Pattaya Music Festival

[impact]

from: www.thailandholidayhomes.co.uk/pattaya-music-festival.html

One of the momentous events of Pattaya is the Pattaya Music Festival. Music lovers all over the country throng to Pattaya and dance on the white sands of the sprawling beaches of Pattaya.

During the festival young and old, dance to the beats of the rock bands. Pop music is also a part of the music festival’s agenda. Many enjoy the beautiful jazz being played in the evening.

Held generally in the month of March every year, Pattaya Music Festival is held in the evenings. Tourists also enjoy the gala bonanza and participate actively in the hip-hop dances of the crowd. This annual event emphasizes the love for music by the city dwellers who make most of the event.

Music is just a part of the festival. Other events like procession in the streets of Pattaya are also held. There are stalls of record companies and film production houses and musical instruments too. CDs and music magazines are put on to sale.

Pattaya Music Festival invites all music lovers, including tourists to enjoy the first summer's breeze. Among many other entertainments, Rock, Pop, Jazz, or Hip Hop can it be fun for all. Pattaya Music Festival can be a wonderful way to enjoy your weekend.

[Pdavies99]

Edited March 5, 2009 by Pdavies99

[Jingthing]

on the white sands of the sprawling beaches of Pattaya.

They lie but hoping the music is gonna be good ...

[brasso]

pattaya music festivel not very good if you are not thai not very well catered for if your english, gangs of drunken youths,fights, run by thais for thais

[Meg_2003]

Anyone know who's performing this year?

Edited March 6, 2009 by Meg_2003

[aussiechick]

brasso - obvious you don't like Pattaya. That's the 2nd post I have read from you today in which you are talking cr*p!! You talk big about things you know nothing about.

[brasso]

pattaya music thai music for thai not farang fact not fiction, as for pattaya i know more than most, i wonder which bit you found untrue, as for my other replys at other links, again what part was not true, all fact no fiction,

[johng]

Some more info here

www.pattayadailynews.com/pattayamusic2009

www.pattayadailynews.com/pattayamusic2009/program.php

[anothertorres]

wow, Potato and Pancake in the same weekend!

[pattayaGaz]

Cant wait for this spectacle again, Thai bands singing Thai songs for hordes of Thai teenagers from Bangkok, and if we are lucky they might have the international stage with appearances from that lovely farang brother and sister act from scandanavia who sing Thai songs in Thai, this is just another example of the self indulgance of the local council and the Tourism Authority who are supposed to run a world class holiday destination but do very little for the non Thai tourists and residents here in Pattaya.

[lor]

Just looked at the line up this year. Sorry to say the posters are right again, Thai Thai and more Thai.

But then again it is advertised as a Pattaya Music Festival not International Music Festival. So Pattaya is trying to attract Thai tourists to the holiday resort.

Can't see why TAT even bother to get involved or fund it. They don't want Westerner's here! I think anybody who has been here for some time knows that.

Chris

[Kees5]

From what I can gather from that programme, no molam! And likely no luukThung.

What a waste!

Just as well I'm out of the country for 3 weeks

[davethailand]

I think Brasso and Pattayagaz have got it spot on.

Why is it only Thai music and Thai bands? and its true that it is going to be full of thai teens which WILL mean a few fights also.

I think they should involve the local businesses more (yes including mine) as I would have been more than happy to put a band and maybe Lam on and I'd have done it for free also.

[johng]

They touted the 2006 event as "International" that may have been the year that Kristie and Joahnas sang ?

I've seen very little trouble at this event in the past..still need to be carefull as the teens do like to fight

Dave, have you approched the organisers ? they may be more than willing to have Lam on stage..

I myself would like to see some internationally renowned bands play..but maybe they are too expensive ?

after all its a free to watch event and must cost Pattaya city hall quite a bit to put on.

[brasso]

I think Brasso and Pattayagaz have got it spot on.

Why is it only Thai music and Thai bands? and its true that it is going to be full of thai teens which WILL mean a few fights also.

I think they should involve the local businesses more (yes including mine) as I would have been more than happy to put a band and maybe Lam on and I'd have done it for free also.

thanks davethailand, glad you and others aggree,

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Thai Thai and more Thai.

At the risk of stating the bloody obvious, why would anyone have it any other way? The above is a great summary of my reasons for moving to Thailand in the first place!

Pattaya is a resort city in Thailand and quite probably among the most popular beach destinations for Thais from Bangkok, is it not?

Feel free to not go.

I for one will be in Pattaya during the festival, [as an environmental refugee though that's a different story], and will see if I can catch some of the concerts.. Loads of young chicks from Bangkok on holiday, it sounds like heaven frankly compared to the entertainment more commonly on offer in Pattaya?

Edited March 13, 2009 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Johan78]

Dave, don't know how if have made an effort to get involved but in principle I agree with you about getting local businesses involved more (though they might have and I don't know about it?!?).

