The boat racing festival in Sainyabouli (also spelled Xaignabouli or Sayaboury) is celebrated in mid-October – a few weeks after Luang Prabang's own race and about a week before Vientiane. The festival has deep roots into Laos' royal heritage and is held each year at the end of Buddhist Lent, which sees the end of the monk's three-month rain retreat.

The boat racing festival is the main time of year for family reunions in Laos and plays a similar role as the Christmas and New Year holidays in the West. For a week or so the small town of Sainyabouli wakes up to the lively arrival of hundreds of family members and visitors from other parts of Laos, as well as from Thailand and beyond. Street stalls line the main road as vendors from Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Thailand and China hope to profit from the sudden flow of holiday-minded people.

In preparation for the actual race, each village's (or neighborhood's) long naga-shaped boat is given a fresh coat of colorful paint after having spent the year stored at its local Buddhist temple. Then, for a week or so, practice races are held on the glittery waters of the Nam Houng river, swelled from the monsoon rains. The practice races are almost as popular as the actual event and residents from each village cheer their team as they show their raw physical talent.

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