Hua Hin Jazz Festival

PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN, 15 May 2013: Hua Hin Jazz Festival will return 31 May to 1 June, after an absence of one year, at the seaside venue of Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

It marks the 12th anniversary of the annual jazz festival in a town that has been associated with jazz since the early days of HM the King’s reign, who invited jazz musicians for jam sessions, either at his beachside palace or at the nearby Hua Hin Railway Hotel.

Decades later, the royal town of Hua Hin re-established the  music tradition with its annual jazz festival, although the drift this year will focus on Asian jazz rather than western style bands. The line-up includes the Japanese Jun Abe Group and Les Frebes, Indonesian pianist Nita Aartsen and a number of home-grown talent from Bangkok.

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Coronation Day holiday

BANGKOK, 3 May 2013: Thailand’s citizens enjoy another public holiday, 5 May, to mark the coronation day of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great.

The holiday falls on a Sunday, which means offices and banks will close on Monday the 6th (substitution day).

Coronation Day is known in Thai as Wan Chatramongkhol, but it involves religious and civil ceremonies that cover a three-day period.

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Blast off at rocket festival

YASOTHON, 2 May 2013: Yasothon province hosts its famous rocket festival, 6 to 12 May, with teams from four Asian nations joining the festivities.

The objective is to blast a rocket skywards in a perfect trajectory from launch sites at the provincial town’s Chang Sanit Road, opposite City Hall and Phraya Than Park.

TAT Ubon Ratchathani office director, Wichukorn Kularbsri, said the most important days to watch the rockets are 10 to 12 May.

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Holiday season gears up

BANGKOK, 5 April 2013: Thailand celebrates Chakri Day, 6 April, that marks the  founding of the Chakri dynasty that spans more than 200 years when Bangkok was first established as the nation’s capital.

HM the King  Bhumibol Adulyadej is the ninth king of the dynasty and also the longest reigning monarch in the world.

Ceremonies will be held at Temple of the Emerald Buddha and other temples throughout the country to mark this auspicious day.

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Countdown to Songkran begins

BANGKOK, 1 April 2013: To mark the Thai New Year or Songkran festival, Bangkok’s municipality will organise special activities, 12 to 15 April, at the City Hall Plaza while a four-region Songkran fair will be held at four main temples in the capital.

Bangkok Culture, Sports, and Tourism Department director Pranee Satayaprakop said the activities are scheduled to start at 0800, 12 April when the Phra Buddha Sihing will be moved from the Putthai Sawan Pavilion at the National Museum to be housed at a ceremonial site at City Hall.

The Buddha image will be carried in a floral procession to arrive at City Hall about 1900 to mark the start of an official opening ceremony, presided over by the Bangkok governor.

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Dry and wet Songkran

BANGKOK, 26 March 2013: Areas of the Thai capital will go alcohol-free during the popular Songkran festival 12 to 17 April according to Thai authorities.

Coconuts Bangkok and Thaivisa.com identified the alcohol dry spots as Khao San, Rama Nine and Silom roads. Parts of Pattaya and Phuket will also be designated alcohol-free.

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Festival: Makha Bucha Day

BANGKOK, 22 February 2013: Makha Bucha, an important religious festival in the Buddhist calendar, falls on the full moon day of the third lunar month.

This year the religious holiday will be celebrated Monday 25 February. It is a public holiday in most Mekong Region countries namely Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

The day venerates Lord Buddha and his teachings mainly through attendance at temples to perform merit-making activities in the morning, while in the evening candlelight processions are made three times clockwise around the Phra Ubosot (ordination chapel) in temple compounds throughout the country.

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Splash out on a water wedding

BANGKOK, 9 January 2013: Now in its 17th year, Trang’s famous underwater wedding ceremony will take place 13 to 15 February attracting couples who want to tie the knot on Valentine’s Day.

Trang province is credited with being the first province to establish an underwater wedding ceremony for international visitors and the tradition continues as Trang Chamber of Commerce joins hands with Trang Province, Trang Municipality and the Tourism Authority of  Thailand to host the event once more.

Initially, the ceremony was backed by the national airline, Thai Airways International, when it was the only airline serving the town and was part of a wider campaign to put the Andaman coast town on the map.

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Loi Krathong Festival 28 November

BANGKOK, 25 October 2012: The Tourism Authority of Thailand highlights seven venues to celebrate Thailand’s annual festival Loi Krathong, 24 to 29 November.

Held annually nationwide, the actual Loi Krathong festival falls on the night of the full moon of the 12th Thai lunar month which is 28 November this year. But the TAT hopes to expand the scope of the festival by promoting additional activities at the seven venues.

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TAT promotes Loei festivals

LOEI, 18 October 2012: Loei province opens its winter tourism season with the introduction of two new festivals to attract more tourists through to January 2013.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand Loei office promotes its latest campaign under the theme Nhao Nee Jai Diew Tiew Mueang Loei (Let’s go Loei this winter) with two recently introduced festivals namely the Poinsettia Phu Rua Festival and the Mask Festival from 24 November 2012 to 31 January 2013.

These two new festivals are additions to the well-known festival Phu Rua Flowers Festival that runs from 29 December to 2 January.

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