News Forum - Limited access to Khaosan Road due to overcrowding

[Thaiger]

Police temporarily blocked access to the renowned backpacker haven of Khaosan Road last night, as the Songkran event attracted an overwhelming number of participants. Police are urging new visitors to await the departure of those already at the venue before entering the 400-metre-long road in Phra Nakhon district. Songkran festivities kicked off yesterday and are …

The story Limited access to Khaosan Road due to overcrowding as seen on Thaiger News.

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[Vigo]

One place I would not to be even if I was 21 years old.

[ChrisS]

Personally I can think of no place I would rather not be during Songkran than Khaosan Road. Far too many drunk Farang for it to be even remotely a safe place to be.

[Guest1]

Sonkran, in Khao San? That is worse as it would be, to do that in the Patong Bangla area on Phuket. Only stupid foreigners splashing all and everything, not taking care the hours or the signs, if people don`t wanna participate. Only morons (no offense ;-) are going out on sonkran and to such places!

[HolyCowCm]

2 minutes ago, ChrisS said:

Personally I can think of no place I would rather not be during Songkran than Khaosan Road. Far too many drunk Farang for it to be even remotely a safe place to be.

It's all relative. The biggest thing is you participate. CM is and was soooo much fun yesterday and today. People are really happy. I don't live in the city so I today played localy. 2 lane road - (Big Tree road). Lots of fun, and we took the 2 dogs today on the scooter. So much too fun. CM city yesterday was fun too. Different mix of people, but everyone was super realy happy. Everyone!

 

[Marc26]

54 minutes ago, HolyCowCm said:

It's all relative. The biggest thing is you participate. CM is and was soooo much fun yesterday and today. People are really happy. I don't live in the city so I today played localy. 2 lane road - (Big Tree road). Lots of fun, and we took the 2 dogs today on the scooter. So much too fun. CM city yesterday was fun too. Different mix of people, but everyone was super realy happy. Everyone!

Wife has been getting shithoused and having fun for 4 days now.   

 

 

 

[HolyCowCm]

13 hours ago, Marc26 said:

Wife has been getting shithoused and having fun for 4 days now.   

I am on day 3. Used to be easier when younger.

[Pinga]

That literally sounds like my personal hell- overcrowded, full of drunk ****s splashing water on anything and everything. I made the mistake of going to Khao San road on New Years one year because the gf at the time insisted she wanted to go - it was so overcrowded you couldn't even stand without being constantly bumped into and pushed - after about an hour I broke and told her we're going home. Of course taxi wanted 600 baht - because happy new year you have no choice!

[Dancbmac]

14 hours ago, Guest1 said:

Sonkran, in Khao San? That is worse as it would be, to do that in the Patong Bangla area on Phuket. Only stupid foreigners splashing all and everything, not taking care the hours or the signs, if people don`t wanna participate. Only morons (no offense ;-) are going out on sonkran and to such places!

No Thais at all in Kaosan?  Only stupid foreigners slashing all and everything during Songkran?  Thailand tourism advertises and encourages Songkran festival, but “only stupid foreigners” are participating.

I agree if people don’t want to participate for various reasons which is reasonable and I would think they would know they will get wet if they decided to walk on Kaosan Rd or Bangla in Phuket during Songkran. Expecting the crowds to stop when they (a m***n) walks into these areas with water all flying all over is insanity. Planning ahead works if one lives in the area or use an alternate route if one needs to come outside. My wife & went to Soi 4 in Nana on day 1 and as soon as our Tuk tuk turned onto Soi 4 there was a gauntlet and we were immediately soaked.  There were local Thai people walking to a 7/11 or somewhere around Soi 4 in Nana and Thais & foreigners were splashing or squirt guns and they were getting pissed off.  The Thai girls yelled a few choice words while laughing.  Later a few Chinese tourists walked down the road and told mostly Thai gals “no play” etc and that encouraged the gals to soak them.  One guy got really pissed and was giving the finger and coming back aggressively and a whole bunch of people soak the “****” out of him laughing and he finally ran down the street. I know the Songkran festival wasn’t a secret and water was everywhere.

 

[Dancbmac]

1 hour ago, HolyCowCm said:

I am on day 3. Used to be easier when younger.

I was good for day 1 only.  I had a blast but my ears are still ringing from the loud music.  Getting old sucks

[HolyCowCm]

36 minutes ago, Pinga said:

That literally sounds like my personal hell- overcrowded, full of drunk ****s splashing water on anything and everything. I made the mistake of going to Khao San road on New Years one year because the gf at the time insisted she wanted to go - it was so overcrowded you couldn't even stand without being constantly bumped into and pushed - after about an hour I broke and told her we're going home. Of course taxi wanted 600 baht - because happy new year you have no choice!

100% no to Khao Son as avoid it like the plague, but CM is tons of fun. My area is all Thai which is out of the city, but even go into the city and it is 90% all Thai. This year everyone is super happy and nice.

[HolyCowCm]

22 minutes ago, Dancbmac said:

I was good for day 1 only.  I had a blast but my ears are still ringing from the loud music.  Getting old sucks

I am still good for 3 days but it is a bit harder on the body.

[Pinga]

3 hours ago, Dancbmac said:

I agree if people don’t want to participate for various reasons which is reasonable and I would think they would know they will get wet if they decided to walk on Kaosan Rd or Bangla in Phuket during Songkran.

