Mardi Gras Comes To Pattaya!

[ThaiEye]

PATTAYA Two festivals to draw tourists

13 January 2009 13:31 Age: 2 daysCategory: News

A five kilometre parade for the Mardi Gras and acrobats for Chinese New Year.

Dance in the Mardi Gras

Pattaya launches two international festivals this month to stimulate the market and draw tourists back to the resort.

The Pattaya International Mardi Gras will take place 23 January followed by the annual Chinese New Year celebration from 26 to 27 January.

The Mardi Gras celebration will be like those around the world, while the highlight will be a colourful parade in the evening at 1600. It will take place off Pattaya Road 1 on Pattaya Soi 7 and pass Central Festival Pattaya Beach, then go through the Walking Street and enter Pattaya Road 2. There will be 12 parades spanning 5 km in length.

Local celebrities will join the event and a fireworks display will light up Pattaya bay. The event is organised by Pattaya City Hall, Chonburi Provincial Administration Organisation and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Tourism Authority of Thailand Central Region 3 director, Niti Kongkrut, said: “We aim to make the Pattaya International Mardi Gras an annual event in our calendar. Although this year economic recession slowed down the organisation, Central Pattana Group is supporting us because it is also opening its new property, Central Pattaya Beach.”

Although it uses the name Mardi Gras, the parade is not designed to support Gay and Lesbian groups. It will focus on three themes: Thai Contemporary Arts; Modern Beach Lifestyle and Under the Sea Celebration.

Welcome the Year of the Ox

The Pattaya Chinese New Year Festival, will take place, 26 to 27 January, at the Bali Hai Port in South Pattaya. Tourism Authority of Thailand will invite seven acrobatic troops from seven regions in China to perform on 24 January. The show will be on the main central beach area at noon and in the evening. The troupe will also perform on stage set up at Bali Hai Port.

“Apart from these festivals, we will also have the Honda LPGA held in Pattaya, a world-class golf tournament event that will promote the resorts courses,” he said.

Honda Ladies Professional Golfers Association Thailand will be held from 26 February to 1 March at the Siam Country Club in Pattaya.

Edited January 16, 2009 by ThaiEye

[Jingthing]

Although it uses the name Mardi Gras, the parade is not designed to support Gay and Lesbian groups.

What a bizarre statement to include in a press release.

[Kopauvin]

Honda Ladies Classic is at the Siam Plantation not Siam Old Course

[johng]

Some photos of the parade.

[Meg_2003]

Some photos of the parade.

Good pics!

Where abouts were they taken? The road looks so quiet.. We are stuck in the crowds of people outside Central.. It was so jam packed full of people, that I saw a few people get hit on their head with the doors of the cars which open upwards.. They could hardly get through, the road was so packed with people... But I agree it was a great show... And isn't Paula pretty!!

[Spalpeen]

"The Mardi Gras celebration will be like those held around the world." No it won't.

"Mardi Gras" means Holy Tuesday in French and refers to the tuesday before ash wednesday at the start of the Christian period of lent. Also known as shrove tuesday or pancake tuesday. This year it falls in the last week of February. Certainly not on a friday in January.

By all means have a street parade but Mardi Gras in January is like Songkran in January.

Edited January 24, 2009 by Spalpeen

[Jimmyd]

Here's a couple pics I took.

[Humphrey Bear]

"The Mardi Gras celebration will be like those held around the world." No it won't.

"Mardi Gras" means Holy Tuesday in French and refers to the tuesday before ash wednesday at the start of the Christian period of lent. Also known as shrove tuesday or pancake tuesday. This year it falls in the last week of February. Certainly not on a friday in January.

By all means have a street parade but Mardi Gras in January is like Songkran in January.

Mardi Gras actually translates as Fat Tuesday and - like Shrove Tuesday - is the day to use up the cooking products that should not be used during Lent (such as leavening - yeast - in bread). Cooking lard is the 'fat' referred to in the French version.

Lent of course being the precursor to the Islamic Ramadan. (????)

[johng]

Where abouts were they taken?

They where taken opposite Mcdonalds Walking street end of beach road.

the police had started closing beach road from 4pm...judging from Jimmyd's photos the parade must have got stuck

for a while trying to get out of Central as his where taken in daylight...dark by the time they reached Walking street.

[Kerryd]

Some more pics of the parade:

(from: Pattaya One News)

(from: PDN)