating Market Is

Bang Phli Ancient Floating Market sits on the bank of Khlong Samrong (Sam Rong canal) in Tambon Bang Phli Yai, Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan. Chinese merchants established the market in 1857 to move goods and people between Thailand's eastern coast and Bangkok, and it was first known as Sirisophon Market. More than 160 years later its construction is still substantially unchanged: rows of two-storey wooden shophouses with hip roofs line a roughly one-kilometre wooden walkway on both sides of the canal.

Set your expectations before you go, because the name is misleading. Bang Phli is a walking market along a canal, not a market of paddled boats selling from the water in the style of Damnoen Saduak. You browse on foot along the wooden walkway, with the old shophouses on either side and the canal running between them. That is exactly what makes it worth the trip — it is the everyday market of a 160-year-old riverside community rather than a staged tourist set.

Opening Hours & Planning

The one set of opening hours you can rely on is the temple's: Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai is open daily 08:00–17:00. The market's own trading days and hours are not published by the government tourism directory or by TAT, so treat the commonly quoted weekend schedule as a guide to confirm before you travel rather than a fixed fact.

What's There

This is a general-purpose market as much as a food stop. Along the walkway you will find old-style Thai desserts and sweets, everyday consumer goods, household furniture, souvenirs and seasonal fruit — the mix of a working provincial market rather than a row of souvenir kiosks. The local food has the character you would expect of an old canal market: boat noodles, grilled river fish and traditional Thai sweets. Because the stalls turn over with the seasons and the day, arrive with an appetite rather than a shopping list — the fun is in browsing what is actually trading that morning.

Facilities are better than at many markets of this age: there is a parking lot, toilets, a tourist assistance centre, an on-site local guide service, directional signage and facilities for visitors with disabilities.

Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai and the Luang Pho To Buddha Image

The temple beside the market, Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai, stands by Khlong Samrong in Tambon Bang Phli Yai and is inseparable from the market's story.

According to TAT, more than 200 years ago the river current carried a subduing-Mara Buddha image in the Sukhothai style downstream from Ayutthaya to Khlong Samrong, where local people recovered it and enshrined it. That image is known as Luang Pho To, and the temple built to house it became the anchor of the community that grew into today's market.

• Hours: Open daily 08:00–17:00
• Telephone: 08 1925 2844 / 0 2337 3729
• Setting: By Khlong Samrong, Tambon Bang Phli Yai, Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan

Pair the temple with the market in a single visit — they sit together on the canal, and the temple is the natural first stop before you walk the market.

The Rap Bua Festival: Thailand's Lotus-Throwing Tradition

Once a year Bang Phli hosts the Rap Bua Festival (also written Rab Bua), an annual merit-making tradition in which a replica of Luangpho To is placed on a decorated boat and carried in procession along the river. As the boat passes, people line the banks and throw lotus and water-lily flowers into it as offerings — the gesture that gives the festival its name, which means "receiving lotus". TAT brands it as the world's only unique tradition of its kind.

The festival recurs on the 14th day of the waxing moon of the 11th lunar month — roughly October — timed to the end of Buddhist Lent. Because it follows the lunar calendar, the Gregorian dates shift a little each year.

The 2027 edition has not been announced, so no 2027 dates are given here. Because the festival follows the lunar calendar, the simplest way to catch the next one is to check the Tourism Authority of Thailand for the confirmed dates nearer the time. See also our October 2026 events calendar.

How to Get There

Bang Phli sits in the same district as Suvarnabhumi Airport, which makes it unusually convenient for arriving or departing travellers as well as for Bangkok day-trippers. The government tourism directory lists the market's access modes as bicycle, motorcycle, walking, bus and car; the specific bus numbers and fares are not published on the primary pages.

For the site's wider route planning, see Getting There and the Bangkok transportation guide. Bang Phli works best as an eastern-corridor day: it is the natural stop on the Suvarnabhumi side of the city.

Nearby: Wat Bang Phli Yai Klang

If you have time for a second stop, Wat Bang Phli Yai Klang is in the same district and is known for a reclining Buddha image 53 metres long. Its interior is open daily 09:00–15:00, with the other sections open 08:00–17:00 (TAT). Pair it with the market and Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai for a fuller eastern-side half-day; our Bangkok temple tours page covers other temple pairings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bang Phli a floating market with boats?

No. Bang Phli Ancient Floating Market is a canalside market that you walk, not a market where vendors paddle boats and sell to you from the water. Two-storey wooden shophouses line a roughly one-kilometre boardwalk on both sides of Khlong Samrong. If you want the boat-vendor spectacle, that is Damnoen Saduak; Bang Phli is the older, more everyday canal market.

Is there an entry fee?

No. The government tourism directory lists no admission charge and no parking fee. You pay only for what you eat and buy.

When is the Rap Bua Festival?

It is an annual event held on the 14th day of the waxing moon of the 11th lunar month, which falls around October and coincides with the end of Buddhist Lent. The 2026 edition ran 19–27 October 2026, with the main lotus-throwing day on Sunday 25 October 2026. The 2027 dates are not yet announced.

How do I get there from Bangkok?

By car or taxi to Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan, beside Suvarnabhumi Airport; or on the BTS Sukhumvit Line to Samrong and on by local transport. The official pages confirm car, bus, motorcycle, bicycle and walking access, but not the exact routes.

Is Bang Phli the same as Bang Nam Pheung or Damnoen Saduak?

No. Bang Nam Pheung is a different Samut Prakan market, in Phra Pradaeng, and Damnoen Saduak is in Ratchaburi — see our Bang Nam Pheung guide and local vs tourist markets comparison.

Sources

• Tourism Authority of Thailand — 10 things to do in Samut Prakan (Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai, Luang Pho To legend, temple hours, Rap Bua description and timing).
• Thailand Tourism Directory (Department of Tourism) — Bang Phli attraction listing (names, 1857 founding, form, amenities, access modes).
• Government of Thailand (Public Relations Department) — Rap Bua Festival 2026 (dates and day-by-day schedule).