Hat Yai gears up for Chinese New Year with parades and contests
Hat Yai is pulling out all the stops for a dazzling Chinese New Year celebration, promising a week of vibrant festivities from January 28 to February 2. This iconic festival, a highlight for Thailand’s Chinese community, will take over Srinakorn Foundation School with parades, dragon and lion dances, fireworks, and breathtaking lantern sculptures.
The festival is packed with activities to entertain visitors of all ages. Highlights include contests for the most handsome and beautiful individuals in traditional Chinese attire and a Chinese pastry-eating competition.
Family-friendly attractions range from a haunted house to games like snakes and ladders, as well as picture-drawing activities. Mini concerts by popular Thai artists will add to the festive cheer.
Devotees can pay respects to a towering 3-metre statue of the bodhisattva Guanyin, while food trucks and souvenir stalls line the streets to offer delectable eats and keepsakes. Local goods and cultural displays will be on sale to promote tourism and celebrate the rich heritage of Songkhla province.
The grand opening on January 30 is set to wow attendees with a parade, a fireworks show, and a mini concert by Thai girl group PiXXiE. Meanwhile, from January 28 to February 6, the Mittraphap Samakkhi Hat Yai Foundation will host an annual procession of Buddha and other sacred images to ward off bad luck, adding a spiritual touch to the celebrations, reported The Nation.
As light and sound shows, cultural performances, and vibrant displays take over Hat Yai, organisers hope the event will boost tourism, preserve cultural traditions, and stimulate the local economy.
In related news, Central Pattana Plc (CPN) isn’t playing small this Chinese New Year as they, together with Central Department Store Co Ltd (CDS), unleash a mega 500-million-baht spending spree on their dazzling The Great Chinese New Year bash.
Running from now until February 6, this vibrant celebration is expected to dazzle at Central malls nationwide, including the ever-busy Esplanade Ratchada.
Latest Thailand News
