Those wishing to take part in Loy Krathong festivities can refer to the BTS skytrain’s list of recommended stations for easy travel in the city.
Krathongs are lit up and float away throughout the nation during the Loy Krathong festival, which kicked off Saturday and will run until tomorrow. Locals and foreigners alike may celebrate at several designated hotspots such as Kasetsart University, Chatuchak Park, Benjakitti Park, Salaloy Dam, Samut Prakan, Lumpini Park, and Asiatique the Riverfront – all of which are within a short distance from BTS skytrain stations.
Here are the stations as recommended by the BTS skytrain:
Sukhumvit Line
- Mo Chit Station: Exit 1, Royal Thai Air Force Health Park
- Phahon Yothin Intersection Station: Exit 4, Wat Rat Niyomtham
- Wat Phra Si Mahathat Station: Exit 1
- Kasetsart University Station: Exit 1
- Mo Chit Station: Exit 3, Chatuchak Park and Wachira Benchathat Park
- Asok Station: Exit 4, Benjakitti Park
- Phrom Phong Station: Exit 6, Benchasiri Park
- Pak Nam Station: Exit 6, along the edge of the dam at Samut Prakan Provincial Hall
- Khlong Toei Station: Exit 3, at the Ancient City
Silom Line
- Sala Daeng Station: Exit 5, Lumpini Park
- Taksin Bridge Station: Exit 2, Asiatique The Riverfront and IconSiam.
The skytrain also recommends one krathong per family in an effort to reduce environmental waste.
Opening festivities for this year’s Loy Krathong festival, organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, kicked off in Bangkok’s Khlong Padung Krung Kasem in the Hua Lamphong area with the “Colors of the Water” event.
The festival’s highlights include stunning lighting displays, reflecting the beauty of Thai culture through presentations from five distinctive regions and showcasing the significance of Thai traditions.
Proper waste management and post-festival waste disposal are matters of highlight. The festival is celebrated in a closed area to facilitate the collection of the krathongs entirely from the canal, and thus minimizing environmental impact. Waste will be recycled, and organic waste will be composted to be reused.
The festival has attracted criticism in recent years because of the amount of waste it generates that takes days to clean up. Many materials from the krathongs continue to pollute the rivers and lakes.
The BMA are organizing a virtual loy krathong activity at Khlong Ong-Ang, as a response to environmental concerns, where people can download digital krathongs through the use of their smartphones.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt suggests people should float their krathongs at ponds or closed systems where they can be collected easily.
