Songkran festival - World's Largest Water Gun Fight set Guinness World Record
Songkran festival: celebrating new year in Thailand and Myanmar with water fights
The annual Songkran or water throwing festival has now kicked off into high gear across Thailand, as thousands of revelers in Bangkok have set a new record for the world's largest water gun fight to mark this year's Songkran celebrations, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.
In an attempt to break the 2007 world record in Spain, a crowd of 3,477 participated in the water pistol fight for 10 minutes in the Thai capital yesterday in the Guinness World Records attempt, surpassing the old record of 2,671. The revelers started assembling on Wednesday afternoon for the battle outside the Central World shopping complex, one of Bangkok's major Songkran venues.
Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra, who chaired the event, which was also witnessed by ambassadors of Kenya, Cuba, Singapore and Pakistan to Thailand, said that the successful attempt reflected the unity of Thai people through a unique cultural display during the annual traditional Thai New Year festivity.
Elsewhere in Bangkok, Thais and foreign tourists have thronged Khao San Road, a popular travelers' destination in a historic part of the city. With well-organized and safety measures, the 500-meter road is an ideal place to join the summer water-throwing.
In the northern resort Chiang Mai Province, considered a Songkran hotspot, downpours Wednesday afternoon could not deter what appeared a great fun of Songkran celebrants, both Thai and foreign tourists, as local roads along the city's wall were packed with the revelers on foot and vehicles, splashing water on each other--though the showering created a rare scene of people in raincoats.
In Hat Yai, Thailand's main commercial hub in the South, tourists from neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore joined the town's prime area in a large number.
Hat Yai's Midnight Songkran has allowed people to extend their fun time until late hours--amid well-prepared security measures to ensure social order.
It is estimated that Hat Yai alone will attract over 50,000 tourists during the Songkran Festival this year.
Songkran festival 2011- World's Largest Water Gun Fight set Guinness World Record Video
