Devotees created a futuristic UFO-themed float for an upcoming Buddhist festival in Thailand.

Workers at the Wat Muang temple in Nakhon Ratchasima province were completing the unusual sci-fi display on July 25 for the anticipated Candle Festival which they are joining for the first time.

The float, which will be composed of eight cars, depicted a mishmash of tableaus including neon rocket ships with flickering fairy lights, chrome-suited astronauts wielding guns, and grotesque scenes of tormented Buddhist ghosts portraying 'hell on earth'.

Staff said the highlight of their entry was a DIY spinning UFO complete with sound effects.

Temple worker Narongsak Welaklang, 51, said the temple's abbot had proposed the theme to remind locals to avoid hell by abiding by Buddhism's five precepts.

The UFO, he said, was inspired by UFO float designs the abbot had previously seen on local news.

He added: 'It is a way to remind us that there might be extraterrestrial life in the universe.'

The Candle Festival takes place in Thailand's northeastern Isan region to commemorate Buddha's first sermon. Elaborate wax sculptures are carved by artists and paraded through the streets, reflecting Buddhist stories.