Kings Birthday Parade in Udon Thani
King Bhumibol Adulyadej is loved by the vast majority of Thai people, though apparently his wife not nearly as much. On 1st December, Udon Thani has a large parade, in celebration of the Thung Sri Muang Festival opening, and a smaller one on the 5th December for the Thai King's birthday through the city centre. It seems quite odd that the festival parade is much bigger, and attended by much larger crowds, than the birthday parade.The first parade is excellent, packed full of traditional Thai dress and dancing along the city streets. This parade begins at 2.00pm, at the Rajabhat University, near the Prince Prajak Monument Roundabout, and heads up to the Fountain Roundabout and Clock Tower Roundabout, then heads off towards Nong Prajak Park in the west of the city. An ideal location to take photographs is at the Fountain Roundabout, as it is large and the road is wide. However, lots of people are here so you will probably find that standing in sun, as unbearable as it can be, is the best ploy to not feel crowded out, as most Thai's want to hide from the direct sunlight.
It is possible to take some liberties when trying to get the best pictures, and actually get in among the parade to get far better shots of the proceedings. By focusing on an individual girl or indeed man for that matter, they will eventually break out in a big beaming smile as they begin to appreciate the attention. If you stand in one place throughout, the parade will take about 1 hour to pass you by. It should be noted that it can be very stop/start at times, and even with quite large gaps between the parade sections. You will get to see and hear plenty of traditional Thai music played, in addition to the superb traditional Thailand costumes.
There is also a considerable Chinese influence in Udon Thani, and just about every parade that takes place, has a fair proportion of Chinese culture featuring, with the large Chinese Dragons, and crashing of drums and symbols, and the setting off of large fire crackers. You know they are on their way, as you hear them long before you see them.
I have added a small slideshow so you can get a rough idea of what the parade is about. Note the young ladies that are more than happy to provide a pose and a lovely smile. This is perhaps my favourite thing about Thai's, they are such lovely people. The whole event is so colorful that it cannot do anything other than please, and I am totally hooked on the Kings Birthday parade, and never miss it.
It is possible to take some liberties when trying to get the best pictures, and actually get in among the parade to get far better shots of the proceedings. By focusing on an individual girl or indeed man for that matter, they will eventually break out in a big beaming smile as they begin to appreciate the attention. If you stand in one place throughout, the parade will take about 1 hour to pass you by. It should be noted that it can be very stop/start at times, and even with quite large gaps between the parade sections. You will get to see and hear plenty of traditional Thai music played, in addition to the superb traditional Thailand costumes.
There is also a considerable Chinese influence in Udon Thani, and just about every parade that takes place, has a fair proportion of Chinese culture featuring, with the large Chinese Dragons, and crashing of drums and symbols, and the setting off of large fire crackers. You know they are on their way, as you hear them long before you see them.
I have added a small slideshow so you can get a rough idea of what the parade is about. Note the young ladies that are more than happy to provide a pose and a lovely smile. This is perhaps my favourite thing about Thai's, they are such lovely people. The whole event is so colorful that it cannot do anything other than please, and I am totally hooked on the Kings Birthday parade, and never miss it.
