With Pattaya’s protracted Songkran festival heading into its final frenzied days, the city is stepping up security to make sure the wet-and-wild celebration doesn’t get too wild.
Banglamung District and Pattaya officials met with Chonburi police April 8 to map out the coverage for “wan lai” water throwing days April 18-19.
City officials said parking spots for fire trucks, mobile toilets, and water tankers had been set. Four ambulances will be stationed at the opening of Walking Street on April 19 and rubber boats will be on standby throughout the final days for marine accidents.
Chonburi Provincial Police Deputy Commander Pol. Col. Pisit Ployrungroj (foreground) and Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh meet with local officials (not shown) to map out coverage for the “wan lai” water throwing days April 18-19.
Naklua will celebrate its wan lai on April 18, with the organized celebration at Lan Po Public Park. The day will begin at 7 a.m. with a dried food offering to 99 monks and pouring water on Buddha statues.
At 10 a.m., the Buddha parade from Lan Po to the Naklua Market will begin.
On April 19, Pattaya and Jomtien will hold their wan lai days, with pouring of water on monks, the elderly and Buddha images at 8:30 a.m. at Chaimongkol Temple.
The Buddha parade will begin at noon, moving from the South Road temple to the Dolphin Roundabout and back again.
Streets – except for Beach Road – will be open normally, but will be jammed to near gridlock on April 19.
Officials also repeated their prohibition against playing Songkran near the Sukhumvit Road tunnel project and to keep a traffic lane clear to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital for emergency vehicles.
As every year, they also made their generally ignored pleas to observe Songkran in polite, traditional fashion, dress appropriately, don’t throw powder, don’t sell alcohol or use PVC pipe water guns.
