Sek Loso will headline a scaled-down Pattaya Countdown as the city bounces back from the royal mourning period and budget cuts.
Deputy Mayor Bandit Kunnajukr chaired a Dec. 19 planning meeting for the New Year’s Eve event at Bali Hai Pier.
Rather than the week-long series of concerts and fireworks, this year’s countdown, the first since 2015, will be only one night, Dec. 31, from 6 p.m. until Midnight.
Seksan “Sek Loso” Sukpimai, former frontman of the 90s Thai rock band, will headline the night’s entertainment, which will feature a large fireworks display as 2018 dawns.
City spokesman Pinit Maneerat said Pattaya is rebounding from a quiet 12 months during the mourning period for late HM King Rama IX, which forced the cancellation of last year’s countdown.
Also contributing to the cancellation of that event and others, including this year’s Pattaya Music Festival, were budget cuts imposed by the Interior Ministry, which has accused Pattaya’s former administrators of wasteful spending.
Pinit said the city will organize security for the New Year’s Eve concert while police will direct traffic.
