The seventh Naklua “walking street” market came to a close after six weeks of weekend shopping, eating and entertainment that provoked far fewer complaints than in previous years.
Former husband-and-wife culture ministers, Sonthaya and Sukumol Kunplome chaired the Jan. 10 closing ceremony of “Naklua Walk & Eat” with top Pattaya and tourism industry officials.
The highlight of the final day was a concert by Ying Lee Srichumpol doing her famous songs “Kor Jai Lak Bur Tro” (Trade Heart for Telephone Number) and “Pu Ying Lan La” (Joyful Women).
Sonthaya and Sukumol Kunplome, Deputy Mayor Wattana Chantanawaranon, TAT Pattaya Director Suladda Sarutilavan, and other officials headline the closing ceremony of this year’s “Naklua Walk & Eat” weekend market.
The Ministry of Culture in cooperation with the Chonburi Provincial Administrative Organization, Pattaya City Hall and the Tourism Authority of Thailand organized the Old Naklua Market-area events each weekend from Nov. 21. The “retro” market was meant to illustrate the origins of the old fishing village.
In its seventh year, organizers finally seem to have gotten the kinks out and the 2015-16 version was free of the large-scale complaints about traffic and parking and was not hit by vendor protests and youth-gang problems that marred earlier markets.