Yeah agreed- if you don't want to play it's easy enough to just avoid areas where you know you'll get soaked. Walking on Soi 4 expecting to remain dry is a bit ridiculous. The only beef I have is with people who try to get you wet in places where it's not common (indoors nightclub for example), but most have the common sense not to.

[Guest1]

4 hours ago, Dancbmac said:

No Thais at all in Kaosan?  Only stupid foreigners slashing all and everything during Songkran?  Thailand tourism advertises and encourages Songkran festival, but “only stupid foreigners” are participating.

I agree if people don’t want to participate for various reasons which is reasonable and I would think they would know they will get wet if they decided to walk on Kaosan Rd or Bangla in Phuket during Songkran. Expecting the crowds to stop when they (a m***n) walks into these areas with water all flying all over is insanity. Planning ahead works if one lives in the area or use an alternate route if one needs to come outside. My wife & went to Soi 4 in Nana on day 1 and as soon as our Tuk tuk turned onto Soi 4 there was a gauntlet and we were immediately soaked.  There were local Thai people walking to a 7/11 or somewhere around Soi 4 in Nana and Thais & foreigners were splashing or squirt guns and they were getting pissed off.  The Thai girls yelled a few choice words while laughing.  Later a few Chinese tourists walked down the road and told mostly Thai gals “no play” etc and that encouraged the gals to soak them.  One guy got really pissed and was giving the finger and coming back aggressively and a whole bunch of people soak the “****” out of him laughing and he finally ran down the street. I know the Songkran festival wasn’t a secret and water was everywhere.

You did not get "Only stupid foreigners splashing all and everything, not taking care the hours or the signs, if people don`t wanna participate", right?

Go a couple of roads aside this "for mostly Foreigners" areas, and you will find out, that the locals splash more disciplined. But would you expect kids to be more responsible as the "adults", while the "adults" playing crazy children? I know that best  from Patong, often you see Thais staying aside and wondering, what the tourists and the bar staffs are fighting. 

And ask the one or the other local people, Sonkran is fun, in daytime! Not in the evening/night, while you have to drive to work, or already working, but the stupid foreigners can`t stop splashing

[HolyCowCm]

Just back from day 3 CM but in the city today. Wow!. Soooo fun. Bands, happy happy happy everyone. Now this is AMAZING THAILAND! I am always proud to be living here. Best country in the world! Best wonderful people hands down!

[Dancbmac]

1 hour ago, Guest1 said:

You did not get "Only stupid foreigners splashing all and everything, not taking care the hours or the signs, if people don`t wanna participate", right?

 

I got it brother!  I was just asking you no local Thais, and not just “stupid” foreigners?  Maybe they cannot or refuse to read the signs as you know there are “special people amongst us” all over the world where signs or rules do not apply to them. I don’t want to argue with you and I may have misinterpreted what you wrote so my question was for clarification or possibly I am just seeing different people at the festival than you.  

The village area Soi where I live in Nonthaburi just outside Bangkok the local traffic was backed up and very slow to drive through the Soi with tons of motorbikes getting splashed, some, folks were drunk and standing in the street blocking traffic and loud music playing at some other groups of local people, pickup trucks in front of us on the road splashing & getting splashed while others had a water hose spraying from their house etc. some were not as aggressive or “disciplined” and some were very aggressive.  The only foreigner there was me inside my car with my Thai wife just driving home so not understanding why you wrote only “stupid foreigners” when everyone is outside is doing it tourist areas or local neighborhood Sois.  Maybe you are seeing something else as you mentioned Patong and I for some reason haven’t experienced Songkran down in Phuket in April. No doubt there are always some that overdo it with the booze and start fighting, but I think is a different subject from splashing water during Songkran festival and it is embarrassing if it is a foreigner fighting, but I have seen Thai’s that got super drunk and were fighting each other over the years.

[HolyCowCm]

2 hours ago, Guest1 said:

You did not get "Only stupid foreigners splashing all and everything, not taking care the hours or the signs, if people don`t wanna participate", right?

Go a couple of roads aside this "for mostly Foreigners" areas, and you will find out, that the locals splash more disciplined. But would you expect kids to be more responsible as the "adults", while the "adults" playing crazy children? I know that best  from Patong, often you see Thais staying aside and wondering, what the tourists and the bar staffs are fighting. 

And ask the one or the other local people, Sonkran is fun, in daytime! Not in the evening/night, while you have to drive to work, or already working, but the stupid foreigners can`t stop splashing

This year in CM, the foreigners for what I came across were ok. But I do understand what you mean too. A concentration of foreigners can have a negative thing and also with libations. But to my suprise, the foreigners were a different ok demographic this time. Almost like F-Covid..  Happy-Happy. Everyone was really happy. I think Covid pent up release. 

[Grumpish]

3 hours ago, Guest1 said:

And ask the one or the other local people, Sonkran is fun, in daytime! Not in the evening/night, while you have to drive to work, or already working, but the stupid foreigners can`t stop splashing

With you on that - I only visited once during Songkran, that was Bangkok, around the tourist areas, and that put me off visiting again during Songkran. Yes, fun during the day, but getting a soaking when I wanted to go out and get something to eat in the evening - not fun. And yes, it was the farangs that were being complete s..heads, the Thais knew where to draw the line.

[HolyCowCm]

1 hour ago, Grumpish said:

and that put me off visiting again during Songkran

Sorry to hear.