This weekend sees the staging of the annual Koh Tao Festival Event. The Underwater festival celebrates the life and people of the Island and brings the community together to raise awareness of environmental issues which effect us as an island and have further reaching implications. It could be said that it’s a microcosm of the actions that communities are taking across the world.

Opening with a Buddhist Ceremony and Speeches for local dignitaries including the Mayor of Koh Tao, there will be events to promote cycling and the use of sustainable  transportation methods to reduce carbon emissions and energy usage. Parades involving local school children, Department of Marine and Costal Resources and the Regional Environment Office will take place to help deliver key environmental awareness messages. Also this year there will workshops held on the festival site on producing soaps, candles and shampoos from recyclable materials, and demonstrations on making products from the readily available local natural resources.

As with previous years there will also be releases of rescued  Turtles and Giant Clams in to the waters surrounding Koh Tao to buoy and boost the local eco-systems.

A huge part of the festivities is the opportunity for locals and visitors  to become involved with the Local Environmental Projects you can easily sign up to participate with local Land, Beach  and Underwater Clean Up projects happening all over the weekend, at local dive schools.

But what would a celebration be without a party? At the festival site there will bars and food stalls available to keep you sustained throughout the evening as you enjoy entertainments put on by local Dive Schools and businesses, the winning entry from the Koh Tao Film Festival and finally you can dance the night away with live music and DJ’s

Its a great day out for all the family and certainly not one to be missed if your on Koh Tao.

visit the Save Koh Tao website for more details of the great work the organisation does