Thursday 13th November 2008
Pattaya celebrates the Loy Krathong Festival.
The Loy Krathong festival is over for another year. We now report on the days activities and attended the official event held at the Bali Hai Port and went down to both Pattaya and Jomtien Beaches. We checked out Walking Street in South Pattaya which was extremely busy until the early hours of the morning. At the Bali Hai Port, Khun Itipon, The Mayor Pattaya was guest of honor at this Loy Krathong Festival Event which included Thai Traditional Dancing and a parade of Loy Krathong costumes. This was followed by a fireworks display. Walking Street was lined with spectacular Krathongs allowing for photo opportunities for the thousands of tourists who converged on the street. We spotted many who dressed up for the occasion armed with their Krathongs which were later released on Pattaya Beach. Jomtien beach was also full of people launching their Krathong’s in to the sea. Fireworks and fire lanterns were seen along the entire stretch of the Beach. We returned to Pattaya Beach the next morning to see for ourselves the aftermath of the Loy Krathong Festival and the water and beach was littered with used fireworks and Krathongs. We understand that City Hall dispatched a fleet of street cleaners to the Beach on Monday afternoon to begin the massive clear-up operation.