For the rest of you, What? the Thais aren't allowed to have any fun? They're only supposed to be here to serve us superior farangs? People coming from other parts of Thailand will not spend money on hotel rooms, food, massages, shopping etc and possibly even go to one or two entertainment venues?

[sabaijai]

I think Brasso and Pattayagaz have got it spot on.

Why is it only Thai music and Thai bands? and its true that it is going to be full of thai teens which WILL mean a few fights also.

I think they should involve the local businesses more (yes including mine) as I would have been more than happy to put a band and maybe Lam on and I'd have done it for free also.

Aside from there being nothing 'international' about it, the organisers have also ignored a whole new crop of good Thai indie rock bands in Bangkok, some of whom perform their originals in English. Good to see Tabasco on the schedule though.

[shotover]

I would like to attend, but expect hotels to be booked full.

[Jingthing]

I would like to attend, but expect hotels to be booked full.

If by booked you mean comic book and by full you mean of shit, for sure.

[Hssl]

The festival COULD afford a western international band or two if the powers that be didn't take such massive kick backs!

[johng]

Right then..here's the latest list of acts for the Central (blue) and Royal Garden (red) stages.

Notice its "International" again this year and we can "relax to extreme" too

There is also a stage at Bali Hai pier ..and mention on another website that there would be a fourth stage, the new Central department store maybe ?

As usual, for almost everthing in Pattaya the the pre event promotion is a shambles

[johng]

Two more websites with differing/conflicting info

www.pattayamusicfestival.gmember.com/program.html

www.tourismthailand.org/news/content-1802.html

[Spalpeen]

Thai pop music - if they could sing in key it would be a big help.

[thaimate]

Totaly pi--ed off ,yesterday we drove down beach road only to find it took an hour to get along it as all the traders were on the road and had their cars double and treble parked. cant the police ever get anything right ,they didnt block off the road to traffic untill 3 pm . no signs to warn you nothing ,the organization here could be done by a three year old better.rant over.

after saying that we got to see all the stalls ,eat our fill and listen to the bands practasing from the comfort of our air conditioned car ,while all the tourist walked and got heat stroke.

[johng]

Well they have done a god job promoting this event somewhere ( Bangkok ? )

because it was chock a block along beach road last night.

[sotsira]

I think Brasso and Pattayagaz have got it spot on.

Why is it only Thai music and Thai bands? and its true that it is going to be full of thai teens which WILL mean a few fights also.

I think they should involve the local businesses more (yes including mine) as I would have been more than happy to put a band and maybe Lam on and I'd have done it for free also.

Went last night to the opening and i have to agree with the above as there were only Thai, Chinese & Malaysian singers, can't agree with it being called an international music festival, but certainly an Asian music festival. Oh well, i made the effort and was very dissapointed with the music.

Considering that Pattaya is Thailands main tourist destination and has a large population of expats, why no English or European music?

[Jingthing]

I enjoy the festival and will be going all three nights. Closing off beach road does give a real festival feeling. I don't mind that the bands are mostly Thai and some pan-Asian.

Now some criticism.

I was watching earlier at the Royal Garden stage. It got rather crowded and claustrophobic and this was only earlier Friday night and the escape route onto the beach sidewalk was blocked by some kind of wood fence. A safety/stampede hazard in case of some kind of "event."

They were selling a morbid DVD called Goodbye to Santika openly on the street with big signs. Very bad taste, downright disgusting.

I think it was the artist Eden, a bald older Thai man (and very funny and talented) who in his comic riffs between songs was openly insulting FARANGS to the mostly Thai audience at the Royal Garden Stage. While my Thai is limited I picked up enough of what he was saying and the nasty way the audience roared in laughter to understand this was happening. This with big signs in view: TOURISM AUTHORITY OF THAILAND, RELAX TO ENJOY EXTREME CITY.

In other words the city and/or the national Thai government paying money to create a tourism attraction that provides a feature for international tourists and then INSULTS those very same international tourists, assuming that each and every one of them is TOO STUPID to realize it.

Now I don't favor censoring artists but sorry THAT WAS OFFENSIVE! I liken it to this. Suppose in the US you were white and went to a see a hip hop artist with a mostly black audience and the artist directly attacked the whites in the audience in strong jargon assuming the whites would not understand the language. Not a comfortable feeling!

Edited March 21, 2009 by Jingthing

[TheWalkingMan]

I went to one of those festivals before and was bored. As much as Pattaya is touted as an international holiday destination there was little if anything provided information in any other languages.

I know, I know everyone should be happy to be allowed into the country and spend their money But I would have thought that at least there would be some English (more languages would be nice too) welcoming visitors, giving a little background about what's going on etc. A little something that would involve the international visitors would be a step in the right direction.

There are enough English singing bands in Pattaya for the organizers to invite a few of the quality ones to be part of the festivities.

TheWalkingMan

[Jingthing]

If I was at a Mexican beach resort, I would expect and enjoy to see Mexican bands. Same difference here except I personally love Latin music more, you can't have everything.