CHIANG MAI, Thailand – Chiang Mai’s annual Songkran celebrations began in full force on Apr 12 as locals and tourists gathered around the city’s historic moat to welcome the Thai New Year with lively water fights and festive street activities. The opening day saw crowds converge at Tha Phae Gate, a central location for the festival, where the splashing started well before midday.
Coin-operated dispensers installed by local authorities and vendors provided clean water for participants to fill their buckets and water guns. Foreign tourists joined in early, armed with refillable water blasters and eager to soak fellow revelers. Pickup trucks carrying barrels of water rolled through the streets, delivering icy splashes that brought bursts of laughter and surprise.
As the afternoon progressed, the number of participants around the moat swelled, causing traffic delays across the city center. Street vendors quickly adapted, setting up stalls along sidewalks to sell Songkran essentials such as water guns, waterproof phone pouches, buckets, and blocks of ice, along with food and drinks. (NNT)
