Pattaya officials will try to bring some sense of order to the water-throwing free-for-all that engulfs Beach Road on Pattaya’s official Songkran day.
Known as the “wan lai” festival, the April 19 finale of Pattaya’s week of Songkran mayhem has for years on end simply been a mass of humanity flinging water of varying degrees of cleanliness, powder and other sundry at each other. This year, the city and Tourism Authority of Thailand plan to put up 19 stages and booths between the Dusit Thani Hotel and Pattaya Tourist Information Center on North Road in hopes of making it look more civilized.
Pattaya Permanent Secretary Wuttipol Charoenphol discusses the upcoming Songkran festival at City Hall.
Pattaya Permanent Secretary Wuttipol Charoenphol and TAT Pattaya Director Niti Kongkrut unveiled their plan March 15 at a meeting with event sponsors and city bureaucrats. Wuttipol claimed the event will not only boost tourism, but promote Thai cultural traditions.
Among the sponsors organizing booths will be Bunrod Trading Co., Thai Asia Pacific, Siam Winery Trading Plus Co. Chonburi Southern Club and more. Each stage will offer entertainment, awards, games and product sales. The Chonburi Southern Club’s venue at Soi 13/1 will feature musical performances from Thai pop acts Palmmy, T-Bone and Buddha Best.
Most people, however, will be on Beach Road for the water fights, not the tunes. Acknowledging such, the city’s Prevention and Disaster Relief and Education Department will be on hand with fire engines to dispense the wet stuff and offer free water buckets.
