The event is held to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the equestrian statue of King Chulalongkorn. The fair, organized by the Royal Thai television foundation, has recreated the atmosphere that surrounded the new statue exactly a century ago at Royal Plaza. The equestrian statue of King Chulalongkorn traveled all the way from France, and arrived in Bangkok on November 11, 1908.
At the entrance to the carnival I was greeted by cycle rickshaws offering a short ride within the fair for 10 Baht to get a taste and feel of good old Bangkok. I had the opportunity to photograph a group of Thais who were all dressed up in Rama 5 style Thai traditional costumes.
The market section was full of Thai dishes and desserts popular in the last century. A stage was also set near the market with amazing performances including martial arts and traditional Thai dances. A pair of young girls performed a thrilling Thai sword fighting duel, with sparks flying every time the swords struck each other.
Moving over to the exhibition, there were lots of photographs of King Chulalongkorn and other interesting pictures from the last century. A dome with several projectors screened the story of the struggle back in those days. A special postcard with the picture of King Chulalongkorn was being given away to fairgoers for free.
Thailand Post had a booth with postcards and special stamps for visitors to send them off to friends!
Most of the visitors to the fair wore pink, which was the color of King Chulalongkorn. The atmosphere at the carnival was very pleasant, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, also because I went there on Wednesday, which was Songkran festival. I'm planning to show up at the fair again this weekend, I just loved the Som Tam at the market.
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