Wet and Wild… Songkran 2013 Vegas Style!

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – The party capital of the world, Las
Vegas, is gearing up to host one of the world's biggest Festivals of
fun, Songkran 2013! It's going to make a big splash again this year
in Vegas. The event will have all the normal Thai festivities centered
on the throwing of water to demarcate the new growing season and escape the
hottest month.

The Thai and Lao Food and Cultural Festival 2013 Songkran Festival will be held on April 27th 28th from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM  at the Cannery Casino Hotel  located at 2121 East Craig Road in North Las Vegas. Call 866-999-4899 .

Admission is only $5 per person.  Half of the profits from this event will go to the Lao temples in Las Vegas and the Thai Association of Las Vegas.

There will be a Miss Songkran Contest featuring all of the
beautiful women in Las Vegas, an exciting parade, an action
packed Muay Thai contest and competitive games of the unique sport popular
in Thailand and Laos called Takraw where a woven bamboo hard ball is kicked
over a net by players on opposite teams similar to using hands and a
softer leather ball in volleyball.

Songkran Las
Vegas.Com LLC with support from the Royal Thai Consulate, the Tourism Authority
of Thailand (TAT) and local sponsors organizes this annual party to gives Vegas
extra Sannuk (Thai fun). Sannuk is the best of Thailand and the backbone of a
tolerant Thai culture, like in Las Vegas. 

America and Thailand have extremely
close ties as the beloved King of Thailand, the world's longest reigning
monarch, was born in Massachusetts and later studied at Harvard. Americans are
given special privileges in Thailand not available to other nationalities.

This is the second year for the festival to be held at
a Las Vegas casino.  This year the party will be held at the Cannery
Casino. The Cannery Casino is doing all it can to help including sending out invitations
to 120,000 households in the greater Vegas area.

There is a significant Thailand and Laos population in Las
Vegas. So much so that the Royal Thai Consulate is actively involved
in sponsoring and promoting this event celebrating Thai and Buddhist culture.

Ambassador Christie
Keeney of the US Embassy in Bangkok, says Thai - US relations are very strong
and of mutual importance. 

Cross-cultural events
like the Las Vegas celebration of a Thai traditional holiday is a wonderful
idea, said a US businessman doing business in Thailand under the Treaty of
Amity.

According to a US
Embassy spokesperson, "The United States and Thailand share a longstanding
friendship that spans more than 178 years. The Treaty of Amity and Commerce of
1833 began a partnership that has developed and strengthened over time. Today
the United States and Thailand cooperate on a wide range of program across a
vast range of issues, including education and culture, public health, business
and trade, democracy, as well as security and military cooperation."

The
organizer, Songkran Las Vegas.Com LLC, hopes to eventually make the
Las Vegas venue the largest Songkran celebration in the
U.S. The emphasis in Las Vegas is on the party aspect
and making new friends by throwing ceremonial water on each other.

According to Lane Holmes of Songkran Las Vegas.com who is a veteran
of many of Thailand's Songkran Festivals in Bangkok and Pattaya Thailand
one of his organization's goal is, "We want this party festival to
become the American version of Khaosan Road or RCA in Bangkok". 

Mr. Holmes added, "We have so much space here, and
it's Vegas, so anything goes."

Community interest is growing and anticipation for this
year's festival is strong.  Last year more than 12,000 party
goers celebrated Songkran in Las Vegas. Mr. Holmes believes this year
"should double that number."

Although there is an emphasis on delicious food and crazy water
play, the cultural and religious aspects of this holiday
are foremost. Local monks will be able to collect alms
from the mostly Buddhist food vendors in the morning,
a rare activity anywhere in the America. Most Thai and Laotian attendees
will wear traditional village clothes and national costumes. 

The Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) based in
America will be present to promote Thailand. Traditional and
contemporary Thai and Laotian music will be playing on two stages.
Colorful, Classical Dancing troops will also perform for the huge crowds.

The cultural event is sponsored in part by the Royal Thai
Consulate, Singha Beer, the Bangkok Pattaya Times and NAT TV. Local sponsors
are listed below. More sponsors are urged to join by contacting the
organizer at the Songkran Las
Vegas.Com website displayed
below. 

Cyndy Wasso, an associate of SongkranLasVegas.Com LLC and a
frequent traveler to Thailand has been a valuable liaison to the Thai and Lao
community acting as a bridge for local businesses sponsoring this
cross-cultural event. 

"Cyndy Wasso also rounded up all the sponsors for the Miss
Songkran prizes," said Jack Khamphouvong of SongkranLasVegas.com.

There has been a lot of hard work and effort put into this
event. Citizens of both Thailand and Laos were consulted. The organizers meet
Thai diplomats at the Royal Thai Consulate in Los Angeles during a press
conference. They received a check as a token of support from the Thai
consulate.  Then sponsors and organizers
for the Miss Songkran contest met with Buddhist monks at the main Laos Temple
in Las Vegas.

The Bangkok Pattaya
Times wishes to acknowledge the organizers and supports whose names are listed
below with their affiliations.

Organizers:

Jack
Khamphouvong - SongkranLasVegas.Com
Lane Holmes - 

SongkranLasVegas.Com
Cyndy Wasso - SongkranLasVegas.Com
Chansouk Nancy Malivanh - SongkranLasVegas.Com

Sponsors Supporters:

Royal Thai Consulate, Los Angeles
Sue Chan - Laos
Temple 
Nancy Monsay - Miss
Songkran 2012
Tourism Authority of Thailand
Heather Marianna -
Beauty Kitchen, Sponsor
Dr. Michael Duboff - Smiledesignerslv.com, Sponsor
Cheryl Prater - Mrs.
North American Globe, Sponsor
Valerie McClaskey - Boutikitou,
Sponsor
Renee
Martinez – Avon, Sponsor
Khanh Nguyen
Photography - Khanhx.com
Whitney Obst/Jea Jung
- City Athletic Clubs
April Fried - Atomic
Glam Studio
Julieann Festa - Home
Office cleaning
Joe Lowers Comedy Show

Source: http://www.news.thethailandlinks.com/2013/03/26/wet-and-wild-songkran-2013-vegas-style/