Officials in Phuket say they plan to hold a “No Alcohol” Songkran event on Dibuk Road in the outskirts of the Old Town district (opposite the Dragon Park). According to a Phuket Express report, Rewat Areerob, President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation, says the event will be alcohol-free to provide a safe alternative to the usual madness and alcohol-fuelled water fights.
“The Songkran No Alcohol 2023 event will be held on Thursday, April 13 from 5pm to 10pm on Dibuk Road in front of Limelight Avenue in Phuket Town. The campaign is aimed at decreasing road accidents during the festival.”
It’s not the first time Phuket officials have held an alcohol-free event for Songkran. This year’s will be the nineth such gathering, although all Thai New Year celebrations were cancelled for 2 years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rewat says this year’s alcohol-free event is expected to attract around 25,000 people between the ages of 15 and 35.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Thailand’s Songkran festival has been included on a tentative UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. An intangible cultural heritage is a representation, expression, practice, knowledge, or skill, in addition to artifacts and cultural property, that UNESCO considers part of the cultural heritage of a place.
SOURCE: The Phuket Express
