All eyes to the East

The Colours of the East, a festival that celebrates four of Thailand’s eastern provinces by offering a variety of products and services from Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi, and Trat returns to Pattaya later this month for the seventh year.

All four tourist destinations are within relatively easy travelling distance from Bangkok, with Pattaya in Chon Buri a mere 100 kilometres and two hours away by car. Rayong, home to the popular island resort of Koh Samet, is a little further at 179 km while Chanthaburi is 245 km away and Trat 315.

“The good news is that you can travel to all four in just one festival,” says Tharnthip Meelaksana, a tourism and sports official for Chon Buri province. 

“I’ve lived in Chon Buri for five years and have seen how much the festival has developed every year. Everybody now knows our mascots, Nong See and Nong San and our theme song ‘Seesan Tawan Ok’ [Colours of the East].”

 “Had Sai Kaew or Diamond Beach is the longest and probably the most popular beach on Koh Samet, with such tiny grains of sand that you feel like you’re walking on cotton,” says Boonchai Thansamai, who is responsible for tourism and sports in Rayong province.

“Chanthaburi is famous for its durian and mangosteen while Trat’s signature dish is ‘khao phad phrik kluea’.” 

“I always have trouble choosing which of these four provinces to choose. I love them all,” enthuses actress Varataya “Jui” Nilkuha, who stars in Channel 3’s TV series “Samee Tee Tra”.

“Pattaya is so close to Bangkok that it’s a great place for a day out and the atmosphere on Koh Samet is second to none. Chanthaburi is quieter with lots of delicious fruit while Koh Kood off Trat is one of the most unspoilt places in Thailand.

This year’s event, which runs from March 27 to 30, is being held on the theme “Summer of Love”. It will open with “The Power of Love”, a show about a legendary couple who fall in love on Koh Sichang off the Chon Buri coast and will feature the Thai golden oldie “Phrom Likhit”.

With the improvements to the footpath in Central Pattaya now complete, the festival is moving back from its Jomtien base and two stages will be set up in front of Central Festival. Among the artists set to perform are Sermsartr “Sam” Del Rosario, Natcha “Fangkhaw” Jittanon and Kannaphong Taraket from TV reality show “The Voice”, Nararak “Ten” Jaibumrung, Jirakorn “Ae” Sompitak, Sirintip “Rose” Hanpradit and Lulu Lala R Siam.

There will also be performances of eastern cultural arts, prize drawings and games. The event begins at 5.30pm with a star-studded parade. The beach road will be lined with more than 200 stalls selling food and beverages, local products, tourist souvenirs and cheap merchandise. Punters can also take part in a flower-decoration contest to win cash of up to Bt300,000.

 “This event’s objective is maintaining tourism is these eastern coastal provinces and increasing tourist income. 

The tourist trade can build careers and solve the unemployment problem in all the provinces,” says Chon Buri Governor Komsan Ekachai. 

“It will help people recover from the political crisis.”

The organisers are also inviting festival goers to take pictures with a lover, family member or friend at any of the tourist attractions in the four provinces on the theme “Summer Love”. The best image shared on Instagram will reward its taker with a package tour to South Korea for two. The deadline is September 7.