Songkran 2015 alcohol free ?

[terminatorchiangmai]

Just heard yesterday that the bars on Loi Kroh Rd., are only allowed to sell alcohol form 11:00 till 14:00 and from 17:00 till 00:00.

Well if that is really going to happen it will ruin Songkran tourism for the coming years for sure.

This is the last opportunity for bar owners to make some money before the low season starts.

So how can they hold up to this stupid rule.

I think there will be even more drunk people walking around this time with bottles of hard liquor.

Might be a good idea to buy that camel-bag now.

[khwaibah]

That laws has been in effect since 2008. You must have just woke up.

[worgeordie]

If only it would be,it would save many lives on the roads,

innocent victims among them.

regards Worgeordie

[terminatorchiangmai]

That laws has been in effect since 2008. You must have just woke up.

Maybe you need to wake up first and read the headline ?

i know that law is in effect since 2008.

The bar owners just had a meeting on Tuesday and this year they have to follow the law with Songkran.

[khwaibah]

That laws has been in effect since 2008. You must have just woke up.

Maybe you need to wake up first and read the headline ?

i know that law is in effect since 2008.

The bar owners just had a meeting on Tuesday and this year they have to follow the law with Songkran.

Amassing

[samsensam]

Well if that is really going to happen it will ruin Songkran tourism for the coming years for sure

what a ridiculous and uninformed comment.

[Thailand]

That laws has been in effect since 2008. You must have just woke up.

Maybe you need to wake up first and read the headline ?

i know that law is in effect since 2008.

The bar owners just had a meeting on Tuesday and this year they have to follow the law with Songkran.

h

Scandalous, just imagine having to comply with laws.

[pgrahmm]

The idiots still have 3 hours to get tanked up and be stupid.....then all night to drink and wind down.....maybe if they could stay sober they might enjoy all the good fun that is taking place away from the bars and see the good in the holiday......

[Papayabokbok]

Smash n Grab!!

Rip n Run...

Gee..i guess theres NO getting around this law

As they say will go over like a Fart in Church......whatever--carry on....

I will be hiding in my room anyways....

[PHP87]

I guess some people need to get liquored-up in order to have a good time.

[FolkGuitar]

Last year I watched as a farang couple wearing somber suit and tie and dark dress were walking. The were obviously NOT interested in participating in the festivities, holding their hands out in front and to the sides to let people know they didn't wish to get wet. Most people respected their wishes. Some Thais sprinkled a few drops of water on the woman's hand, being very careful not to get her any more wet than that. They did take a little bit of collateral damage, but nothing that would ruin their clothes... until two very drunk Westerners ran up right in front of them, no more than a meter away, and despite the couple's cries and protestations, drenched them with two very large buckets of water hurled right in their faces while laughing hysterically...

Most people had no difficulty in complying with their request to stay dry. It was obvious they had some specific need to be wearing formal clothing on such a hot day and be walking through a 'combat zone' too. I imagine they weren't particularly happy to have that need.

Perhaps having an alcohol-free holiday might not be such a bad thing.

[khwaibah]

Last year I watched as a farang couple wearing somber suit and tie and dark dress were walking. The were obviously NOT interested in participating in the festivities, holding their hands out in front and to the sides to let people know they didn't wish to get wet. Most people respected their wishes. Some Thais sprinkled a few drops of water on the woman's hand, being very careful not to get her any more wet than that. They did take a little bit of collateral damage, but nothing that would ruin their clothes... until two very drunk Westerners ran up right in front of them, no more than a meter away, and despite the couple's cries and protestations, drenched them with two very large buckets of water hurled right in their faces while laughing hysterically...

Most people had no difficulty in complying with their request to stay dry. It was obvious they had some specific need to be wearing formal clothing on such a hot day and be walking through a 'combat zone' too. I imagine they weren't particularly happy to have that need.

Perhaps having an alcohol-free holiday might not be such a bad thing.

Blind leading the blind comes to mind. Actually the farangs in their formals had this coming to them.

