Night Bazaar & Walking Street During Songkran

[Lobo4819]

During Songkran, are Night Bazaar and Walking Street alive and well, or does all the merchandise get soaked in the fun, or do they skip a week?

[phomsanuk]

I heard they're going to prohibit alcohol sales, true?

[WinnieTheKhwai]

During Songkran, are Night Bazaar and Walking Street alive and well, or does all the merchandise get soaked in the fun, or do they skip a week?

Both of those happen in the evening, after the watery "fun"* ends. Not sure if both markets will be in full swing though, I guess some of the sellers will have joined the festivities so not sure if everyone manages to turn up in the evening. But on the other hand, Songkran attracts a lot of Thai tourists from Bangkok, so that's extra incentive to open up especially for the Walking Street market (which is the better one anyway).

You do want to go a little later, to make sure the water stuff has truly ended; it tends to go on a bit in the Thapae area where the Walking Street market starts, mostly by less clued in foreigners.

I heard they're going to prohibit alcohol sales, true?

They say that every year. If it's enforced at all then it's individual sellers on the street, and 7-elevens and so on. Doesnt' apply to bars. And doesn't apply to anyone with enough planning sense to stock up beforehand, which is the vast majority.

[ * Note: I put "fun" in quotation marks because "fun" doesn't even begin to describe the euphoric, joyous exuberance that this incredible festival brings to everyone lucky enough to be in Chiang Mai. ]

[elektrified]

I heard they're going to prohibit alcohol sales, true?

They had the alcohol police last year on foot going around and confiscating beer, etc. from the backs of pick-up trucks and from people openly sitting there with coolers of beer, etc. Never seen them not sell alcohol in bars and so forth. I can't remember but 7-11's must be prohibited from sales as well.

Wouldn't worry. They are mostly looking for underage kids drinking in public.

[StevieH]

Both of those happen in the evening, after the watery "fun"* ends.

noticed a marked upsurge last year of people not acknowledging the 'about 6pm' cutoff point, which caused an argument or three. mostly farang tourists but a few thais too. i love songkran but i also love the evenings off, so would be nice if there were some guidelines issued to people about that. i realise this is never going happen of course like. . .

[eyecatcher]

both these markets are on saturday/sunday; but surely it will just about have ended by the weekend, assuming its at full tilt by wednesday...i cant see it being a concern; only for women and other shopping enthusiasts

[eyecatcher]

Ooops, my reply maybe only half right! forgot night bazaar every day; hmm dont know!

[WinnieTheKhwai]

both these markets are on saturday/sunday; but surely it will just about have ended by the weekend, assuming its at full tilt by wednesday..

No; Sunday is the 15th, that's the last party day.

First full on day is Thursday 12.

[bristolgeoff]

somehow i don,t think they would let their stock get wet.people get wet not their profit or goods

[onthedarkside]

somehow i don,t think they would let their stock get wet.people get wet not their profit or goods

Th stock will be completely covered with plastic sheets. Sssseeshh they have been doing this for a very very long time.

[barefoot1988]

i will be in chiang mai during songkran this year. may i ask, how will i survive without getting wet? i dont cook, eating out all the times, can i assume i will be needing a rain coat whenever i go out? would i get splashed when eating in resturant?

should i walk or drive instead of riding? do people here splash at on coming bikes? because that seem utterly rude and dangerous to me

[heybruce]

i will be in chiang mai during songkran this year. may i ask, how will i survive without getting wet? i dont cook, eating out all the times, can i assume i will be needing a rain coat whenever i go out? would i get splashed when eating in resturant?

should i walk or drive instead of riding? do people here splash at on coming bikes? because that seem utterly rude and dangerous to me

There are some idiots, almost entirely western tourists, who think it's funny to hit a person on a motorbike with a bucket of cold water. Of course some very unfunny accidents happen.

Restaurants with outdoor eating areas are generally safe, though it's a good idea to sit away from the street. Indoor restaurants are completely safe, though some in the busiest areas will close during Songkran.

A lot depends on where you will be staying. Not all of Chiang Mai goes nuts with the water activities, but everywhere along the moat surrounding the old city, scattered areas in the old city, stretches of Huay Kaew and Suthap, and (I'm told) the river will be insane. I'm sure there are many other places that will also be crazy, basically anywhere outside where you see people congregating there will be a lot of water being tossed about. However in a lot of the city there will be little or no water being thrown.

The water activities are supposed to end, either at sundown or six p.m., I'm not sure which. Some people keep going for a while after that, once again the tourists are the biggest offenders. You should be safe after eight p.m.

[millwall_fan]

Last year some Brazilian geezer chucked water at my 4 year old whilst we were having a massage across the road from us at 9pm. When I ran after him and called him a number of unrepeatable expletives he called me a kill-joy and said 'didn't I know when to have fun' These morons need to read their guide books a bit more thoroughly and get it into their heads that just because a few drunken bar girls carry on after sundown, that shouldn't be taken as a licence for them to do so as well. My son was quite upset because he loves Songkran, but he'd been up, had his bath and was now in his designer gear (well Tachilek designer gear!). Songkran had finished for the day.

[uptheos]

do people here splash at on coming bikes? because that seem utterly rude and dangerous to me

Yes, it seems utterly rude and dangerous to you to throw water at an oncoming motorbike, because I presume you are not a idiotic drunken piece of sh** or someone with a very serious mental illness or personality disorder.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I have a rule for my family to never splash motorbikes unless they are stationary and clearly participating in the festivities. It's also better to not even 'pretend-threaten' a motorbike, because you will still distract his attention from traffic, cause him to swerve, etc.

A lot of people think it's a great joke to take a big (but empty) bucket and make a huge show-hurl motion at a motorbike. That can be almost as bad as actually throwing water; it distracts the riders attention from where it should be and is very disorienting; some riders would involuntary 'lean' into the direction from where they expect the force to come from, causing them to move left, on to wet/muddy patches and before you know it they fall or hit a post.

The above, and more, is in my "Parent's Guide to Songkran" which will be coming to a forum near you very soon.