Hello everyone, some of you may remember me from a couple of years ago. Anyway, I've relocated to Melbourne and there's a festival coming up!

Date: Sunday 2nd March, 2008

Location: Federation Square (opposite Flinders Street Station)

Time: 10am - 9pm

The Festival will feature the following stalls:

• Thai Products - Thai cultural and handicraft displays/items for sale, from the different regions of Thailand, North to South and West to East.
  
• Thai Tourism - Information stalls from Tourism Authority of Thailand; Thai Airways
  
• Thai Fashion - Stalls featuring Thai silk
  
• Thai Community in Victoria - an information tent will provide more information on local Thai community activities
  
• Thai Food - Cooking demonstrations on the main stage.
  
• Thai Health - Traditional Thai massage
  
• Festival Supporters' tents
  

According to the site, there will be the following at the main stage at Federation Square:

• 10.00am Monks arrive; offerings from public, monks pray, with a Buddhist ceremony and water blessing
  
• 10.50 Buddhist talk
  
• 11:00 Water blessing
  
• 11:10 Songkran video
  
• 11.20 Thai drum parade through square
  
• 11.35 Blessing dance
  
• 11.45 Thai Drum parade
  
• 11.50 Opening ceremony
  
• 12.15 Outline of events
  
• 12.30 Thai Classical Dance
  
• 12.35 Thai Dance
  
• 12.50 Thai Language school dances
  
• 1.00 Thai Festival Beauty Contest - Round 1
  
• 1.20 Promote raffle
  
• 1.25 Tourism Authority of Thailand - video
  
• 1.35 Thai Classical Dance
  
• 1.45 Thai Dance/ Thai Stick Fighting
  
• 1.55 1st Raffle draw - win a return trip to Bangkok with Thai Airways & Thai cooking demonstration by Thai Select
  
• 2.00 Video - Thai Fashion
  
• 2.10 Thai Silk Fashion Show
  
• 2.30 Thai Dance
  
• 2.40 Thai Festival Beauty contest - round 2
  
• 3.05 Thai Dance
  
• 3.10 Thai boxing
  
• 3.20 OTOP Video
  
• 3.35 Thai band
  
• 4.00 Singha Beer promotion
  
• 4.05 2nd Raffle draw - win a return trip to Bangkok with Thai Airways
  
• 4.10 Thai Classical Dance
  
• 4.15 Thai silk fashion show
  
• 4.30 Thai Dance
  
• 4.40 Thai Festival Beauty Contest - round 3
  
• 5.05 Thai dance
  
• 5.15 Thai Sword fighting
  
• 5.25 Thai dance
  
• 5.35 Thai festival Beauty contest the winner
  
• 6.00 Thai Drum Parade
  
• 6.10 3rd Raffle draw - win a return trip to Bangkok with Thai Airways
  
• 6.20 Thank you speech, Auld Lang Syne verse and Thai drum parade
  

and there will be the following at the Singha Beer Garden Sound Stage at Federation Square:

• 12.00 Thai music CDs
  
• 1.00 Acoustic set by Veroon
  
• 2.00 Bonus Band
  
• 2.45 Thai Fashion Show
  
• 3.00 Megahorn's Jazz
  
• 4.00 Thai band
  
• 4.45 Thai Fashion Show
  
• 5.00 Marta
  
• 6.00 Kick boxing
  
• 6.00 Hip hop band
  
• 7.00 Bonus Band
  
• 8.00 Tiffany Show
  
• 8.00 Thai band
  
• 9.00 Thai music CDs
  

The site is http://www.thaifestvic.com if you want to know any more information. See you there!

Sounds like a fantastic day and a great way to promote Thailand to the uninitiated.

Peter

Good luck with the festival. Songkran is usually April 13-15.