[brewsterbudgen]

Sensible, but I doubt it will be enforced.

[JingerBen]

Last year I watched as a farang couple wearing somber suit and tie and dark dress were walking. The were obviously NOT interested in participating in the festivities, holding their hands out in front and to the sides to let people know they didn't wish to get wet. Most people respected their wishes. Some Thais sprinkled a few drops of water on the woman's hand, being very careful not to get her any more wet than that. They did take a little bit of collateral damage, but nothing that would ruin their clothes... until two very drunk Westerners ran up right in front of them, no more than a meter away, and despite the couple's cries and protestations, drenched them with two very large buckets of water hurled right in their faces while laughing hysterically...

Most people had no difficulty in complying with their request to stay dry. It was obvious they had some specific need to be wearing formal clothing on such a hot day and be walking through a 'combat zone' too. I imagine they weren't particularly happy to have that need.

Perhaps having an alcohol-free holiday might not be such a bad thing.

Blind leading the blind comes to mind. Actually the farangs in their formals had this coming to them.

For sure.

They shouldn't have been out and about in formal clothes during a water festival.

But FolkGuitar has a good point about drunken loutish behaviour.

[Don Mega]

so, the world is going to implode because they are going the enforce the laws and one cannot buy a beer at a bar for 3 hours in the afternoon......

Allrighty then.

[eyecatcher]

so, the world is going to implode because they are going the enforce the laws and one cannot buy a beer at a bar for 3 hours in the afternoon......

Allrighty then.

And of course if you think the 3hr restriction for a couple of days is the bar owners last chance to make some real money before low season then they must be in dire straits already.

Funny how theres often a correlation between drinking to excess and trouble/violence/accidents/death.

[TheAppletons]

If one is a bar owner - which seems to be the most likely source of outrage - this probably is a big deal. You have thousands of potential customers roaming around at the hottest part of the day, many of them on holiday, and you are willing but unable to sell product.

Be interesting to see if any entrepreneurial types come up with a workaround, like selling 1000 thb "restroom access" wristbands that include free beverages.

[arunsakda]

Sensible, but I doubt it will be enforced.

The authorities obsessed with image improvement will likely follow through on their Fatwa, if only to make example of these dying dinosaurs on LK road.

A few metres away alcohol will be sold openly, and the callous Farang who always overdo it every year won't have to move far.

Last year women were casually selling beer from coolers directly on Huay Kaew road directly across from Maya, just like the "old days".

I witnessed them accosted by Police. In outrage they were ordered to set shop in the Eastin Hotel driveway just a few steps away.

"Songkhran no Alcohol" is impractical even if certain degree of harm reduction is desirable and possible.

[northernjohn]

Well it seems according to the OP that 3 hours a day without Alcohol on Loi Krow road will ruin tourism in Chiang Mai.

I guess he figures people come from all over the world to drink in those three hours on Loi Kroh road during the Songkran.

The way I have it figured is the ones who come from all over the world for Songkran will be out on the streets in those hours. I highly doubt they come all this way to get drunk before in the middle of the festivities. More than likely the bars will do a lot better after the closed hours than they do in the same hours most of the year. Besides there is a heck of a lot of other places to drink in Chiang Mai than Loi Krow.

[FolkGuitar]

Last year I watched as a farang couple wearing somber suit and tie and dark dress were walking. The were obviously NOT interested in participating in the festivities, holding their hands out in front and to the sides to let people know they didn't wish to get wet. Most people respected their wishes. Some Thais sprinkled a few drops of water on the woman's hand, being very careful not to get her any more wet than that. They did take a little bit of collateral damage, but nothing that would ruin their clothes... until two very drunk Westerners ran up right in front of them, no more than a meter away, and despite the couple's cries and protestations, drenched them with two very large buckets of water hurled right in their faces while laughing hysterically...

Most people had no difficulty in complying with their request to stay dry. It was obvious they had some specific need to be wearing formal clothing on such a hot day and be walking through a 'combat zone' too. I imagine they weren't particularly happy to have that need.

