By Adam Judd

Pattaya, Thailand-The first full Songkran in FOUR years is looking to be a major event in Pattaya, Thailand as more events, festivals, concerts, and parties are announced.

 

Of course, this will be polarizing and divisive to many readers as although the event is popular with tourists it tends to be feared and despised by many ex-pats, who prior to COVID-19 often hunkered down for a week or even fled the city to avoid the water madness.

 

However, Songkran was entirely canceled in Thailand in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 pandemic concerns. In 2022, only traditional religious events were allowed and “fun” events, like the world-famous water fights, were banned. The last full Songkran was four years ago, in 2019. So, what about 2023, will it be another traditional and conservative Songkran?

 

Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2023/01/28/first-songkran-in-four-years-in-pattaya-looking-to-be-a-major-event-with-concerts-festivals-parties-and-yes-waterfights/

 

-- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2023-01-30

 

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how wonderful

Lots of pent up energy to get out... it's going to be a big one!

Certainly good news for all "quality tourists" coming to this beautiful family resort. A nightmare for everyone else.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Of course, this will be polarizing and divisive to many readers as although the event is popular with tourists it tends to be feared and despised by many ex-pats, who prior to COVID-19 often hunkered down for a week or even fled the city to avoid the water madness.

I find my local events to be very entertaining, even when I get a roadside broadside, however the mass events of resort areas are over-the-top sometimes.

I will be out of there a week before the nutters start with their water guns.

Apart from the main day I have never found it an issue.

 

But I dont live in an area of beers bars or choose the frequent any during that week........

1 hour ago, Mickeymaus said:

Certainly good news for all "quality tourists" coming to this beautiful family resort. A nightmare for everyone else.

I dont know, local vendors who have not made any money over the last 2 years  may disagree with you.

3 minutes ago, sungod said:

Apart from the main day I have never found it an issue.

 

But I dont live in an area of beers bars or choose the frequent any during that week........

I got drenched on a street corner in a quiet road 12 km out of town.....had done well avoiding it  all prior to that! Not simply only a matter of living in the bar area.... although you will get wet there for sure.

who moves to a country with an event like songkran and then complains about it ? 

 

o no my panties are getting wet. 

50 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I got drenched on a street corner in a quiet road 12 km out of town.....had done well avoiding it  all prior to that! Not simply only a matter of living in the bar area.... although you will get wet there for sure.

Reminds me of a normal afternoon in the middle of the year walking down Sukhumvit in Bangkok when a kid squirted me with a water pistol.

 

With all the years I have been here I have never got drenched unless hanging around beer bar. Life is quite normal the the vast majority of people.

33 minutes ago, stoner said:

who moves to a country with an event like songkran and then complains about it ? 

 

o no my panties are getting wet. 

It is okay for a day or two. But here in Pattaya it goes for about 10 days. And this from the morning until late night. And the worst are the often completely drunken Farangs.

 

It is no fun for instance to sit on the Baht bus that stops next to a bar and get completely wet. Or to drive a motorbike and get a bucket load of water in your face. People have to go to work or to a doctor or to a dinner or whatever.

 

It is hard to understand that the bars and their customers can do what they want and the local government doesn't care. Very many people are extremely annoyed. But obviously the bars and their quality tourists are more important. Many people leave or avoid Pattaya during this time. I don't think Pattaya benefits much financially from this.

 

Edited January 30, 20233 yr by Mickeymaus

21 minutes ago, sungod said:

With all the years I have been here I have never got drenched unless hanging around beer bar. Life is quite normal the the vast majority of people.

A falang coming round the corner on a little motorcycle was just too much temptation for a gang of kids who had been set up on the corner with a large tub of water and various bowls and buckets and pistols by their parents. It covers a wide radius from central Pattaya!

58 minutes ago, Mickeymaus said:

It is okay for a day or two. But here in Pattaya it goes for about 10 days. And this from the morning until late night. And the worst are the often completely drunken Farangs.

 

It is no fun for instance to sit on the Baht bus that stops next to a bar and get completely wet. Or to drive a motorbike and get a bucket load of water in your face. People have to go to work or to a doctor or to a dinner or whatever.

 

It is hard to understand that the bars and their customers can do what they want and the local government doesn't care. Very many people are extremely annoyed. But obviously the bars and their quality tourists are more important. Many people leave or avoid Pattaya during this time. I don't think Pattaya benefits much financially from this.

