Where Is The Best Songkkran Festival

[Padkapow Guy]

Looking for the best place to be during Songkran. I want to take alot of pictures of the festival and enjoy in some of the water festivities.

Here are some of the places I will be visiting. I just want some opinions on which one of these places should I try to be at during Songkran.

Bangkok

Pattaya

Krabi

Chiang Mai

Koh Samet

Prachinburi

thanks

PKG

[chuchok]

IMHO Chiang Mai......That's what all the locals will tell you. Many parades etc and maybe not so 'water voilent' as other parts of Thailand.

However ,there are many Chiang Mai expats on this forum that will be able to give much better reasons than I can.

[britmaveric]

Wet/Wild Pattaya!!!

[peterzxr]

From what I hear try either Chiang Mai or Khon Kaen if you wanna have a great time.

[Shola]

Anywhere except in/on the back of a pick-up, motercy or tuk tuk!

[Ajarn]

Anywhere except in/on the back of a pick-up, motercy or tuk tuk!  

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Anywhere, especially in/on the back of a pick-up, motercy or tuk tuk!

[booma]

My unbiased opinion (I always seem to miss it) would be in Chaing Mai, this is the general opinion I have received from many sources throughout Los.

It must be down to Chaing Mai being the spiritual capital of Thailand, the festival is when all the Bhudda images are given their annual clean, the water fights being an extension to this and sanook mack ma doo-ay.

[Shola]

Anywhere except in/on the back of a pick-up, motercy or tuk tuk!  

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Anywhere, especially in/on the back of a pick-up, motercy or tuk tuk!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ok Ajarn! Which one of us ends up as 'road jam' at Songkhran?!

Place your bets!

[HumbleFlyer]

Patong. In Bangkok and Pattaya the Farang make it almost a violent act. Chiang Mai is about a month long. In Patong you get wet on the evening of 12th day and night 13th and that's about it. Enough but not too much and things a Jai Dee...Not too aggessive. I had some drunk farang try to put power in my face, right at the eyes cause the jerk wad was super maow, so I have to give him a push to protect my self. He call the copper because the drunk ares hit the deck. Well the copper look at me, sober with not water gun or powder except near m eyes, and the perp with water gun and powder all over being super maow! Yep the drunk farang was headed to the cooler because he pointed his water gun at the copper. Paong, as with all other things in Patong, is more moderate but still enjoyable! I kinda of like the water action during the day since aprilis the hot month.

[Phil Conners]

I'd suggest anywhere outside Thailand.

[snoophound]

Anywhere in Thailand with low infestations of Falangs would be fun.

Esp Avoid Pattaya it gets worse every year.

I'd suggest anywhere outside Thailand.

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[taxexile]

without a shadow of a doubt , soi cowboy in bangkok. from about mid morning on.

[aaaaaa]

oops, seems taxe'd already made the statement I wanted ....

I second it - spend there lovely time on Songkran a year or two ago - even have some pics somewhere ....

[Jai Dee]

I like Khon Kaen for a day, but I prefer to spend most of it in our little village in Isaan... 150-200 people, and I'm the only falung.

One day I hope to get to Chaing Mai... I hear it's the best.

[taxexile]

second it - spend there lovely time on Songkran a year or two ago - even have some pics somewhere

pure totally childish enjoyment , hours of fun.

the bar owners , the employees , both young and old , the street peddlers , the motorcycle boys , the police and a few falangs forget all normal life for a day and just throw water , a constant procession of private cars , tessaban water trucks and overloaded pickups drive through to join in.

its backpacker and groovy falang free.

its a hoot.

[aaaaaa]

yueh - and it is a bit off the main rd....

here are fe pics

[bouzin2]

It seems like fun, every time I see pictures of this celebration I get very jealous because I have been in Thailand a bunch of times but never during Thai new year.

Please post more pictues it's cold and snowing here in New York.

[buadhai]

Some years back I was in Bangkok with my then four-year-old daughter on Songkran. Within minutes of leaving our hotel she was soaking wet and covered with sticky white powder. She looked up at me and said, "Daddy, I don't like this 'happy new year'."

I'm afraid I don't much like it either.

[peterzxr]

Some years back I was in Bangkok with my then four-year-old daughter on Songkran. Within minutes of leaving our hotel she was soaking wet and covered with sticky white powder. She looked up at me and said, "Daddy, I don't like this 'happy new year'."

I'm afraid I don't much like it either.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Avoid LOS in mid-April in future then.

[chanchao]

For me: Chiang Mai and elsewhere in the North. But I'd definitely would want to go to Khon Kaen too, it seems VERY suitable for it.

Absolute WORST: Bangkok and (especially) Pattaya.