Perhaps having an alcohol-free holiday might not be such a bad thing.

Blind leading the blind comes to mind. Actually the farangs in their formals had this coming to them.

For sure.

They shouldn't have been out and about in formal clothes during a water festival.

But FolkGuitar has a good point about drunken loutish behaviour.

I doubt they had much choice in the matter. It was a brutishly hot day, certainly not one for a suit and tie. They obviously HAD to wear those clothes and just as obviously had no choice about being outside in them, getting from point A to point B. Blaming them for being out dressed like that is rather like blaming a rape victim for being female.

The Thais were very careful not to get these people's clothing wet, yet still managed to bless them for the new year (which I guess is what Songkran is all about, right?) without ruining their clothing. It took a pair of drunks to ignore all their pleas and drench them from head to toe with ice water.

Songkran without the drunks is fun.

Songkran without the drunk foreigners is a delight! People might actually not go into hiding for five days if it could be like that!

[khwaibah]

BTW.. The new sport tax took affect yesterday and beer, cigarets and liquor just went up 2%. Enjoy.

[philw]

Oh dear,

Water at a water festival.

Whatever next?

[WinnieTheKhwai]

That laws has been in effect since 2008. You must have just woke up.

Yes, but as you know, bars were pretty much selling throughout the day and especially all day through Songkran.

What the OP is talking about is a recent meeting where bar owners were told they are not allowed to sell alcohol during those hours and that it will be enforced.

That said, it's tough enough as it is for bar owners to get people to buy a drink, when alcohol is all over the place and a party is all over the place, mostly outside the bar anyway. I usually make it a point to order drinks in bars to support them and because it's the fair thing to do when having fun outside with their staff, but it actually takes effort.

Anyway.

This.

Really good way to combine drinking and celebrating Songkran. Keeps the moat water out of your drink real well.

[khwaibah]

That laws has been in effect since 2008. You must have just woke up.

Yes, but as you know, bars were pretty much selling throughout the day and especially all day through Songkran.

What the OP is talking about is a recent meeting where bar owners were told they are not allowed to sell alcohol during those hours and that it will be enforced.

That said, it's tough enough as it is for bar owners to get people to buy a drink, when alcohol is all over the place and a party is all over the place, mostly outside the bar anyway. I usually make it a point to order drinks in bars to support them and because it's the fair thing to do when having fun outside with their staff, but it actually takes effort.

Anyway.

This.

Capture.JPG

Really good way to combine drinking and celebrating Songkran. Keeps the moat water out of your drink real well.

Thats NOT what the OP is talking about in his first post. Please re read it. He did not clarify it until post number 4.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

You're right. You get the tar, I'll source the feathers.

[pgrahmm]

Oh dear,

Water at a water festival.

Whatever next?

Do you have ANY CLUE how the water rituals started???? It wasn't with a bunch of drunks with a squirt gun....Any other bright observations?

[piewarmer]

The Chinese tourists will be unaware of Songkran, There will be tears.

[Mickeem]

The Chinese tourists will be unaware of Songkran, There will be tears.

Yeah those naive Chinese tourists must be flocking here unaware of the mayhem.. maybe they haven't checked out the Chinese travel websites and social media

thinking it will just be a few stinking hot days in April regular holiday break..

As for the 2PM-5PM prohibition .. looks like another oppurtunity for the BIB revenue collection department

[philw]

Oh dear,

Water at a water festival.

Whatever next?

Do you have ANY CLUE how the water rituals started???? It wasn't with a bunch of drunks with a squirt gun....Any other bright observations?

Nah...

But the bunch of drunks and the squirt gun sounds fun.

[mr chow]

There you guys go again! Rampant hyperbole. Hard drinking! Look at the pace as a

CHEERS atmosphere. Same guys, same stools,some happy,some not.

Where I come from they called REGULARS. REGULARS are good when you're in business. REGULARS pay your BILLS!!!

Had this the other night. Chicken parm sando: