Chinese New Year Festival in Thailand

One of the main venues in Bangkok is the city’s Chinatown, a fascinating maze of streets and lanes crammed with shops, restaurants and street-side stalls.  But there are celebrations to mark the arrival of the Year of the Tiger in the city’s up-scale shopping district around Central World Plaza and the National Theatre next to Sanam Luang.  

Chinese communities abound in various provinces in Thailand, so visitors are never too far from the colourful, robust celebrations that mark the arrival of the New Year. Phuket town on the southern island is an important venue for both religious and social celebrations. Ayutthaya 70 km north of Bangkok is another popular venue, while Pattaya on the eastern seaboard, Chiang Mai in the north and Songkhla on the southern coastline of the Gulf of Thailand are equally impressive places to visit during Chinese New Year celebrations.