The problem in Bangkok and (especially) Pattaya is:

1. Not everyone is joining in. This means some people trying to stay dry/out of the party. That leads to conflicts of course. Pattaya is even worse in this respect as the 'official' festival days are a week later, which results in that there's really never a 'full on, everywhere' party.

2. Drunk Farang Hooligans. This applies to Khao San Road, and, of course, Pattaya. (And to a FAR lesser extent the immediate Thapae area in Chiang Mai)

Chiang Mai is good I think not because it's a spiritual center (not saying that it's not, merely that I don't think it's the main factor). I think Chiang Mai is good because:

* Songkran is already a big thing in the North and North East

* Being the biggest city in the North there's a HUGE number of people there, especially also many younger people.

* It's a tourist destination in it's own right for Thais who have a major holiday at Songkran; many holiday in-country in Chiang Mai. Thais on holiday are just very open, friendly and chatty compared to when they're in their Camry's in a Bangkok traffic jam.

* It's the height of the hot season, and the North and North East are the hottest, dryest parts of the country... Cooling down makes sense!

* Just look at the flippin' map: That square you see is a moat filled to the brim with water by the city municiplality, even water quality is checked and controlled: That's a 4 mile circuit you're looking at with roads on both sides with access to an inexhaustible water supply. See? : http://www.netasia.org/album/displayimage.php?album=13&pos=3

Of course it goes on for about a week... but feel free to party for a day or 2-3 and them move South or something.

Finally, some pics: http://www.netasia.org/album/thumbnails.ph...search=songkran

and:

http://sukstalker.fotopages.com/?entry=90452

[chanchao]

Second topic, which almost deserves a discussion in its own right: Taking pictures......

Again I think Chiang Mai is suited for this because of the nice backdrops of the moat, walls, temples, gates and corner-ruins.

But....... It's very easy to ruin your camera.. I once destroyed one even though it was a was supposed to be a water-proof model. So tip: Water-proof doesn’t cut it for Songkran, you really need an underwater camera or underwater camera encasing. Forget plastic bags or anything else that would not allow you to throw your camera in a bathtub, which is about the level of protection you need.

Of course.. most people don’t intentionally splash an expensive camera.. “most people”.. but with 100,000 folks out drinking and partying and water-warring, it only takes one to ruin your camera.. Also it’s so crazy that it’s throw a bucket first and check what happened later..

So especially if you can’t protect your camera, you will need a zoom lens and a safe point to capture the action. *Fairly* safe if you also have a level of camera water protection would be to climb on top of the moat-corner ruins. They’re higher up, people mostly can’t reach you but you’re in an elevated position to capture the action.

Other options include a hotel or apartment room on the moat, or shooting from inside a car. The latter is difficult; capturing the exact ‘action’ moment is already difficult enough as it is, AND you now have to do it in between windscreen wiper sweeps to keep water drops from the windscreen. If you can even get a good shot from being relatively low down and shooting through glass..

So.. Good luck… I have a video camera this year and I haven’t decided yet how to go about it.

[Gazza]

Best place to celebrate Songy now is indoors. Just peep out from the window and when I spot someone enjoying themselves I shout "Hey, p!ss off!! Go and play around your own house you little gits!" usually followed by "Hey! I heard that! you little bastard. I'm telling your mum and dad off you. Aye, I know where you live as well you &lt;deleted&gt;' little tw@ts. Go on! Fukc Off and leave me alone!!!".

I just don't get a moments peace to count all my money these days. Bah!!

Edited March 9, 2005 by Gazza

[Padkapow Guy]

Thanks for all the replies. It sounds like Chiang Mai might be best suited for taking pictures of the festival.

PKG

thanks heads up on protecting your camera.

[Diggerbasher]

Got to agree that Chiang Mai is a great place for Songkran and so is Koh Chang.

[Sir Burr]

Hate Sonkran. I go into seige mode. Make sure I have enough of everything so that I don't have to leave the house. Thank God Songkran in Phuket only lasts a day.

Actually, if you really want to see the best Songkran it is by far and away the best in Yangon, held on the 14th April.

[Jockstar]

My missus says Chiang Mai. Far better than BKK she said. I'll be up there this year. Been there done that in Bangkok. Ok for a couple of days but any longer and it becomes boring. Anyway chuck, still up for a beer ?

[chuchok]

My missus says Chiang Mai. Far better than BKK she said. I'll be up there this year. Been there done that in Bangkok. Ok for a couple of days but any longer and it becomes boring. Anyway chuck, still up for a beer ?

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bloodyoath mate. Be great to catch up.

[TizMe]

I've spent past songkrans in BKK, Chang Mai and Pattaya.

This year will definately be the best.

I'm flying out to Oz on April 2nd and not coming back for 10 weeks. It should have dried up by then.