Music, ballet, light shows and magic mark the opening of Iconsiam

An invitation-only private event takes place tomorrow (November 9) for VIPs, celebrities, artists from around Thailand and the world, members of the Thai and international media and the first 1,000 members of the general public selected by Iconsiam.
It features a line-up of international artists including Choi Siwon, Kim Dong-jun, and F4 as well as a surprise concert by a world-renowned singing star whose identity is being kept secret.
On Saturday and Sunday, members of the public are invited to see shows and performances by F4, free of charge.
Iconsiam will welcome visitors with a combination of magnificent traditional Thai art and a Thai shadow play, a performance art that dates back to the Ayutthaya Period. The artistic work to be performed was created by Professor Kamol Tassananchalee, the 1997 National Artist in visual arts and a locally and internationally renowned artist. The shadow play will be performed by Thai masters from Wat Khanom while skilled puppeteers will put on a traditional Thai puppet show bringing to life famous literary heroes and heroines created to act as if they were alive, waiting to greet and entertain visitors in a polite and friendly manner.
Also joining the opening celebration will be floral and butterfly performances in the form of Stilt Walkers from Australia’s Empress Stilt Dance.
The highlight show at the River Park on the bank of the Chao Phraya River is called “Eternal Prosperity” and combines art and culture with material advances to reflect the prosperity of the past which has continued into the present as well as the advancement and the glory of the future. 
A riverside area has a huge performance stage decorated with an exquisite sculpture designed by Chalermchai Kositpipat. The sculpture is installed above the expansive performance area spanning more than 1,000 square metres and is to be used for traditional Thai performances, contemporary Thai dances, international performing arts and world circuses. These performances are from many of the country’s leading institutions and include a song called the “Icon of Dreams” presented by the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra led by Dr Sugree Charoensuk, the melody for which was composed by Dr Narong Prangcharoen and Sarawut Lertpanyanuch with lyrics by Dolchai Boonyaratavej, and with Thanis Sriklindee as the soloist on Thai flute. 
The Eternal Prosperity show will include the spectacle of “Sri Mahasamut” sailing junks gliding along on the Chao Phraya River. Visitors can also admire state-of-the-art technology brought to the event courtesy of a major collaboration with Intel, which will create magnificent visuals in the sky with over 1,500 drones, making it the first great drone performance in Thailand, and the largest number of drones used in a show in Southeast Asia. 
The outdoor performances will end with the longest river dance in Southeast Asia from 8pm to 10pm. It will go along with a spectacular lighting show centred on the two super luxury residential buildings – Magnolia Waterfront Residences and The Residences at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok.
Indoor highlights include dance performances mingled with acrobatics at the mezzanine hall on M Floor. 
Visitors will also be treated to an acrobatic show by a troupe of Chinese pyramid acrobats and music performances from the band Ekkarong, conducted by Jirapan Angsawanon, and a host of international skilled musicians, together with beautiful songs from Thailand’s own diva Saowanit Nawapan. 
A giant stage 17 metres high and decorated with exquisite arts and a large garland will serve as the podium for specially choreographed dances that show the delicate art of Thai handicraft making and the meticulous art of making garlands as traditional Thai-style welcome gifts.
The 1st floor of the shopping complex showcases a collaboration of Thailand’s four leading designers namely Jirat Subpisankul, Wisharawish Akarasantisook, T-Ra Chantasawasdee, and Platt Srilalitsoi who have transformed Thai silks into an art installation of fabric called “Concentration”. The art piece was crafted with contemporary innovation combined with the traditional tie-and-dye process, resulting in a modern, creative, and unique work of art.
The high art of food decoration on garments will be on full display for the first time in Thailand with a menu created by Tom Wolfe, the world-renowned chef in collaboration with Sorapol, a Thai designer who has earned worldwide fame. Together, they will create an haute couture collection that appeals to the eye and satisfies the taste buds in equal measure on the first floor.
Special performances by world-class magicians will present for the first time ever in Thailand together with world-class ballet performances. They will perform exciting and spectacular shows around stories created exclusively for Iconsiam at Iconluxe. 
The magic shows will be headlined by Charlie Mag, a young Spanish magician who is well known around the world from a popular TV show in France. 
Mag is best known for his dove illusion that is considered one of the most difficult feats. A winner of multiple international illusion magic awards, he is considered one of the world’s most successful magicians. 
He will team up with Vinz from France, who will give a special show involving a magic key that leads to the discovery of the most beautiful art of ballet from world-class performers of the Mariinsky Theatre in a show directed by Erika Lemay from Physical Poetry.