This week brings water, colors, muck, and more to Thailand’s capital. After being hidden throughout the pandemic, Bangkok’s Songkran holiday is making a daring comeback with an international fiesta, street cuisine, and parties.
Bangkok will celebrate the Songkran Festival in full force this year, complete with Holi from India, South Korea’s Mud Festival, Setsubun from Japan, and China’s Po Shui Jie. The festival, which promises plenty of dirt and excitement, will be held from April 13 to 15 in Sam Yan (Chula Soi 5) – the city’s up-and-coming neighborhood.
Songkran is celebrated every April, and it is a time when Thais customarily reconnect with their relatives, visit a temple, and spill fragrant water to commemorate the beginning of the new year. Nonetheless, the new year and homecoming traditions have grown far beyond their humble beginnings since becoming known as the greatest water celebration among foreign tourists.
Locals and tourists will assemble with buckets of water on April 13-15 at metropolitan landmarks such as Khao San Road and Silom in Bangkok or Tha Pae Gate in Chiang Mai to dance, sing, and play their way into the new year.
During the new coronavirus outbreak, Songkran celebrations were kept to a minimum (COVID-19). To compensate for those quiet years, the capital is hosting the International Amazing Splash 2023 and the Amazing Songkran 2023 this week. Please leave your nicest shirt at home.
The International Incredible Splash 2023, Thailand’s first of its kind, will give an international flair to the traditional Thai new year with parades from China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand – all of which have similar (more or less) Songkran celebrations.
The Thai parade will feature the Emerald Buddha statue and Songkran Goddess floats, while the Chinese – or the Dai ethnic people of Xishuangbanna – will bring the joy of water splashing, or Po Shui Jie, to Bangkok.
The Japanese will demonstrate their Setsubun festival, which entails eating and hurling beans to ward off evil spirits.
Who will be the dirtiest is yet to be determined, but the competition between India’s Holi parade and South Korea’s Mud festival is sure to be a lot of mucky fun.
Holi, also known as the festival of colors, is a popular celebration in India that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. On this lively day, people experiment with colors, welcome one another, and make fresh starts. This week, Indian participants will bring a taste of the Holi holiday to Bangkok.
Consider Holi and Songkran as a convergence of colors and water. South Koreans, on the other side, will enter the arena with their famed Boryeong Mud festival, a summer celebration that celebrates Boryeong town’s highly prized muck.
Visitors to Chula Soi 5 will also be able to celebrate Songkran in the traditional manner. With the Incredible Songkran 2023, five distinct Songkran themes from across Thailand will make powerful statements through arts and crafts, food, and traditions. Anticipate intricate hanging flags in Chiang Mai, sand and rice castles in Chachoengsao and Chon Buri, and Khao Chae – or perfumed rice.
The incredible Songkran festival returns with an incredible culinary scene, with over 30 food trucks serving foreign fare from South Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, and more.
If you decide to go,
Chula Soi 5 is a short walk from the Samyan MRT station and the National Stadium BTS station.
