Thai festival kicks off tomorrow

The 13th edition of the Thai Cultural Festival will be held from tomorrow until Sunday at Rua de Abreu Nunes, dubbed amongst Thais as “small Bangkok.”

The street will host a total of 17 food and activities stalls in a bid to promote its culture in the city.

Organized by the Thai Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Macao Government Tourism Office, the festival will give away 2,500 packs of rice for use in traditional blessings.

According to the president of the chamber, Christine Mok, stall applications for the festival have been increasing in number, but only 17 could be accommodated due to the street limit.

“Last year, we had 15 stalls. That street is small and many stores want to join but we could not accommodate more. There are no plans of adding more because we really want to hold the festival there, as many Thais have been living there since they came to Macau… That is why we call it small Bangkok. There will be performances such as dancing and singing, along with Muay Thai performances,” said Mok.

This year, the organizer said it would also accommodate a Thai massage stall for residents to experience its wellness techniques.

According to the organizer, they are expecting some 20,000 participants to attend the two-day festival.

“Thailand and Macau have different cultures, and so when Thai people move to Macau and live here, we want to continually promote their culture, so their children will also be reminded of such culture,” Mok explained.  LV