Silom hits record 160,000 revellers as Chadchart orders 8pm close

Bangkok’s Songkran celebrations have surged to new highs this year, with Silom once again emerging as the city’s busiest water-play zone after recording around 160,000 entries in a single day, prompting Governor Chadchart Sittipunt to order tonight’s festivities to end at 8pm.

Speaking at the BMA Command Center on April 14 alongside senior executives, Chadchart gave an update on the 2026 Songkran situation across the capital, saying the overall atmosphere in Bangkok had been exceptionally lively, especially on Silom Road, where crowd numbers had broken last year’s record.

Data collected through the city’s AI camera system showed that Silom registered about 160,000 entries and exits on April 13, far above the previous high of around 100,000. At one point, activities had to be paused temporarily so crowds could be cleared away from the emergency lane.

Chadchart said the AI system had also proved effective in supporting security operations, with two people wanted under arrest warrants identified and apprehended at the event site.

Across Bangkok, the cumulative turnout over the first four days of Songkran, from April 10 to 13, reached 1,382,418 people. The six most popular locations were Siam Square, Silom Road, Iconsiam, S2O, Banthat Thong and Khao San Road.

The governor also addressed complaints over noise from the S2O event, saying the issue had been resolved. Sound levels were kept below the legal limit of 70 decibels, he said, and the number of complaints submitted through Traffy Fondue had dropped sharply.

On road safety, Chadchart said nine people had died in accidents over the four-day period, down from 15 deaths during the same period last year. He said motorcycles and alcohol remained the main contributing factors.

With Silom expected to stay heavily crowded tonight, City Hall has urged people planning to head there to get off the BTS one station before Sala Daeng to help reduce congestion. The Silom event will end at 8pm, while normal traffic is expected to resume from 9pm.

Elsewhere, officials are also trying to ease severe congestion caused by pick-up trucks splashing water in areas including Phran Nok, Chok Chai 4 and Udomsuk. Chadchart said officers were coordinating urgently with police to speed up traffic flow.

He ended by stressing that sexual harassment and violations of other people’s rights would not be tolerated. He urged the public to be good hosts to visitors during Songkran and to alert officials immediately if any problems were seen.