The Cha-am Blue Swimming Crab Festival will take place from 14 to 21 March 2026 at the Cha-am Beach viewpoint, featuring fresh seafood, conservation activities and nightly live music.
Phetchaburi Province, in collaboration with Cha-am City Municipality and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phetchaburi Office, is organising the “11th Cha-am Blue Swimming Crab Festival @ Cha-am 2026”. Visitors will be able to enjoy menus featuring fresh blue swimming crab and seafood sourced directly from local fishermen, alongside crab-release activities and evening entertainment.
Cha-am Blue Swimming Crab Festival to promote tourism and local fishing
The event aims to boost tourism in Cha-am while supporting the livelihoods of small-scale fishermen. Phetchaburi Governor Phopchanok Cholanukroh said Cha-am Beach is a key tourist destination located around two to three hours from Bangkok, known for its sandy shoreline and relaxed atmosphere.
The area is also an important fishing ground where local fishermen catch blue swimming crab, particularly between February and March, when catches are at their peak.
Cha-am City Municipality has been promoting the conservation of blue swimming crab stocks through a community crab bank project. The initiative helps increase crab populations in local waters while supporting the long-term sustainability of fishing livelihoods in the district.
A distinctive local practice known as “pu chak”, which translates as “pulled crab”, reflects the traditional way fishermen keep their catch fresh. Crabs are placed in mesh bags tied with ropes and suspended from iron bridges at the pier. When customers arrive, fishermen pull, or “chak”, the rope to lift the crabs from the water for sale.
Seafood stalls, hotel chefs and nightly live music
This method has become part of Cha-am’s local identity and offers visitors a glimpse into the area’s coastal culture.
During the festival, visitors will find stalls selling crab dishes and fresh seafood from well-known restaurants in Cha-am District, as well as special menus created by hotel chefs. All dishes will be offered at affordable prices.
Live performances by singers and bands are scheduled to take place every evening throughout the event.
Free juvenile crab-release activity for visitors
A daily CSR activity titled “Releasing juvenile blue swimming crabs back into the sea” will give tourists the opportunity to take part in marine conservation efforts. The activity will run from 6.00pm to 7.30pm each day and participation is free of charge.
Duangjai Khumsaat, Director of the TAT Phetchaburi Office, said the festival also supports tourism promotion campaigns under the concept “Weekday travel is worthwhile”. This includes the “Weekday Getaway @ Phetchaburi” activity as part of the “Go Green Phetchaburi Weekday Special Season 2” campaign.
Tourists staying at participating hotels or accommodation will receive a 200-baht cash voucher per room, which can be used as a discount at restaurants, cafés, souvenir shops and green tourism activities across Phetchaburi Province.
The campaign runs from 15 February to 15 June 2026, or until the quota of 2,000 entitlements is reached. For more information, contact Cha-am City Municipality on 032-471123, the TAT Phetchaburi Office on 032-471005–6, or the Tourism Hotline on 1672.