To mark its eighth anniversary, Central Festival Phuket, in conjunction with Thai Airways International, held the International Food & Seafood Festival 2012, with an "Under the Sea" theme to showcase a variety of delightful cuisines from popular local restaurants and luxury eateries from five-star hotels including Blue Elephant, Silk Bar & Restaurant, Catch Beach Club, Ratri Italian Restaurant, Sala Bua, Baba, Boathouse, Aqua, Mali Seafood, V-Set and Kan Eang@pier and Dae Jung Kum, to name a few.
Phuket deputy governor Jumroen Thippayapongthada presided over the grand opening, welcomed by Central Festival Phuket's vice-president for business development Lertvit Pumipitak. The opening event included a fashion show featuring actor Varintorn "Great" Panhakarn, actress Kimberley Woltemas, and supermodels Neeranat Victoria Coates, Rujira Chuaykua and Saengthong Ket-uthong. The remarkable fashion show, also themed "Under The Sea", was staged on a specially designed catwalk.
Another highlight was the mesmerising aerial acrobatic display in the style of Cirque du Soleil by Rajanikara Kaewdee, the newly crowned champion of Thailand's Got Talent 2012.
Other activities included a cooking demonstration by world-class Thai chef Nooror Somany-Steppe of Blue Elephant.
There was also a celebrity cook-off, with three well-known personalities _ Rasri Watcharapolmek, MR Sudhipanee Yukol and Charles Pulskie _ pitting their culinary skills against one another. Ms Rasri took the top prize with her kim chi sushi.
Surprising the guests during the mini concerts by Saowalak "Amp" Leelabut was Prasert Tanhansa, THAI district sales manager Phuket, who went on stage for an impromptu singing session with Saowalak. The non-stop entertainment continued with the "Amazing Kitchen Percussion Show" a cooking demonstration by Chef Ik (Krua Indy TV show), a marathon eating contest, and a mini-concert by a reggae band.
In conjunction with its eighth anniversary celebrations, Central Festival Phuket is continuing its "Save Phuket Save our Planet" CSR project, which will sponsor the release of young turtles into the sea.
