Phuket Lifestyle: Food, games, music and fun, and all for charity

PHUKET: This weekend Royal Phuket Marina (click here for map: RPM) will be thronged with an extravaganza of fabulous food, fun and games for the kids and then later in the evening, superb music from The Legends of Siam, Moderndog and the internationally famous bluesmen from Australia Vdelli.

As if all this wasn’t enough to make this one of Phuket’s most exciting, “must go” events ever, the whole day is being staged by Jagota Foods, RPM and sponsored by the TAT, Channel 3 and the Phuket Gazette to raise valuable funds for the Andaman region’s less fortunate kids. What more could you want than to have the greatest day out and all for a good cause? It’s the ultimate win-win-win situation.

Starting at 10:30am through until 5pm, the Family and Gourmet Food Festival will take over the gorgeous “Boardwalk” at RPM, which surrounds the yacht basin in which million dollar luxury craft are moored. Parents and kids will have a whale of a time with fun-packed kids’ rides, games, activities and a huge selection of fabulous food stations all prepared by Phuket’s best chefs. Children from orphanages will also be picked up and brought in to enjoy this wonderful day, while two well known Phuketians – the famous Birdman with the Flying Suit, Jari Kuosma, and world renowned stuntman Ian Jamieson will be on hand to greet visitors.

The admission fee is 100 baht for adults with which you receive 100 baht worth of redeemable vouchers and all the kids get in for free.

Starting at 6pm and running late into the evening a hot rocking musical concert will kick off with terrific local and international bands. The night is headlined by Australian blues band Vdelli who have toured with BB King, Buddy Guy and ZZ Top and who are visiting Phuket for the first time. They will be supported in explosive style by alternative Thai band Moderndog Phuket’s teenage sensations The Legends of Siam.

More gourmet food from the assembled chefs will accompany the music far into the evening and this section of the event will cost 900 baht each, including one free drink, or 3,000 baht for VIP tickets which includes all food and drink.

The cuisine will be a standout part of this fabulous day, with a wide selection of fresh oysters, cold cuts and cheese, BBQ, a
selection of Thai dishes, hot dogs, sausages, Lady Pie pies, kebabs and wraps and desserts of bakery and crepes, ice cream and candy cup cakes. All this will be prepared and served by many of Phuket’s top chefs who will be on hand throughout the event.

The kids are going to have a wild time with an exhilarating selection of rides and games including the dynamic Euro Bungee Jump, High Sheep Climbing, Hand Spin Boats, Giant Rolling Waterballs, Little Girls’ Falls Foam plus wandering clowns, face painting, jugglers and heaps more to keep even the most energetic kids entertained all day.

The day will undoubtedly be one of the fabulous events in the Phuket calendar whatever your age and whether you come just during the day, or turn up for the bands in the evening….or stay all throughout the day and long into the evening. In addition to great fun, food and entertainment all this is being done to raise funds for some of the Andaman’s most important kids’ charities, orphanages and institutions.

The funds raised will be distributed in the most transparent and openly-publicized way by a committee comprised of the Governor and Vice Governor of Phuket Province, plus representatives from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Authority of Thailand, a top local legal firm and ten General Managers from Jagota, participating Hotels plus the Executive Chefs.

The organizers of this magnificent event are very concerned that everyone knows very clearly how much has been raised and how the funds are distributed in order to do give best possible help to the disadvantaged kids of our region. Hence, the Gazette will publicize the total funds raised and the charities to which they are being distributed on Friday February 16 and all distributions and accounting will be handled by a highly placed independent local accountancy firm.

This event for everyone is most definitely not to be missed!

Tickets can be reserved at 082-790 5141, 083-182 8460 (English speaking) and 076-273 555 (Thai Speaking) and will also be on sale at the gate.

This event is proudly sponsored by the Phuket Gazette, PGTV and the nationally televised Phuket Today show on UBC/True Visions. The half-hour show runs six times a day, seven days a week, on channel 99.

For more information please visit: thailandcharityevent.com.

— Baz Daniel