 

Was waiting for the first grumpy old man post. Thanks for contributing.  Here is some advice I gave  out every year before Covid and some additional info pertaining to your post. The baht bus and motor bikes are targets because of course it's fun to drench them. You have had now a year ( or actually four years ) to rent a car or make plans to be elsewhere ( even in Thailand ) where Songkran is a day or less. You've had this time to stock up on EVERYTHING before this week  to live under your mattress if you can't afford a car rental or trip. 
You and others did NOT have to make a doctors appointment or dinner plans during Songkran and take a baht bus to get there! Most Thais and foreigners are NOT working during Songkran unless their work involves Songkran or they take time off ( stop worrying about them and they are some of the ones getting YOU wet anyways)!  Pattaya makes HEAPS AND HEAPS of money during Songkran how you don't realize this is amazing. Lastly maybe you should purchase the best high pressure water gun you can find and join in all the fun! It's really quite therapeutic. Mark my words " This Songkran will be epic". Peace. 

Edited January 30, 20233 yr by alex8912

1 hour ago, Mickeymaus said:

But here in Pattaya

so you moved to pattaya knowing of such an event and still your panties are too tight ? 

 

 

1 hour ago, Mickeymaus said:

It is okay for a day or two. But here in Pattaya it goes for about 10 days. And this from the morning until late night. And the worst are the often completely drunken Farangs.

 

It is no fun for instance to sit on the Baht bus that stops next to a bar and get completely wet. Or to drive a motorbike and get a bucket load of water in your face. People have to go to work or to a doctor or to a dinner or whatever.

 

It is hard to understand that the bars and their customers can do what they want and the local government doesn't care. Very many people are extremely annoyed. But obviously the bars and their quality tourists are more important. Many people leave or avoid Pattaya during this time. I don't think Pattaya benefits much financially from this.

 

Pattaya doesn't benefit financially from 1000's of people spending money?  ????

 

The yearly moaners are out.........choose to live in a tourist town then complains that its too busy with people having fun, cant make it up.

Got my holiday booked out of Pattaya already.

51 minutes ago, sungod said:

Pattaya doesn't benefit financially from 1000's of people spending money?  ????

 

The yearly moaners are out.........choose to live in a tourist town then complains that its too busy with people having fun, cant make it up.

These people don't spend much money. They drink some beer and are drunk. Real quality tourists that spend a lot of money will avoid this time. They don't sit in bars and drink the whole day and night and behave like small children. 

1 hour ago, alex8912 said:

The baht bus and motor bikes are targets because of course it's fun to drench them.

One o' our lads just havin' a bit of fun:

 

Watch me crash her motorbike! Hee hee!

 

Ooh. I can destroy his hearing, legally! What fun.

 

Oh goody, a stupid lady who forgot to stock up! Send her to the hospital.

 

 

1 hour ago, alex8912 said:

You and others did NOT have to make a doctors appointment or dinner plans during Songkran and take a baht bus to get there!

Whoops! I was wisely advised to postpone my heart attack!

 

Topless beauties everywhere during Songkran

 

 

And, with all the water, moobies!

 

Edited January 30, 20233 yr by BigStar

1 hour ago, BigStar said:

One o' our lads just havin' a bit of fun:

 

Watch me crash her motorbike! Hee hee!

 

Ooh. I can destroy his hearing, legally! What fun.

 

Oh goody, a stupid lady who forgot to stock up! Send her to the hospital.

 

 

Whoops! I was wisely advised to postpone my heart attack!

 

Topless beauties everywhere during Songkran

 

 

And, with all the water, moobies!

 

Oh please. Some of those silly pics are posted every year.  I would not ride a bike during Songkran around Pattaya and sane people know this!  There are large crowds in EVERY country during holidays and festivals.  Should we all skip times Sq New Years Eve if we decide to have a heart attack?  I also see tons of Thais doing the same things as your pics but you conveniently left them out!  I also told the other poster you should not schedule a DOCTORS APPOINTMENT Songkran week. Bye bye grumpy. 

2 hours ago, Mickeymaus said:

These people don't spend much money. They drink some beer and are drunk. Real quality tourists that spend a lot of money will avoid this time. They don't sit in bars and drink the whole day and night and behave like small children. 

Lol. A good water gun can be 700-1000 baht and MANY people pay baht just to get the water!  Cold ice water costs more! Then the hotels are all booked, restaurants are busy and full at night, the prostitutes are busy , the clubs are full,  7/11's are packed on and on and on!  Songkran is a HUGE money maker especially in Pattaya. Thousands and thousands come here JUST for Songkran ( note see lovely pics above ????). If you don't like it see my post that has great advice for you. Bottom line is Songkran haters have an entire year to make plans if they don't like the area they are in. Period. 

