BANGKOK Governor Chadchart Sittipunt presided over the opening ceremony of this year’s Songkran Festival at Silom road entitled “Songkran Silom Splash Out With Thai Culture 2026” then led a parade of floats and tuk-tuks with merriment to run for three days from today (April 12) to Tuesday (April 14) from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Amarin TV said,
Thai and foreign revellers braved the hot sun and started splashing water at this key city centre road for 10 a.m today.
Police were stationed at various points, including near the BTS Skytrain stairs, to monitor crowds. More people are expected to participate in the water festivities in the evening.
This year, the emphasis is on “3 Dos 5 Don’ts” for safe water play including not using high-pressure water guns; no sexual harassment; no alcohol on public transport; and no splashing water on moving vehicles. Carrying weapons or weapon-like objects is prohibited, and in some areas, the use of powder is also banned.
Regarding complaints about noise disturbance from the S2O concert, Chadchart stated that the event has been held for many years, and permission was obtained for the use of sound system, in accordance with regulations.
The noise level within the event area must not exceed 70 decibels, and the surrounding area not higher than 10 decibels of normal levels with strict supervision being necessary.
Last night, approximately 30 complaints were received directly at BMA’s Happy Fondue website. This afternoon, district officials and the police station were holding a meeting to find a solution to alleviate the public disturbance. Chadchart noted that while permission to use the sound system was obtained, there were specific conditions attached.
Meanwhile, Pol. Gen. Adisorn Ngamjitsuk Sri, adviser to the Bangkok Governor, said that, as far as he knew, the sound was drifting because the speakers were positioned high to cover the event area. Officials will likely measure the sound level to determine if it is within the permitted range and if there is a difference between nighttime and early evening noise levels.
Officials will also request that the speakers be lowered as effort must be made to keep the noise down because of these complaints.
Regarding security measures in the area, Chadchart said that there are checkpoints before entering Silom with police officers checking for weapons and CCTV cameras screening for criminals. These measures have been stepped up so it should be safer this year.
As for prohibition during Songkran this year, Chadchart said they remain the same: no applying powder, no causing disturbance to others, and everyone should be mindful of inappropriate or revealing clothing.
Regarding the capacity of the area, Chadchart stated that there is a high turnover rate, last year it was hundreds of thousands of revellers, but there are people coming and going, and they generally move in the same direction.
He believes there is not much to worry about. From Silom, people might go to Lumpini Park and then to Benjakitti Park for more Songkran fun. However, officials are counting the number of people in each area, and those showing up after the limit is reached will not be allowed in, to ensure safety.
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Above and further below – Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt and his team launching the Songkran festival in Silom today.
First below – Silom is packed with Songkran revellers having a good time.. All photos – Amarin TV
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