New Year Celebrations
New Year’s Eve countdown celebrations will be held all over Amazing Thailand. The biggest fireworks displays will light the skies over Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pattaya, and Phuket. Here’s a quick guide.
New Year’s Eve will be celebrated throughout Thailand on 31 December, with New Year’s Eve countdowns to midnight being held at key sites throughout the kingdom.
Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha will preside over the countdown at the Temple of Dawn, a.k.a. Wat Arun, along the banks of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok.
It will be the first time that New Year’s Eve fireworks will be launched over the prestigious Buddhist temple.
At the stroke of midnight, a 9 minute New Year’s Eve fireworks display with more than 5,500 rockets lighting up the skies over Bangkok.
A 45 minute “Chronicle of the Land” multimedia display will follow, accompanied by a musical performance by the Mahanankorn Philharmonic Orchestra and Usa Asil, a multi-cultural ASEAN ensemble.
Best Spots to View New Year’s Eve Fireworks
One of the best spots to view the New Year’s Eve spectacle will be along a 300 metre stretch along Maharaj Road, which will be turned into a temporary walking street patterned after a traditional Thai style street market from 29 to 31 December.
Products from around the country will be for sale.
Other good spots to witness the New Year’s Eve Bangkok fireworks will be at the Asiatique night market, on a New Year’s Eve cruise on the Chao Phraya River, or at the many rooftop restaurants and rooftop bars that dot the Bangkok skyline.
Quick Guide to Thai New Year’s Eve Countdowns
New Year’s Eve countdown ceremonies will be held at many other locations across Bangkok and around Thailand. Here is a list of the Top 10 spots to ring in the New Year.
1. Thailand Countdown – Temple of Dawn, Bangkok, Thailand:
2. AIS Bangkok Countdown – Central World, Ratchaprasong Intersection, Bangkok, Thailand;
3. Chiang Mai Countdown – The Pae Gate, Chiang Mai, Thailand;
4. Chiang Rai Countdown – Chiang Rai Clock Tower,Chiang Rai, Thailand;
5. Pattaya Countdown – Bali Hai Bay, Pattaya, Thailand;
6. Phuket Countdown – Promthep Cape, Phuket, Thailand:
7. Three Nations Countdown – Mae Sai, Chiang Rai, Thailand;
8. Cha-am Countdown – Cha-am Beach, Thailand;
9. Amphawa Countdown – Amphawa District Office, Amphawa, Thailand;
10. Korat Countdown – Korat, Thailand.
Celebrations will also be held at Buddhist temples throughout Thailand.