Thailand | The Songkran Festival Experience - of randoms over busy moments : a lifestyle and travel blog

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Sunday, April 23, 2017

Thailand | The Songkran Festival Experience




I went solo to Thailand for the Holy Week holiday and have some free time away from being a corporate slave.Luckily, it is also the midst of the Songkran Festivities in Bangkok and my first day there marks the last day of Songkran. My first day was full of fun , craziness and water gun fights along the streets of Silom and Khao San Rd. For those who didn't know what the Songkran Festival is , Songkran Festival is a 3-day celebration of the Thai's New Year and starts every 13th  day of April until the 15th but sometimes they extend the celebration until the 17th. 
Besides on giving praises and offerings to the Buddhist monks , part of the tradition also is to get all the people soaked in water and also includes non stop water fights. Splashing and sprinkling people with water signifies the washing away of bad thoughts and actions.  It brings them good luck in the new year. Many parties are also happening during these days along the streets of Silom , Khao San and RCA and you can party all you want with the Thai locals and with foreign visitors too.  


What to expect during Songkran Water Festival ?


  • People will splash water all over you so be prepared to protect your gadgets and money. 
  • They will not only splash water all over you but also put chalks on your face. The use of chalk is also very common during Songkran and it is originated in the chalks that were used by the monks to mark as blessing.
  • Expect to get wet , ALWAYS, even past midnight.
  • Be sure to fight! Bring your own water gun. The costs of refill for the guns is around 5 Baht each. You can see many locals offering a refill. 
  • Local people can be seen dancing along the streets , do water gun fights and playing their music. Trust me , it is really fun. 
  • Expect that the mrt near those streets are jam-packed since people are all going from and into the same station near Silom area. 
  • Khao San Rd. is very lively at night. There are many bars along the street. You can dance , talk and drink and also expect to get WET. 
  • Expect lots of people dancing and drinking in the streets.
  • You should dress appropriately. Before hitting the streets, make sure that your clothes are 'water fight' ready. Try to dress up like you're going to the beach. Dress with very light clothes. Bring waterproof gadgets or just bring a waterproof bag along. Never forget to protect your eyes as well. We never know if the water at Songkran is clean or not. We should avoid eye infection in case the water will hit our eyes.  

Photos below for your viewing. I would recommend that you guys should join and check out Songkran 2018. I will celebrate Songkran again next year, :) 

I will also blog about my Thailand trip soon. Will keep you updated. Feel free to ask questions too :) 

















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