Inside Meuang Feuang’s Remarkable Rocket Festival

Text by: Jason Rolan

Photos by: Phoonsab Thevongsa

The Rocket Festival, known locally as Boun Bang Fai, stands as one of Laos’ most distinctive celebrations. Taking place during the hottest season before rice planting begins, this centuries-old tradition sees villagers launching homemade rockets into the sky.

In Meuang Feuang, north of Vientiane, visitors can witness this spectacular event firsthand. The festivities begin with blaring speakers pumping molam and loukthong music across communities as locals gather to prepare. The rockets themselves—constructed from bamboo or PVC pipes—are packed with homemade gunpowder mixtures and fitted with fuses. According to Lao belief, these aerial explosives alert the gods to send rain, ensuring bountiful harvests.

As the celebration intensifies, parades of colorfully dressed villagers dance through streets accompanied by traditional instruments like the phin, an electrified lute. The rockets, mounted on decorated carts, are paraded to launching fields amid much fanfare.

Safety precautions are minimal but practical—spectators stand back from the bamboo launch apparatus, and muddy ponds stand ready nearby to soothe potential burn wounds. Local tradition dictates that if a rocket fails to launch or explodes mid-air, its creators are dragged through the mud as a penalty.

The Rocket Festival perfectly captures the Lao approach to life—communal, joyful, and intimately connected to nature’s rhythms, offering visitors a genuine glimpse into the country’s cultural heritage.