Coming to Phuket during April? Then you’re in for a big surprise if you’re here from April 13 to 15. This is the time of the Thai celebration of New Year, Songkran – an event that marks the beginning of the solar calendar (it translates as ‘the passing of’). For some, it’s a period of reflection and carrying out of displays of respect to elders. For others – in fact, for most people – it’s a perfect excuse to get merry, hit the streets and throw tons of water around at anything that moves out there.
Traditionally speaking, Songkran was the time of year when the rice harvest was finished and farmers had to wait for the rains to begin in order to replant their rice. This would be the driest point of each year so it would seem sort of illogical to waste water by pouring it over elders’ hands. But amazingly, over the years, Songkran gradually developed into an orgy of water throwing using buckets and water guns.
Songkran Festival in Phuket - one of the highlights of 11 Unusual & Funny Things in Phuket and Phuket Festivals & Events (Read all about Phuket Province here)
Songkran starts off innocuously enough but by midday, on April 13, the streets are lined with pickup trucks with their beds loaded with ice-cold water and ‘water warriors’ strafing and splashing passersby who line the side of the road shooting back. As you can imagine it’s a fairly chaotic scene, all the more so because the very agents of Law and Order – the police – are the number one targets for many revellers. Nowadays people have taken to adding talcum powder to their watery ammunition; icy water is also an added delight though the police take a dim view of ice cubes.
Small children delight in equipping themselves with water guns and spraying anyone who comes in their path – no one is exempt! Remember this date when you're in Patong and leave your cameras and anything likely to suffer water damage behind in your hotel room because of all the water flying around.
This is a nationwide festival but the craziest place to get involved in Phuket is… (no prizes for guessing) Patong’s center of hedonism: Bangla Road. The Beach Road comes in a bedraggled and soaking second as the place to splash and be splashed.
Normally, the police will try to keep a cap on things by allowing water throwing only on April 13. But it appears that in Patong, anything goes. So you can expect the watery revelry to last longer there.
One thing is absolutely certain: unless you plan to sequester yourself in your room for 3 days, YOU WILL GET WET WET WET!
Still, as with all wild parties, certain precautions have to be taken. These are:
- Only take waterproof photo equipment out with you
- Do not wear expensive clothing – it will probably get ruined
- Best not to ride a motorbike for very many obvious reasons and indeed avoid driving any vehicle
- Wear sunscreen and apply it regularly as it will wash off
- If you are in a vehicle, don’t expect to get to your destination in a hurry as traffic is snail slow
