Step into Nonthaburi’s riverside past at Maha Chesadabodin festival

For seven evenings, Nonthaburi is inviting visitors to slow down, dress in Thai costume if they wish, and soak up the atmosphere of a festival where history, local pride and riverside life meet.

The 2026 “Culture on Both Banks of the Chao Phraya: Maha Chesadabodin” festival is being held from March 27 to April 2 at Chaloem Kanchanaphisek Park and Nonthaburi Pier.

More than a local fair, the event is designed as a showcase of the province’s identity, bringing together food, folk arts, cultural performances and products from all six districts of Nonthaburi in one place.

Welcoming members of the media arriving by Chao Phraya Express Boat, Panessara Kanchanachitra, Deputy Governor of Nonthaburi, said the festival was intended both to honour King Nangklao, or King Rama III, and to celebrate the cultural richness of the province.

She noted that visitors who walk to the far end of the embankment will find a monument to Rama III, where they can stop to pay their respects.

The charm of the event lies in its sense of variety. According to Panessara, the grounds bring together local traders from across Nonthaburi, with stalls selling hard-to-find local produce and specialities.

There are also stations dedicated to folk performances and cultural displays, an agricultural zone for plant lovers, and an OTOP section packed with food and community products.

“It is like visiting all six districts of Nonthaburi in one trip,” she said.

One of the festival’s strongest visual themes is the story of “red bag money”, the personal royal funds amassed by Rama III through overseas trade, including trade with China and India.

In the opening light-and-sound performance, that story is retold through music, movement and symbolism, with red money bags and oversized gold coins representing prosperity and the enduring identity of Nonthaburi.

The narrative links the festival not only to local culture but also to a wider memory of commerce, resilience and national history.

Chettha Mosikarat, Governor of Nonthaburi, said the province was also encouraging visitors to wear Thai attire inspired by the Rama III era as a way of reconnecting with the past.

“We want people to take pride in Thai history,” he said, adding that those who do not have their own outfits can rent one at the festival for 300 baht.

He invited residents of Nonthaburi, Bangkok and nearby provinces to come and “shop, taste, share and experience the charm” of Chao Phraya riverside culture together.

The festival is also being positioned as an easy nearby escape. Sirinard Chatsupakul, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Bangkok Office, said the event aims to spread income to the province by turning local art, culture and products into a travel draw.

She described it as the festival’s eighth year, with this year’s light-and-sound show returning for a second year as a major highlight. The performance, staged once daily at around 7pm, tells the story of historic trade at Nonthaburi Pier and the use of the red bag as a symbol of wealth and exchange.

For visitors put off by travel costs, the organisers are making the trip easier. Sirinard said TAT’s Bangkok Office had partnered with Chao Phraya Express Boat to offer free cross-river boat rides, while also supporting a 99-baht guided tour programme to Wat Chaloem Phra Kiat, available once a day.

She also urged visitors to arrive in Thai dress — whether a sabai, jongkraben or an adapted traditional outfit — and said the first 100 people who post their photos in Thai costume to the TAT Bangkok page will receive souvenirs sent to their homes.

The “Culture on Both Banks of the Chao Phraya: Maha Chesadabodin” festival is open daily from 5pm to 10pm. The event runs for what organisers call seven days and seven nights, with illuminated riverside landmarks, 17 stations, school performances, check-in spots and stalls run by local vendors.