Songkran Expectations Versus Reality

Songkran is one of Thailand’s most popular and coolest festivals. It’s up there along with the Running of the Bulls in Spain and the Holi Festival of Colors in India. And while it attracts millions of people from around the world, there are a few things you should know – Songkran expectations versus reality, per se – before going to the world’s biggest water fight.

We participated in Chiang Mai’s Songkran when we first moved to Thailand in 2013. And you know what? Songkran will forever be the most memorable water fight we’ve ever experienced. Water guns, massive hoses, stages with live music and bass bumping, parades, street food, and people of all ages having a grand time getting each other soaking wet.

While undoubtedly fun and unlike any party we’ve ever been to, it was also a bit overwhelming and exhausting. We simply weren’t mentally prepared for Songkran’s impressive crowds and intense energy, so we blindly jumped into craziness up to our eyeballs. And we mean that quite literally. We got caught in a foam party where everything but our eyes was covered in suds!

PIN IT FOR LATER!

Driving

Expectation 
You hop in your car or on your motorbike and drive into town for the big celebration.

Reality
Believe it or not, vehicles are fun moving targets. Get ready for icy buckets of water and high pressured water hoses aimed in your direction. Have you ever tried maintaining control of a motorbike after being shocked by freezing cold water? What about after an explosive splash hits your windshield? Unfortunately, driving becomes quite dangerous during Songkran and there is a spike in automobile related accidents and even deaths (no joke!), so be careful!

Tip 
Limit your driving if possible. Between surprise water attacks, slippery roads, and an excessive amount of drunk drivers, it’s best to find a place to celebrate and stay put so you don’t become a statistic.

Taking Public Transportation

Expectation 
There’s a chance you’ll be drinking later and don’t want to drive home. Plus, it’s a great chance to get the cultural experience of riding in a tuk-tuk or songthaew (red cab trucks) and sightsee along the way to the big celebration.

Reality
Unless you use public transportation that can shut its windows and lock its doors, you’ll be a sitting duck. Open-aired tuk-tuks and songthaews stuck in traffic are perfect targets. You will get absolutely soaked, a victim of an uncountable number of bucket dumps in the lap and squirt guns to the face. And bless your soul if you have luggage. Let’s hope your holiday enthusiasm doesn’t wear off by the time you get to your final destination!

Tip 
Hail a Grab Taxi! For Grab first-timers, create an account and use our Grab Taxi code GRABTIETOTHAI to get a FREE ride (up to 100 THB off). Stay safe and dry in cities such as Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and more.

Or, be sure to stay at a guesthouse or a friend’s place near the festivities so you can walk. To avoid getting soaked before arriving at your final destination, wear one of those head-to-toe rain ponchos that cost about a dollar or two at any nearby 7-Eleven.

Being A Kid Again

Expectation 
You’re a kid again! You’ll play from sun up to sun down and do it all over again tomorrow. You and your new friends claimed a huge barrel of water and crafted the best water fight team name, “Splashin’ Assassins.”

Reality
You were thinking as a kid and not as an adult:

Tip 
Take care of yourself. Wear clothes that protect you from the sun, put on sunscreen, and drink (bottled) water. Play hard, but not too hard, and change into dry clothes when you’re finished.

Taking Photos and Videos

Expectation 
You plan on taking Instagram worthy pictures and YouTube worthy videos of Songkran to share with your friends back home.

Reality
Although you bought a waterproof sealable bag from a roadside vendor, you forgot to close it completely that one time and now your iPhone is dead. Womp womp.

Tip 
Protect your electronics from water. Better yet, leave your camera or phone at home unless you have a waterproof case.

Drinking Adult Beverages

Expectation 
You join in on an impromptu game of street-side beer pong or cheer your new group of friends as some fruity cocktail gets passed around.

Reality
Not-so-clean Songkran water got in your cup, but you drank it anyway. Heck, alcohol kills parasites and bacteria, right? Wrong. A week later, you’re still unable to eat solid foods and finally succumb to going to the clinic for some antibiotics. You humbly use any toilet within reach, even those infamous squat toilets that need a bucket to flush.

Tip 
Pass on the jungle juice or games of public beer pong to avoid digesting any unwelcomed organisms. Or at the very least, drink from a bottle and cover the opening with your thumb. And it goes without saying to use good judgment when drinking: wet t-shirts and booze are a bad combo and often people think it grants free passes to grope others.

Splashing People Appropriately

Expectation 
You buy a super soaker and a floral shirt for a few bucks and join in on the fun!

Reality
You get pummeled because everyone has a super soaker. Although you make an attempt at playful water fights, some people in the crowd go way overboard. Your orifices have never been so violated and you wish you had been smart enough to wear goggles, earplugs, or better yet, a full-faced anti-riot mask. Two days later you’ve developed a serious case of pink eye and an ear infection. You pay more than a few bucks to get these treated at the clinic.

You also lose your friends on multiple occasions because everyone is wearing floral shirts.

Tip 
Play nice. Deliberately squirting high-pressure water into peoples’ eyes, ears, nose, and mouth is so not cool. And although you can’t prevent others from doing this to you, you can protect yourself by wearing goggles and earplugs. It’s not sexy, but neither is pink eye.

The Magic

Whether you have read this in silent disbelief or are nodding your head in agreement (because you’ve been there, done that), Songkran is still magical.

Songkran will be the most amazing water fight you’ll ever experience. Our first Songkran was for us! You’ll be surrounded by the happy-go-lucky energy of the crowd, witness the colorful arrays of shirts and buckets, and remember the utter joy of feeling like a kid again. It’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime thing, so do it if you can.  Stay safe and have fun, and Happy Songkran!