National—
On February 20th, 2024, Ms. Kanika Aunjit, the Thai deputy government spokeswoman, publicly revealed after the Thai cabinet meeting regarding an approval of 104 million baht in the government budget for the Maha Songkran World Water Festival 2024 in April, as proposed by the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
The World Songkran Festival will be held in Bangkok and five regions across Thailand to preserve unique Thai traditions and create cultural recognition. Songkran overall, of course, will be nationwide in April, with the main holidays being the 12th to the 16th but celebration dates being slightly different in some areas, such as Pattaya having its famous “Wan Lai” on April 19th.
Kanika added that the event would create an “Intellectual Property Festival” patent and honor the Songkran Festival as a Thai identity. It was reported that more than 200,000 individuals worldwide would participate in the event and potentially generate income of more than 3.1 billion baht.
The Maha Songkran Festival aims to hold Songkran Parades in 16 target provinces and 11 soft power industries including foods, sports, festivals, tourism, music, books, films, games, arts, designs, fashion, and Thai traditional shows would participate.
Furthermore, each region in Thailand would have different variations regarding local identities, said Kanika.
Another proposed plan would be special nighttime Songkran events in some areas for the first time ever, showcasing the culture and tradition of the festival in lights and colours.
Read more about our take on this year’s Songkran festival here.
