Starting at the market on Friday night, peaking with the Songklans of Sunday celebrations, people celebrating the Laos New Year can see, see and taste what to do, see and taste the beautiful colorful Watt Navalam Buddhist Temple (2381 Narcissus Ave.) in Sanford.
Promoter Marvin Latpadky has seen the celebration grow in his time at the festival. It brings vendors, art, live music, dance and lots of food to the mix, with tradition and fun front and center.
“We always celebrate in mid-April,” says Ratopadkie, but they move it over the weekend so that more people can attend, including what he calls the “brothers” countries of Laos.
“Laos, Thailand and Cambodia are like brothers and sisters,” he explains. “We all celebrate the New Year at about the same time. Even if we all have our own temples, celebrations are similar across countries.”
Everyone is welcome at this family-friendly festival, starting from the market on Friday nights from 3-9pm.
Saturday’s “Sun Fun” ($10 Admission, 9am-9pm) and Sunday’s Songkran Water Festival ($10 Admission, 9am-7pm) are all day long issues, while Sunday’s “Splash Fest” is a climactic holiday event.
“In Laos, the Water Festival is very well known,” says Laptadky. “Tradition is that we water each other and wash away our bad luck, like on the New Year’s cleansing day. Everyone gets wet!”
Children in particular love events and often appear in their swimsuits.
“Some people have buckets, and a lot of kids bring water cannons and water balloons. It’s really family-friendly and fun.”
It’s also kind to foodies.
“We have different varieties, vendors, food trucks and food mixes,” he says. “We don’t just want to have Lao cuisine. It would be boring to serve all the vendors the same, so there are Vietnamese, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Filipinos and more.
Bobati, sugar cane drinks, and even adult drinks for adults.
“Pi Mai is a great time when family and friends come together to enjoy food, culture, traditional dance and artists. Wear traditional clothing and some vendors are selling here too. It’s going to be a really fun time.”
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