Bikers to take over Bangla

PHUKET: For the first time in the nine-year history of the annual Phuket Bike Week (PBW), bikers joining will take over the island’s unofficial party zone, Soi Bangla in Patong, for two evenings of the five-day event. Organizers announced yesterday that this year’s PBW will run from April 12 to 16, coinciding with the Songkhran festival. The event kicks off on the 12th with a dinner at West Coast Custom Motorcycles on the Phuket Town bypass road at 6 pm. The Soi Bangla parties – with live music, bike shows, cabaret shows, bike contests and a Miss Phuket Bike Week contest – will be held on the 14th and 15th. The soi will be closed to traffic on both evenings, while bikers seeking to park their beauties there will be subject to a 100-baht parking and security fee. Other activities include a welcome party at Nicky’s Handlebar on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, Patong, starting at 6:30 pm on the 13th; a buffet dinner at the Banthai Beach Resort, 94 Thaweewong Rd, Patong, on the 14th; and a charity ride starting at 10 am on the 15th. For more information, contact Somnuek “Nicky” Phonkaew (Tel: 01-9792264 or email nickyhandlebar@hotmail.com) or Wittaya “Sumon” Singkalah (Tel: 01-6919346 or email: sumon@e-mail.in.th), or visit the website at https://www.phuketbikeweek.com .