PUBLISHED : 30 Jan 2024 at 05:40
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will preside over a ceremony kicking off this year’s Lunar New Year celebrations on Yaowarat Road on Feb 10, deputy Bangkok governor Tavida Kamolvej said on Monday.
Her Royal Highness will arrive at the gate on the Odeon Circle at 5pm to officially get the two-day celebration underway.
Ms Tavida on Monday announced the princess’ participation in the ceremony during a press conference about the event. It followed a Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) discussion on safety measures for the event with various agencies.
Many activities, including lion dance performances, an exhibition highlighting Thai-Chinese ties, and decorating Chinese lanterns, will take place during the annual celebrations in Bangkok’s Chinatown, she said.
To ensure safety, the BMA and other organisations will place security officers at designated locations, said Ms Tavida.
Four out of the 78 Chinese shrines in the city and some department stores, namely CentralWorld, Siam Paragon, and Iconsiam, will hold their own Chinese New Year events in conjunction with the events in Yaowarat on Feb 9-10, she added.
To keep air pollution under control, specifically fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5), the BMA called on people who will attend the event not to do anything that will contribute to high smog levels, such as burning incense sticks, candles or paper.
Chinese tourists were the country’s largest group of visitors before the pandemic and are seen as vital to the recovery of the tourism industry.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin earlier posted on X that it is expected there will be at least 137% growth in Chinese tourist numbers this Chinese New Year.