The royal cremation of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej is scheduled for tomorrow, Oct. 26, which has been declared a public holiday this year. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend the cremation in Bangkok’s Sanam Luang area.
Here is the schedule of what will happen tomorrow:
Schedule
Thursday: The royal urn will be moved from Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall to the Royal Crematorium on the grounds of Sanam Luang at 7am. The cremation ceremony will take place from 5:30pm to 10pm at the Royal Crematorium. The actual cremation starts at 10pm.
Friday: The collection of royal relics will take place at 8am.
Saturday: A merit-making ceremony will be held for the royal relics at Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall at 5:30pm.
Sunday: The royal relics will be moved from Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall to be enshrined in Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall. At 5:30pm, the royal ashes will be enshrined at two temples, Wat Ratchabophit and Wat Bowonniwet Vihara.
After the royal cremation, an exhibition featuring arts and culture related to the Royal Crematorium and related structures will open at Sanam Luang for 30 days, from Nov. 1-30. At the exhibition, people can observe the Royal Crematorium and learn more about the history of the ceremony.
Broadcast
For those who want to view the live broadcast of the royal cremation, all TV channels in Thailand will be carrying the event. English narration will be available.
The broadcast runs all day on Thursday, starting from 6am.
You can also watch the ceremonies online. They will be live-streamed on www.kingrama9.th/Live.
Traffic closure
Several roads will be closed to the public for the royal cremation at 10pm on Oct. 23. A total of 42 roads leading to and around Sanam Luang will be accessible only to official vehicles, according to the Royal Thai Police.
Affected streets include all of those connecting Rattanakosin Island to the Bureau of the Royal Household and Asdang Road, Phan Pipob will be closed all the way to Phra Pipit intersection, and Rachinee Road will be closed all the way to Pinklao Bridge.
Mourners can park their cars ar lots at Don Mueang Airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport, the Police Club, Central Westgate mall, the Chaeng Wattana government complex, Mega Bangna mall, and Central Rama II mall.
From those areas, there will be free buses running to Sanam Luang to allow people to pay their respects to the late king.
On Oct. 26, the day of the royal cremation, more roads will be closed including those in Tha Tien, Tha Chang, Territorial Defense Headquarters and the northern side of Sanam Luang itself.
