songkran 2013 dates?

[benny27 3]

Hi folk,

 

I read on a tourist site that Songkran Thailand 2013 is 13-17 April, which means it is starting on a Saturday and finishing on a Wednesday. Is it the same dates in Pattaya? Only reason is that last time I came for the festival was 3 years ago and I seem to remember it finished on a Saturday.

Thanks,

[maik 444]

Final day in Pattaya use to be 19 April.

 

But it start weeks before

[jacko 8,813]

Pattaya is always a few days later, in fact a few regions have their own days, Pattaya makes a week or more of it culminating in a final crazy day (19th).

[plahgat 523]

Songkran day in Thailand is always on 13 of April.

Officially it's only one day, but in some tourist places it lasts longer.

Pattaya and Chiang Mai it doesn't finish until 19 of April.

Bangkok usually quiet on 16 April.

Phuket and Samui is mainly on 13 April, although some kids might start some water throwing on 12 April.

 

Plahgat

[LeoTex 29]

The Thai New Year, Songkran, is always the same 'dates' each year, April 13th, 14th and 15th, so the beginning and ending will be based on the dates and not the day of the week.

 

Like what was mentioned, in Bangkok it is over on the 16th. Places like Pattaya it goes on for what seems like forever. In Pattaya it starts out on the 13th, but the last few years the water thing starts lightly a day or so earlier. After the 15th it tappers off a little, but not much. It come back very strong on the 19th with a lot of places closing on that day because of all the water stuff going on and trying to keep the water out of their businesses. After the 15th of April, the water stuff thats goes on in Pattaya, Chang Mai has nothing to do with the Thai New Year, just the crazies that go overboard with the water thing.

 

LeoTex

[jte 1]

When will the city shut down Beach road for the day?

 

Will that be on the 19th again?

[grs90 49]

On a related matter, what day will the mass exodus from Bangkok begin? I was planning to get a bus up to Korat on 10th April but saw some of the traffic going up highway 1&2 on 29h December last year for the new year and want to avoid anything similar.

[jacko 8,813]

On a related matter, what day will the mass exodus from Bangkok begin? I was planning to get a bus up to Korat on 10th April but saw some of the traffic going up highway 1&2 on 29h December last year for the new year and want to avoid anything similar.

Likely 12th and 13th will be very busy.

[THAJEC 0]

2.69 Million Tourist Arrivals Expected for Songkran Festival
As many expats and long-term tourists are preparing to leave Pattaya and Thailand specially for Songkran, MCOT reports that "at least 2.69 million tourists will arrive Thailand on 16,000 flights from next week to celebrate the water-splashing Songkran festival, according to the Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT)."
More than 22 million foreign tourists visited the country throughout 2012, so an anticipated number of 2.69 million tourist arrivals only for the upcoming Thai new year festival is, to say the least, obviously massive. On the other hand, is it realistic - even if one assumes this number includes Thai nationals returning to Thailand only to spend Songkran with their families?
According to the MCOT report, "several airlines" will reportedly increase their number of flights to Bangkok from April 9 to April 18. "Flights via Suvarnabhumi Airport will be boosted from 802 flights/day to 844 flights/day ... Passengers using the airport during Songkran will increase from around 157,000 persons/day to 164,000 persons/day." We'll see rather soon whether these numbers will also result in a boost for the tourism and specifically the entertainment industry?

[CheshireTom 1,377]

On a related matter, what day will the mass exodus from Bangkok begin? I was planning to get a bus up to Korat on 10th April but saw some of the traffic going up highway 1&2 on 29h December last year for the new year and want to avoid anything similar.

 

Lots of businesses are taking 12 and 15 as holidays to make a 4-day weekend ... buses, trains and flights are likely to be very busy from the afternoon of 11th.

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Does Pattaya actually have any organised Songkran activities - or is it only the stuff on the 19th and every other day is just a free-for-all?