Generally speaking, Songkran festival is fun for the first timer celebrating with the locals. Feel the atmosphere how the locals celebrate this traditional festival.

Apart from that, if one had already been through the Songkran festival , I recommend you to skip it unless you love being wet, ice water, drain water, powder water and those unknown water splash over you . I enjoy the first experience because I did not have any feel of it before decades ago, but once is more than enough!!!!! IMHO

Songkarn as I have seen it and still love it as always.

http://www.pbase.com/win13/song

Sawadee

Win

Reminds me of how glad I'll be to be out of the country.

Last year, I spent time on Huay Kaew Road near Kad Suan Kaew Mall, and also around the Thapae Gate area. There are definitely more drunken foreigners at Thapae Gate, and I quickly tired of the obnoxious behavior. From the Mall, I could walk up into Santitham, where the scene is much more traditional. I actually had several youngsters point to the little waterproof video camera I was wearing like a cell around my neck, and they wouldn't douse me until I said okay. If you stay on the main roads around the moat and love shoulder to shoulder contact with very wet people, it's paradise. I'm laying back this year, and covering my ears and face. Like many others, I came away from Songkran with an ear infection and bronchitis.