This past weekend, on Sunday April 1, 2012, I went to LA’s Thaitown to check out the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations along Hollywood Blvd. They closed Hollywood off from Western all the way to Normandie to have a street festival/parade. I arrived around 11am and spent about 30 minutes just trying to find parking. I ran along Hollywood just in time to catch the beginning of the parade.
I enjoyed the celebrations, but nothing can be compared to actually being in Thailand for the real songkran celebrations. This year, it falls between April 12-15, 2012. I highly recommend the city of Chiang Mai if you are in Thailand for the celebrations.
I was a little disappointed in the street food available there. It seemed to cater to Thai-American style with mostly pad thai, fried rice, and egg rolls being served. A more true experience of Thai food can be found in the restaurants of Thaitown, honestly. But it was nice to be outdoors and seeing non-Thais enjoying a part of Thai culture with all the classical music, muay-thai, and beauty pageant going on.
Full set of pictures I took here in LA’s Songkran festival can be found here.
Pictures
