Khao San Road to close for Songkran fun
published : 12 Apr 2023 at 08:52
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Online Reporters
Khao San Road in Bangkok will be closed from April 13-15 from noon to 8pm for water splashing events during Songkran, which is expected to generate 30-40 million baht a day.
More people are expected to throng Khao San as Silom Road will not be closed during the first full-scale Songkran party since 2019.
Business operators on Khao San Road and nearby areas have prepared activities to mark the return of celebrations, said the president of the Khao San Business Association.
Authorities have allowed shophouses to turn on music and set aside areas for water splashing, but there will be no stages on the road itself, he said.
Authorities will be on hand to ensure safety for partygoers and regulate traffic in the area. They will also be checking people for weapons and any attempts to smuggle in alcohol. Also on the banned list this year: nudity, revealing clothing, powder smearing and high-pressure water guns.
About 30,000 to 40,000 Thai and foreign tourists are expected on Khao San Road each day during Songkran with average spending of 1,000 baht each, or 30-40 million baht, said the president.
Hotel room bookings on Khao San Road and nearby areas are already at 70% occupancy, he added.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on Monday that Silom Road would not be closed for Songkran but people would be free to splash water and indulge in other fun-filled activities as usual.
Learn from listening
Vocabulary
- activity (noun): a thing that you do for work, interest or pleasure, or in order to achieve a particular aim - กิจกรรม
- full-scale: as complete and thorough as possible; all-out - การใช้ทรัพยากรที่มีอยู่อย่างเต็มที่
- indulge in: to allow yourself to have something enjoyable - ปล่อยใจไปตามความต้องการกับ
- nudity: the condition of not wearing clothes, or of not covering a part of the body that is traditionally covered when you are in public - การเปลือยกาย
- occupancy: the percentage of rooms in a hotel that have paying guests staying in them, i.e., paying guests occupying them -
- set aside: to keep or save something from a larger amount or supply in order to use it later for a particular purpose - สำรอง
- smuggle: to take drugs, money, people, etc. to or from a place secretly and often illegally - ลักลอบนำเข้า
- splash: to hit something noisily with a liquid - กระเด็นเปื้อน, สาดกระเด็น
- stage (noun): a raised area, usually in a theatre, etc. where actors, dancers, speakers etc. perform - เวที
- weapon: an object such as a knife, gun, bomb, etc. that is used for fighting or attacking somebody - อาวุธ
