My first time venturing out of Bangkok for the weekend was to the infamous city of Pattaya. Once a hub of R&R for American soldiers during the Vietnam War, Pattaya has become a tourist hub with quite the reputation. So much so, I didn't know what to expect when my coworker asked my wife and I to join them for the annual fireworks festival.
As soon as we got of work on Friday afternoon a luxurious van picked us up from our school and we made the hour and a half highway journey to Pattaya. Once we arrived we dropped out things at our Airbnb and hit the door. We grabbed a burger and some shakes and waited for dusk to arrive, because that was when the first fireworks show was scheduled to begin.
After eating we walked 1 km to the beach to the enjoy the fireworks show. What we found when we arrived was a packed event, standing room only! I wasn't used to seeing this many people gather in quite some time so I felt a little uneasy.
The show was starting just as we arrived and four shows followed. Each show was about ten minutes long and was fined tuned to song. There was a Harry Potter themed show and even a show dedicated to Hugh Jackman's 'The Greatest Showman'. Each show tried to outperform the previous.
After the 4-firework shows, there was a huge street festival filled with food, music, and people. This was definitely a family affair for people of all ages. Vendors were selling toys and snacks for kids and drinks for adults.
I was so surprised by the number of people that came out in the pandemic.
The next night was filled with even more fireworks, but we decided to watch from the roof of our AirBnb. The view of the fireworks was better, but the rooftop lacked the music and the festival atmosphere. I still had a great time as I sipped drinks with my colleagues and wife and chatted between shows.
Overall I think that the Pattaya fireworks festival was a success for everyone. I would highly recommend if you have the opportunity to go you should check it out.
Check out a video of one of the shows below.
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