Poor weather - smaller crowds at Auckland Thai festival

Wet weather ironically meant fewer festival-goers at a traditional Thai water fight last Sunday.

Auckland’s Thai Songkran Festival is held every year in Mt Albert, serving as a distant celebration of Thailand’s three-day water festival.

The event celebrates the Thai New Year and traditionally features huge water fights.

The Auckland festival typically draws in large crowds. However, Sunday’s rain saw fewer attendees than usual at the Rocket Park event.

A Facebook event for the festival was created by 18-year-old student and food stall owner, Linda Thavongsy.

The event had over 1300 interested Facebook users.

“[The aisle between food stalls] would have been filled and so hard to get through normally. But because it was raining I think everyone just decided to not come,” said Ms Thavongsy.

The festival, which normally uses both Rocket Park and its hall, was completely outside this year thanks to another booking.

Traditional dancing and a pageant are usually held inside the hall, said food stall owner Rodney Roberts.

Twenty-year-old president of the University of Auckland’s Thai Society, Weeda Lostitmonton, said the festival was a good way to gather Thai people and share traditional culture.

“It was pretty good. I met some Thai people that I hadn’t seen in awhile. It was a good catch-up.”

Twenty-seven-year-old James McAndrew also attended the event with a group of water-pistol bearing friends.

“We sort of made the fun . . . but that was what they provided, the opportunity to make that fun.”

Both Ms Lostitmonton and Mr McAndrew were not put-off by this year’s bad weather, and plan to attend the 2017 Auckland Thai Songkran Festival.