Phuket high season opens with colourful parade

Suthicha Sirirat

Golden opportunity: One of the many queens in the parade.

PHUKET: A colorful street procession yesterday evening (November 1) marked the start of the 29th annual three-day Phuket Carnival, officially ushering in the island’s tourism high season.

Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong led officials to watch the street procession at 6pm on the beach road in Patong before watching a stage performance on Bangla Rd, and a fireworks display by the Royal Thai Navy to honour HM King Bhumibol.

The theme of this year’s carnival is “Blissful Beach”, supporting the beach reform which kicked illegal entrepreneurs off the sand and “returned happiness to all people including tourists”.

Today’s activities will include a chefs’ competition at 4:30pm and stage performances, starting at 8pm, by students from HanRangSee Prachasan in Pattalung, Thai country singer Tonkao R-Siam, Laung Kai and Ko Khai.

Tomorrow (November 3), divers will join in a drive to collect underwater garbage, starting at 9am. At 7pm there will be a “Jazz International Music” concert featuring Nueng-Jakkawarn from Thailand, Manila Machine from the Philippines, JSFA from South Korea and Bangkok-based Siam Cubano, featuring Deana Collazo from Cuba and Jun Abe from Japan.

During the festival local street food and local craft products from around Thailand will be on sale along the beach road from 10am.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-high-season-opens-with-colourful-parade-gallery-49453.php

-- Phuket News 2014-11-02

Golden opportunity: One of the many queens in the parade.

No doubt many other expats were there wearing mens clothes too !!

kinda like putting lipstick on a pig...

The parade may have been colourful, but I doubt Phuket will be seeing the "colour of money" this "high season."

Why did they do this parade exactly during rush hour and creating one big grit lock.