Sukhumvit lighting show
Bangkok's first international lighting festival will take place around two of the largest shopping malls on Sukhumvit road over the Christmas and New Year period with the expectation of attracting more than five million shoppers.
The EM District, comprising The Emporium and The EmQuartier, in conjunction with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), yesterday announced "The EM District Presents: Bangkok Illumination 2015," which will be held from December 1 until January 3.
Costing more than Bt100 million, the event will transform The EM District and Sukhumvit road into a lighting art exhibition with stunning displays of more than 40 objects by both Thai and foreign artists, covering over one million square metres of space divided into 14 major areas between Sukhumvit Road Soi 24 and 31.
To mark the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King’s 88th birthday on December 5, a stunning 3D mapping display will be shown on the facade of The Emporium and The EmQuartier shopping complexes.
Participating artists include DigitalArti, Eiji Sumi, Frameless Collective, Duck Unit and Keep Your Eyes On among many others. Other spnsors include Thai Beverage, Kasikornbank, True Corp and Coca-Cola (Thailand).
Kriengsak Tantiphipop, chief executive officer of The Emporium Group, said the EM District had become a shopping landmark in Bangkok since its official opening in March 2015. The EM District attracts about 100,000 visitors daily and the lighting festival is expected to increase traffic in the area by 20 per cent.
The tourism industry is rebounding significantly, particularly in the number of major in-bound tourists, particularly from China, he said, adding that the start of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) at the end of this year will lead to a greater number of arrivals from neighbouring AEC members such as Vietnam and Myanmar.
Visanu Joroensilp, TAT deputy governor for tourism products and business, said the lighting expo would attract more domestic and international tourists to Thailand.
The event falls in line with the government’s policy of building up the confidence of holidaymakers.
