Incredible Songkran 2023 Celebration’ and ‘International Amazing Splash 2023’ will take place from the 13th to the 15th of April 2023 at Chula Soi 5 (Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park and Stadium One) in Bangkok.
Bangkok, April 5, 2023 — The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is commemorating the traditional Thai New Year of Songkran with two major events in Bangkok – the Amazing Songkran 2023 Celebration and the first International Amazing Splash 2023 from 13-15 April 2023 at Chula Soi 5 (Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park and Stadium One) – as well as supporting Songkran events and festivities across the country.
Songkran, the largest and most important of Thailand’s yearly festivals, has been celebrated for generations and is rich in tradition and culture. Songkran Festival, named one of Asia’s top three largest festivals by the International Festivals and Events Association ASIA (IFEA ASIA), is an important aspect of Thailand’s 5F soft-power foundations of Food, Film, Festival, Fight, and Fashion.
TAT Governor Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn stated, “TAT is using Thailand’s Incredible 5F to offer meaningful travel experiences while focusing on improving the quality of tourist products and services.” Part of this is bringing local celebrations and customs to the world stage, or going from local to global, beginning with Songkran. The International Incredible Splash 2023 aims to promote international cultural festivals and traditions similar to Songkran, while also assisting in the strengthening of relationships and cultural exchanges.”
The Incredible Songkran 2023 Event and the first International Amazing Splash 2023 will include four major components in Bangkok.
The first of these is the inauguration of the International Incredible Splash 2023 on 13 April, with a parade representing Thailand and four other countries that have Songkran-style celebrations – China, India, Japan, and South Korea.
Thailand’s entry at the parade will feature the procession of the Emerald Buddha statue and floats depicting the Goddess of Songkran.
China’s participation will help to promote the water splashing festival, known as Po Shui Jie, which is celebrated by the Dai ethnic group of Xishuangbanna Prefecture.
The involvement of India reflects the Holi Festival, which commemorates the advent of spring after a long winter and represents the triumph of good over evil.
Japan’s involvement emphasizes the Setsubun festival, which entails eating and hurling beans to fend off evil spirits.
South Korea’s participation promotes the Boryeong Mud Festival, a summer festival that celebrates Boryeong town’s extremely prized muck.
The Incredible Splash of the World, an exhibition of foreign cultural activities and traditions comparable to Thailand’s Songkran, will be the second component of the celebrations, aimed at further enhancing cultural exchanges and international connections.
The Incredible Songkran 2023 Festival will highlight distinct Songkran celebrations from Thailand’s five regions through activities that visitors can participate in. Making tungs (flags) and scented water for the Rot Nam Dam Hua ritual (from the North), where young people prepare scented water with which to wash their parents’ or elders’ hands to ask for blessing, preparing summertime and Songkran dishes and desserts such as Khao Chae (from the Central region), the Phuk Seow tradition (from the Northeast), unhusked rice castle building uni (from the South).
Additional activities promoting traditional Thai wisdom will be available for tourists to undertake, such as the Song Nam Phra rite of cleansing a Buddha image with scented water to pay reverence to the Lord Buddha and bring good fortune to the person.
South Korean, Indian, Chinese, and Japanese festivals will also be represented.
Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea will feature a mud pool with mud bath, mud mask, games, and other activities, as well as a DJ from South Korea.
Visitors to India’s Holi Festival can participate in the Indian practice of utilizing colored powders to symbolise friendship, as well as watch a music performance by Indian women dancing Bollywood style and worship the Hindu god Ganesh.
Traditional clothing of the Tai Lue people of Yunnan will be on display for China’s Po Shui Jie, along with cultural performances and a ceremony to petition the angels of heaven and earth for rain.
There will be a ceremony to wish for good health and to keep disease away during Japan’s Setsubun Festival.
The third component will appear on the MAIN STAGE SPLASH. Throughout the three days of the festival, there will be Thai artists, singers, and DJs such as Joey Boy, Aof Pongsak, and the bands LAZ1, No One Else, and Yes Truly, as well as DJs from South Korea, India, Japan, and China, cultural performances, and the WATERBOMB and fun water tunnels.
The INCREDIBLE FOOD segment of the festivities will feature food stalls and food trucks serving cuisine from Thailand, South Korea, India, Japan, and China.
The traditional Thai New Year of Songkran, Thailand’s largest and most important yearly holiday, is celebrated everywhere, and TAT, as it does every year, supports the organization of Songkran events and festivities across the country. A list of these can be found at Festivals and events in Thailand in April 2023 – TAT Newsroom.
“To ensure the safety and security of all Thais and foreign tourists attending the Songkran celebrations, the Tourist Police is cooperating with TAT to step up safety and security by deploying 4,000 tourist polices and volunteers to Songkran events nationwide,” said Pol. Maj. Gen. Apichat Suriboonya, Deputy Commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau. Police officers and patrol vehicles will be outfitted with live cameras that will monitor and broadcast the scene to the command center. As a result, travelers will be able to receive assistance more easily, and confidence in Thailand will be strengthened.
