Songkran in Pattaya

[billy2bs]

I saw somewhere this past week that Songkran..water.powder and all, is to be celebrated on Sep 18 in Pattaya. Is that in fact true? How long will it last? i will be returning tha tnite from a China trip and want to decide where to stay for my last few days in LOS. Should I venture to Pattaya and enjoy the man made rains or stay up in Bkk? Whatcha think? maybe the boys will be in a friskier mood or will they even be around? :party
Thanks...Bill

[Dani69]

Songkran is in April not September and I am pretty sure its from 16th to 19th .... cant wait :party

[Neal]

Songkran should be celebrated in Bangkok April 13 - 15 with the biggest day on the 15th. Outlying cities like Pattaya will celebrate Songkran between April 13 - 16th with the biggest days to be the 15th and 16th. I thought it was over on on the 15th but my Thai calendar says 16th. It is rare to get hit with water after those dates and would only be by a stupid falang but it surely is not uncommon to get hit with water in the first few days before!
:party

[billy2bs]

OK good...well i am sure I did in fact write April and some how it ended up as September. But then i guess what i had read about it being 18 Apr was in fact not correct. But i guess it still falls about the 15th. All settled then. Seee ya all soon where ever you may be.

Bill

[Neal]

Someone just wrote to me and said it ends on the 19th. I can only say what my Thai calendar says. Its got those dates in red and if they were correct, which I think my dates might be, it covers the weekend. The other dates are weekdays. as I said, I bow to someonelse's intelligence on this.

[painai2]

I absolutely hate Songkran the way Pattaya celebrates it, and I know many resident Farangs who feel the same as I do. We get out of town that week, if possible. A few (like Dodger obviously) enjoy getting drunk out of their minds and find it fun--but I don't.

[colmx]

Someone just wrote to me and said it ends on the 19th. I can only say what my Thai calendar says. Its got those dates in red and if they were correct, which I think my dates might be, it covers the weekend. The other dates are weekdays. as I said, I bow to someonelse's intelligence on this.

Songkran in Pattaya never changes from year to year

Pattaya Songkran always starts on the 18th in naklua
And moves gradualll southwards over 36 hours to engulf all of Pattaya and Jomtien... (and long may it continue :blackeye: :blackeye: :blackeye: )

On the 20th it is pretty rare to find people throwing water in Pattaya area... but if you are desperate for more fun you can find it in Sattahip o the 20th

[pong]

yes-colmx has it right (and a short warning to khun DaBoss) in PTY they always have slightly different dates. A few days later as the normal big Thai days.

[2lz2p]

The regular days celebrated throughout Thailand are 13, 14, & 15 (hence the marked days on Thai calendars). However, I have lived in Pattaya for 10 years and they always have their "official' celebration afterward -- some time ago, I recall reading that this was because most Thais in Pattaya are from elsewhere and go home to visit family on the regular days, so Pattaya (Naklua, etc.) do theirs later so these Thais can celebrate again with their friends/co-workers, etc. in Pattaya.

But, the water throwing starts in Pattaya and environs on the regular days without regard to what the City fathers declare -- and, it carries on until the end of Pattaya and Naklua's officially declared days for observation - which are the 18th and 19th -- so if in Pattaya, expect to get inundated from the 13th to the 19th (admittedly, the "official" day(s) are the worst with bumper to bumper traffic on the main roads with pickups and other open bed trucks having barrels of water and a "crew" to throw it on all and sundry.

My bf loves it and goes out every day to enjoy Songkran -- me, I lay in a stock of supplies and hibernate during that period --- I'm not fond of having water poured over me (or the recipient of a high powered water gun - those are usually in the hand of drunken farangs - they are also supposedly banned, but like many other "rules," not enforced) -- but, I could probably handle some of that -- it's the powder that I can't stand.

Thanks for the info PNP, most appreciated so we understand.
Me? well for 2 years I got into and had a ball but as PNP says, I hated the powder!. These days I worry about slipping and falling as the powder is everywhere and mixed with water can be slippery. Also all the people playing a very drunka nd don't mean harm but they don't ask how you are health wise before they make sure you are included in their fun.

So! I like to spend the first few days of Songkran in Pattaya getting ready and the day it ends in Bangkok and starts in Pattaya I run like hell to Bangkok and hide in the Shagri-la coming back on the 20th and help supervise the cleaning up of the bar which is CLOSED on the biggest Songkran day the 19th.
Leave it to the kids!

[newalaan]

Should I venture to Pattaya and enjoy the man made rains or stay up in Bkk? Whatcha think? maybe the boys will be in a friskier mood or will they even be around? Thanks...BillIf you want to really 'immerse' yourself in SongKran and want to be around heaps of gay boys having fun, (yes they will definitely be around and yes usually in a friskier mood) then Pattaya would be the place. As noted already water throwing from 13 through to 19th in Pattaya. I assume the decision taken years ago for Pattaya to have extra days is more about tourist (Thai and foreign) promotion and revenue. Everywhere else in Thailand it stops on the 15th. It probably is just further evidence that Pattaya is 'at odds' with the rest of Thailand in terms of cultural norms and contrary to what Thais would consider as a reflection of their country. Many Thais also head to Pattaya after their own Song Kran for even more fun and these extended dates in Pattaya allow for it.

It really makes a bit of a mockery of an ancient Thai tradition by 'allowing' Pattaya to be 'different' in the name of commericialism, tourism and cash. Pattaya does not just exist on prostitution, it even blatently prostitutes itself 16-19th April every year. I'm not knocking the fun had in Pattaya at Song Kran time, as I say it's great fun there but you could easily have the same amount of 'fun' in Pattaya over the normal 3-day Song Kran peroid, only there would not be the same amount of money flowing along with the water.

I went to Pattaya for songkran one year, and while it was great fun, unless you are prepared to enter into the fray 100% it can be a pain trying to go about normal things.
Bangkok is much more 'normal' in regards to Song Kran and I much preferred it to Pattaya. There they respect workers going about their work and allow office workers etc.. to pass without a soaking if they are not already wet or powdered or will only apply a little poweder to the face and not touch the clothes. Even on Suriwong/silom the water throwers kind of 'sought' permission with a look or smile before wetting or powerding if you do not already have water or power on you.

On the night of the 15th in Bkk is great at the Thai clubs. I went to GStar, Rachada and inside was a 'wet' area wilth all electrical and valuable itmes covered in plastic. You got plastic bottles of water and a bag of powder at the door as part of the small entrance fee, and inside was great fun. Boys with all kinds of water guns(not the powerful Pattaya-farang types) and everyone was 100% soaked! The water throwing and powdering inside was a great way of making contact with someone you were interested in. I was with company but found myself dragged from table to table on my own for a 'good powdering'. Don't remember seeing another farang there that night, and the boys were more 'forward' than usual as they were all so happy, mood and booze wise.

Recommend Pattaya for over-the-top celebrations and Bkk for 'normal' Song Kran celebrations!. Personal opinions only.