Edited January 30, 20233 yr by alex8912

2 hours ago, Mickeymaus said:

These people don't spend much money. They drink some beer and are drunk. Real quality tourists that spend a lot of money will avoid this time. They don't sit in bars and drink the whole day and night and behave like small children. 

What do these 'real quality tourists' do in Pattaya then,  Temple Tours?

43 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

I would not ride a bike during Songkran around Pattaya and sane people know this!  

Oh, you would if you had to. Thais in particular need to ride their bikes for various purposes including getting to work. You dunno that the victims in the posted pics aren't sane. Just hot air.

 

43 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

Should we all skip times Sq New Years Eve if we decide to have a heart attack?

Irrelevant, silly example. Many alternative routes exist in NY. Police deal w/ the traffic mindfully and efficiently.

 

43 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

I also see tons of Thais doing the same things as your pics but you conveniently left them out!  

You really don't see any Thais in the 4th pic? Are you blind? And how you do know the water hooligans in the 3rd pic aren't Thai?

 

43 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

I also told the other poster you should not schedule a DOCTORS APPOINTMENT Songkran week.

While conveniently ignoring the necessity for UNSCHEDULED DOCTORS VISITS. In fact, a lot of unscheduled visits to here and there are needed for various reasons. Not good 'nuff.

 

Oh, we aren't intimidated by name-calling, BTW.

Edited January 30, 20233 yr by BigStar

15 minutes ago, sungod said:

What do these 'real quality tourists' do in Pattaya then,  Temple Tours?

They enjoy the beach, they go to restaurants, they go on trips to the Crocodile Farm, Nong Nooch Tropical Garden and other places, they go shopping, they maybe play golf and... They're not looking for sex and alcohol or crazy water games. Perhaps hard to understand for some ????.

 

But anyway - Pattaya loves their kind of quality tourists obviously more. Otherwise there wouldn't be bars and sex everywhere.

 

You will never see me in a bar. Pattaya was for sure the wrong choice for me. And to make matters worse I IDIOT even bought a condo here. Hard to be more stupid. I know. Move? Perhaps to Alicante in Spain. 

17 minutes ago, BigStar said:

Oh, you would if you had to. Thais in particular need to ride their bikes for various purposes including getting to work. You dunno that the victims in the posted pics aren't sane. Just hot air.

 

Irrelevant, silly example. Many alternative routes exist in NY. Police deal w/ the traffic mindfully and efficiently.

 

You really don't see any Thais in the 4th pic? Are you blind? And how you do know the water hooligans in the 3rd pic aren't Thai?

 

While conveniently ignoring the necessity for UNSCHEDULED DOCTORS VISITS. In fact, a lot of unscheduled visits to here and there are needed for various reasons. Not good 'nuff.

 

Oh, we aren't intimidated by name-calling, BTW.

You and Micky Mouse should just stay away and have your heart attacks elsewhere. Many routes out of Times Sq during New Years lol! Buy that big water ???? gun , have fun or leave! 

21 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

You and Micky Mouse should just stay away and have your heart attacks elsewhere. Many routes out of Times Sq during New Years lol! Buy that big water ???? gun , have fun or leave! 

If you know a place where I can rent something like this for 10 days PLEASE let me know it. 

 

3 hours ago, Mickeymaus said:

These people don't spend much money. They drink some beer and are drunk. Real quality tourists that spend a lot of money will avoid this time. They don't sit in bars and drink the whole day and night and behave like small children. 

I was thinking that Songkran, certainly the one crazy  day. (19th) surely is a big losing day, or day off for most Pattaya businesses. Traffic is at a standstill...nobody wants to go anywhere, streets are mobbed....a lot of locals come to town from outlying areas to have fun, but stay up on the back of a pickup, and spend nothing.

For kids, idiots and drunks.

Taking bets on how many hip hop patrons will be fighting each other that week.  How many women will Chris Brown beat up?  I predict 4 to 5 fights a night in Pattaya's hip hop clubs.  

 

Any action?

20 minutes ago, proton said:

For kids, idiots and drunks.

And the idiots and drunks are mostly tourists. Very few who live here like Songkran unless they're making money from it. And those are mostly catering to Songkran tourists in particular.