Pak Nam Pho Chinese New Year festival roars to life on banks of Chao Phraya
The ancient and spectacular Pak Nam Pho Chinese New Year festival kicked off in Nakhon Sawan on Monday night under the theme "The dragon flies skywards and the flowers bloom".
The province 250km north of Bangkok is home to a large Chinese-Thai population who celebrate the lunar New Year on the Chao Phraya riverbank with fireworks, dragon and lion dancing and pole-climbing.
The New Year celebrations run every night in the city until January 26.
Monday’s crowd was treated to dazzling pyrotechnics and Chinese-Thai cultural performances.
Now a magnet for tourists, the event also features exhibitions of arts and culture, vendors selling local specialities, and a range of performances and activities.
The festivities culminate on the night of January 24 with the Chao Pho-Chao Mae Pak Nam Pho procession, which is expected to draw over 100,000 visitors.
A daytime procession of dancing dragons, lions and other traditional Chinese-Thai performances will flow through the streets on January 25, bringing the festival to an end.
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