Boat Racing Festival: Boat Racing Festivals (Boun Xuang Heua) occur throughout the country during the months of September and October, after the end of the rice planting season but before the end of Buddhist Lent. The host villages for these festivals prepare free food, drink, and a place to stay for the crews that participate in the races. These rowing crews practice for months leading up to the event, and transport their Dragon Boats, long, slender boats constructed specifically for racing, to the race venue. Several days of festivities lead up to the races, with plenty of singing, dancing, drinking and carnival games. The races start in the morning and last most of the day, with several heats consisting of two boats each. The winners receive a small prize.

The largest and best known of the boat races occurs in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, and is known as the Vientiane Boat Racing Festival.

The Boat Race Begins
A Winner at the Finish Line

Vientiane Boat Racing Festival: The Vientiane Boat Racing Festival is held the day after Lai Heua Fai, commemorating the defeat of the neighboring Thai Army by the Lao in a boat race. Teams from all over the country come to compete in these national races. There are three categories: traditional for women, traditional for men, and sport for men. The races are televised and the winners receive prizes and trophies from high-ranking government officials. The fair surrounding the races is quite grand in scale, requiring the closing of several streets along the racecourse.