Bangkok at Songkran

[sydneyboy]

The Songkran Festival is officially from Friday 13 April to Monday 15 April. What is Bangkok like during these days? I believe a lot of locals leave to go their home provinces so does it start "unofficially" earlier and/or extend later? What are the go go bars like during this period? Comments appreciated.

[sydneyboy]

Comments anyone?

[markie1]

Comments anyone?
Its fun if you like been wet for 5 days , i prefer to stay dry,its impossible if you are there on Songran

[newalaan]

I was in Bkk for songkran about three years ago. Stayed at The Tarntawan. During the daytime there was water and powder everywhere just as there is all over Thailand so walking around during the day I just dressed accordingly. Even the waiters/doormen at the Tarntawan had a hose standing at the end of the lane from the hotel on Suriwong road. A walk from there to Central shopping centre and around certainly resulted in a powdered face and fairly wet clothes and hair, but i did note that many others especially office workers were spared. The other thing was the amount of politeness by many of the water and powder throwers, where they hesitated before wetting you, kinda looking for permission if you were not already covered.

However after dark in the evening the soi twilight bars were open as usual as were the agogos, and there was no water throwing in the streets. Although some boys do go back home........many don't for the simple reason that they are expected to pay for all the family and friends celebration costs. One boy told me if he does not go back home the family celebrate songkran with a reasonable amount of food and drink, if he goes back which he used to do, he found that suddenly the family needed more whisky, more beer, more this and that and distant relatives would appear, marginal friends would become 'best friends' all because they knew he would have money. So many stay and work and then enjoy songkran with friends, so there were plenty of boys going around the bars.

The only place there was water at night was when we went to Rachada Soi8. We went to G-Star and on the last songkran night they turned the disco into a water park. All electrical equipment etc was tightly covered in plastic, at the door you received 3 plastic bottles of water and some face power for Bt50 or Bt100. Inside it was awash. Everybody inside was soaked and covered in white powder but what a great night it was dancing, everybody in a happy mood and drunk. Many guys had water pistols and you fired water at the guy who was the subject of your affection to get his attention.

I found there was no overlap of the dates in Bkk like there is in Pattaya and sometimes elsewhere. My bfs village it starts on the 11th and finishes on the 19th as it has done for decades but in Bkk it started right on the first day 13th and ended the night of the 15th. One positive thing was the mood of all the boys and waiters, there really was a party atmosphere everywhere.

[martin911]

Bangkok ( Silom/ rachada areas ) is abs crazy during songkarn !!!!!!!!!!!
Silom road itself has to be seen to be believed --- i think its hard to full comprehend the sight if you have not seen it before !!!
--Thais young and old (mainly younger in silom ) and farang throwing water ,daubing each other in wet sticky powder/paste , everybody in great spirits,laughing , smiles beaming everywhere !!!!!!!!!!!
the shy look on cute boys/girls faces as they pour water on you ,even more mischievious looks when the water is ice cold !!! ---

Its a really great experience to be part of this creat Thai celebration -
Silom soi 4 is mental -- packed with wet shirtless gay guys --the groping that goes on (BY THEM !!! ) is unreal,but done in the best of form :):)
Yes its very packed but its a sight to behold !!

Last April BF and myself spent most of songkarn in Ot To Kor -Its on youtube somwhere , -check out RightAngel
Hundreds opun hundreds of wet sexy thai gay guys dancing inside/ outside the clubs there (Fake/Eqinox etc )--the testostrone in the air ---- They take over the road ,traffic can hardly get thru !!!
And in the central division of the road stand all the young toot boys ,(like one big pack !! ) and it seems as if they are almost leering across the roadway at the hunky older gay guys --it has to be seen to be believed [

[colmx]

BF and I were also in Bkk for Sogkran 2.5 years ago.. spent the day time on Khao San Road on the 13th and then on to Hollywood on Rachada Soi 8

Holywood was absolutely mental and we were all standing in 4 inches of water by the end of the night... everyone was issued with plastic bags for their valuables and all the drinks/Ice were covered in plastic straws

Following night we hit at Ot to Kor - it was great fun until the tanks arrived on the way to qwell a red shirt uprising!

I think the video below shows what Martin describes above very well... notice the 2 cars driving through the mass of people... thats normally a 2 lane dual carriageway!

[youtube:35vg70ym]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9YywMNUJmk[/youtube:35vg70ym]

If you are of a nervous disposition - or don't like Sanook ... i would not recommend Bkk (or any place in Thailand) at Songkran to you!