Splash into Songkran! Silom Road to remain open for water fights in Bangkok

Bang Rak District Office officially announced that Silom Road, a popular destination for water fights in Bangkok during Songkran, will remain open this year. Locals and tourists can take part in the water fights on the streets and sidewalks of each Soi.

After three years of being affected by the pandemic, the Songkran Festival and its accompanying water fights will be fully restored this year. The water fights on Silom Road are one of the most popular attractions that people eagerly anticipate each year during the festival. However, this year, the road will not be closed so that people can enjoy the full area for water splashing.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and Bang Rak District Office wanted to make the public aware that Silom Road is the main traffic route in the heart of Bangkok. If the road was closed it would affect the overall traffic system, the residents living in the area, and patient delivery at the nearby hospitals.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt reported yesterday that Bangkok will not ban the Songkran Festival or water fights in the Silom area. People can still enjoy the festival, but not on the main road.

The governor added that Bangkok is offering 198 Songkran events to enjoy the celebration and the main traditional Songkran festival will be held in front of the BMA City Hall near the Giant Swing and Phadung Krung Kasem Canal.

For anyone who is in Thailand for the Songkran Festival, the 198 events can be checked via the NICEMap: https://th.riskmap.org/

Chadchart also emphasised that alcohol is banned in public places during the Songkran Festival. He urged people to only drink alcohol in bars or restaurants and asked for cooperation from vendors to abide by the ruling.

The Metropolitan Police Bureau’s Deputy Commissioner, Jirasan Kaewsaeng-ek, stated that the bureau has readied 4,000 police officers to oversee over 100 police checkpoints across Bangkok for the Songkran Festival.

Jirasan clarified that each checkpoint will randomly conduct alcohol tests for drivers and individuals partaking in the Songkran festivities. He also mentioned that the checkpoints will begin at noon, which is a deviation from past years when they started at night, due to statistics indicating a higher incidence of drunk driving accidents during the daytime.