At the event yesterday, held at the Patong Municipality offices, Mayor Chalermsak led the traditional pouring of water on a Buddha image, followed by water blessings bestowed on community elders.
Joining the festivities was former Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup, along with Patong Municipality council members, officials and staff, one of whom was brave enough to apply cooling powder to Mayor Chalermsak’s face ‒ a gesture he received with a fun smile.
As is tradition, Patong starts the celebrations early with its three days of official activities starting today (Apr 12), and a live concert on Patong Beach tonight.
This year the Patong celebrations are being held under the banner “Songkran Music Festival On The Beach 2024”, to be held Apr 12-14. The festivities are expected to attract crowds of people not only locally, but throughout Thailand and the rest of the world.
While Patong tends to be more enthusiastic with its Songkran celebrations, much focus this year has been placed on the ‘Thai Soft Power’ aspect of the annual event, namely the traditional ceremonies.
“With the cooperation of localities and various sectors Songkran activities will be held throughout Phuket to promote tourism during Songkran 2024 to preserve Thai culture and traditions, and stimulate the tourism sector of the economy and reflect Thai Soft Power to become more well known,” Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat said earlier this month.
Official celebrations in Phuket will be held to promote Thai culture and traditions, “reflecting the identity of Thai Soft Power”, Governor Sophon said.
“We therefore invite citizens and tourists [sic] to participate in dressing in traditional Thai clothes to bathe Buddha images, pour water over your head, and splash happiness and fun at the Phuket Songkran Festival, which is expected to generate income of billions of baht for Phuket during the Songkran festival,” he added.
The move to focus on traditional Songkran festivities follows the national government’s plan to boost tourism by celebrating the ‘Maha Songkran World Water Festival’ with a series of cultural extravaganzas over three weeks, starting in Chiang Mai on Apr 1 and concluding in Chonburi on Apr 21.
SOFT PUSH
The ‘Songkran No L Phuket 2024’ festivities get underway on Dibuk Rd in Phuket Town from 4pm to 10pm tomorrow (Apr 13). The event will include live music concerts by popular Thai bands such as Paradox, as well as DJs playing music into the night and a host of other attractions.
The ‘No L’ celebrations on Dibuk Rd have been selected by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation as one of 15 locations in the country to promote safe enjoyment of celebrating the Thai New Year.
Thai Health Promotion Foundation, often better known by its Thai initials สสส (SorSorSor), selected the 15 locations for its campaign ‘Songkran the Thai Way: Fun, Safe, No Violence’.
At the Bangkok press announcement of the 15 locations selected, Narong Phromjit from the Limelight Phuket shopping centre, which is the organiser of the ‘Songkran No L Phuket 2024’ event, pointed out that this was the 10th year that the Phuket event ‘No L was being held.
However, this year will have a special focus this year on Thai ‘Soft Power’, in line with the national government’s policy, and because the Songkran festival had been designated by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, Mr Narong said.
“Last year about 30,000 people came to the Songkran No L event,” he said. “The goal of the event is for people to have fun and to provide a safe place for youngsters, citizens and tourists, and to continuing Thai traditions while campaigning for the target group to refrain from drinking alcohol during the festival in order to reduce injury statistics and deaths from accidents resulting from drunk driving during the Songkran holidays.”
Mr Narong noted that the ‘Songkran No L Phuket 2024’ event has four rules of participation: 1. No alcohol, kratom or drunk people; 2. No cigarettes, e-cigarettes or marijuana; 3. No powder or paint; and 4. No weapons or fighting allowed.
“We invite people to join the festivities, which includes wearing traditional Thai costumes and pouring water on Buddha images, pouring water blessings over your head, and splashing as the utmost fun,” he added.
SPLASH AROUND
As with Patong and Phuket Town, every other major community centre on the island will be holding their own Songkran festivities, with all official celebrations ramping up the ‘soft power’ promotion.
In Cherng Talay, the key celebrations will be held at the ‘Alive Beach On Cloud Songkran Music Festival’ at the Blue Tree complex from Apr 13-15. The “Cloud Zone” will incorporate the stage for DJs and musical acts as well as a market village zone where a variety of shops selling food and beverage, handicrafts and lifestyle and activities products will be present.
Similarly, there will be the “Cloud Forest” zone, a green area for nature lovers, where activities such as ceramic painting and pearl stringing will be available as well as natural tie-dye and cannabis-related products, and the “Beach Zone” where a bubble beach stage in the centre of the pool at the water park will host a party with a specific private area for VIPs.
Everyone is welcome to attend the event although those under the age of 20 will be limited to certain zones at the site, organisers confirmed.
Meanwhile, government officials in Rawai are working in collaboration with private sector company Phuket Nine to ensure their Songkran celebrations are a success.
A focus on Thai culture specific to the occasion of Songkran will be a major focus of celebrations, Mr Solos explained, with a merit-making ceremony by giving alms to monks, elders’ head-watering and a sea turtle conservation project just three of the activities scheduled for the morning of Apr 13.
There will also be a procession to bathe the Buddha image statue in front of Mixxmall in Rawai before the afternoon sees the Rawayana water festival starting at 1pm.
The artist Ken Phuphum and a variety of well known DJs will be on hand to entertain the crowd throughout the water fun from 1pm until 8pm in the area outside the Mixmall venue.
BIG BUSINESS
Lertchai Wangtrakuldee, Director of the Phuket office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Phuket), earlier this month predicted that Phuket will see an estimated 264,350 visitors travel to Phuket during the Songkran festival.
The tourists are expected to spend an average of B6,625 per day, generating B7.04bn for Phuket, Mr Lertchai said.
However, Phuket Airport General Manager Monchai Tanode told the press earlier this week that the revised number now stood at a total of at least 328,567 people entering and exiting through Phuket airport from Apr 11-17, giving an average of 46,938 people per day.
Of those, 198,508 are expected to be international passengers, with the remaining 130,059 being domestic passengers.
Phuket airport is expected to serve 2,068 flights during the period, an average of 295 flights per day. Of those 1,085 are expected to be international flights, bolstered by 983 domestic flights, Mr Monchai said.
SAFETY
More than 345 police, security personnel, rescue workers and administrative officers assembled in front of Phuket City Police Station on Apr 1 to mark the launch of a campaign to crack down on crime in the lead-up to the Songkran holidays.
Pol Maj Gen Niphon Rattanasiri Saengchot, Deputy Commander of Region 8 Police, presided over the official launch of the campaign, joined by Phuket Provincial Police Commander Pol Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum.
Also present were Vice Governor Sattha Thongkham and Thiwat Sidokbuab, Deputy President of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO).
The united assembly is to focus on maintaining safety and security, and to build confidence in tourism, throughout the campaign, said an official report of the ceremony.
As such, law-enforcement authorities are to target crime prevention by groups “that may take advantage of the opportunity to cause harm in the area”.
The officers and personnel present for the assembly, and joining the campaign, were from various units, including Region 8 Police, Tourist Police, Phuket Immigration, Phuket Airport Immigration, Marine Police, military personnel and administrative officials.
Coinciding with the campaign launch, Region 8 Police issued a notice calling for people to enjoy the Songkran holidays safely, while abiding by the law.
The notice, titled ‘Splashing water, Splashing happiness’, listed the following precautions:
- Do not abandon children/elderly people. home alone
- Avoid withdrawing money in secluded places
- Don’t drink and drive
- Don’t drive while tired
- Wear your seat belt
- Be careful of valuables
- Be careful of being drugged so you can be robbed
- Do not use a mobile phone while driving
- Wear a safety helmet
- Don’t drive faster than the speed limit