The primary objective of this study is to explore the wave attenuation effects of single and patchy arrays of rigid vegetation under both regular and irregular wave conditions by multi-group physical model tests. The experimental results show that for vegetation belts of a single-rectangular distribution with the same distribution density, wave dissipation is higher with an increasing space between adjacent plants along the flow direction. For vegetation belts of a single-staggered distribution, drag coefficients increase with an increasing space between plants and submergence ratio. For the patchy vegetation belts, transmission coefficients decrease with the increasing number of plants within a single patch and the decreasing space between adjacent patches. Fitting relationships between wave attenuation and hydrodynamic factors as well as vegetation factors are obtained under the experimental conditions, revealing the effects of distribution densities and arrangement structures of vegetation belts on wave attenuation.