Latest Situation in Thailand after the death of King Bhumibol
It was with great sadness that I heard the news about the death of King Bhumibol. I was with a group of Thai friends at the time and it was very emotional. We all knew this time was coming, but it hit everyone hard. Thais and foreigners alike. Everyone had tears in their eyes for a great man that had done so many great things for the country. The initial mourning period will last for 30 days, but funeral rites will last for 100 days. Government officials will be wearing black for one year. This will then be followed by the royal cremation.
Please scroll down for latest updates >>>>
Ever since the announcement of His Majesty’s death, I have been tweeting live updates on @RichardBarrow to inform people of the situation. At times like this, it is difficult to get accurate information, and that is when Twitter becomes invaluable. Even more so in a foreign country where you don’t speak the local language. The majority of my tweets are translated from the Thai media to help foreigners better understand the latest situation. I decided to start this page after I saw a lot of misinformation being put out on social media and in the international press. I was also getting a lot of questions about what it is like in Thailand at this moment and what, if anything is open. So, this is a guide to my observations so far. Please come back as I will constantly update this page. Also, I suggest you follow me on Twitter @RichardBarrow for any breaking news and updates.
UPDATE: Please read my exclusive interview with the Thai Tourism Minister on what to expect in Thailand over the coming months.
Tourists are NOT expected to wear black for the next 30 days (up to 13 November 2016). However, if you are able, I am sure the Thais would appreciate it if you wore muted colours. If not, it is possible to buy a black ribbon to pin on your shirt. Please be respectful at all times when around Thais. They are in deep mourning. But, life goes on. For Thais too. The King himself said that he didn’t want people to weep at his passing. Everything is open as normal though some events have been adjusted to be more appropriate.
LATEST UPDATE (4th November 2016):
- Temple Fair in Nakhon Pathom “งานมนัสการองค์พระปฐมเจดีย์” is taking place as scheduled from 11-19 November 2016
- Loy Krathong festival is not cancelled this year. It takes place on full moon on 14 November
- The Giant Christmas Hope Fair on 29 November is going ahead as planned at the Rembrandt Hotel
- The popular Ploenchit Fair at Bangkok Patana School is going ahead as planned on 26 November 2016
- It’s official! Football supporters at the upcoming match between Thailand and Australia can cheer as normal
- Entertainment activities can resume Nov 14
- Culture Collective Studio presents “12 Angry Men” from 18-27 November in Bangkok.
- Festival in Pattaya has been rescheduled from December to 16-19 February 2017
- TMB Parkrun 2016, originally scheduled for November, has been postponed until 5 March 2017
- Thailand Harmony World Puppet Festival, originally scheduled for November, will now take place from 20-26 February 2017
- Parties for Halloween, Xmas & New Year can go ahead as normal with loud music behind doors. But if outside, must be adjusted appropriately.
- The annual Monkey Party in Lopburi is going ahead as planned on Sunday 27 November 2016. Everyone is welcome
- Loy Krathong Festival in Sukhothai is confirmed to be going ahead from 10-14 November 2016
- Public access to Dusit Maha Prasart Throne Hall to pay respect to the royal urn postponed to Saturday
- The Full Moon Party scheduled for 14th November will now take place on 15th November 2016
- My friend was at the Ratchada Train Market in Bangkok the other night, and she said it was packed, with music blasting out as normal
- There are no plans to cancel the Ayutthaya Marathon. It is going ahead as scheduled on 11 December 2016
- At the World Cup qualifier next month in #Bangkok between Thailand & Australia, you must wear black, grey or white & you can’t sing or cheer
- UPDATE: The Laguna Phuket Triathlon, scheduled for 20 November, is NOT cancelled any more. Please tell your friends
- It looks like all concerts & major entertainment will be cancelled or postponed during the 100 day period. This is up to about 21 January. So, this would include new years celebrations. Certainly no fireworks or Countdown events.
- Department of Fine Arts has announced that ALL national museums & historical parks in Thailand will be FREE for EVERYONE from 20 Oct-31 Jan
- Grand Palace and Temple of Emerald Buddha remain closed to tourists until October 31
- Facebook has announced that delivery of ads in Thailand will resume on 21 October at 00:01 hrs
- New Royal Anthem performance to be filmed on Saturday 22 October at Sanam Luang from 1pm. You can take part in it. Please wear black.
- Three or four public holidays next year could change according to the Bangkok Post. This includes Coronation Day and Kings Birthday. Possibly also Queens Birthday. Speculation is that 13 October will now become a public holiday. It is not known yet what will happen to Fathers Day. Hopefully it will stay on 5th December.
- Photos posted on social media show that the nightlife is starting to get back to normal one week later. This includes lights and music. But, this will vary around the country. No clear picture yet.
- Reports sent to me from around Thailand show that not as many people outside of Bangkok are wearing black. So, don’t worry about standing out. In tourist areas, life goes on. Just be respectful if around mourners.
- Mourners will be allowed to pay their respects to the royal urn from Friday 28 October (The body of King Bhumibol is in a coffin nearby). A cremation pyre will be built on Sanam Luang. However, the cremation is not expected to take place until at least after one year
- Outside of the metropolitan areas not all Thais are wearing black. The ones that are, said they will only wear for 30 days. Some for 1 year. Like I said before, tourists are not expected to wear black or white. Muted colors appreciated but not compulsory. Same with black ribbon.
- Chiang Mai Yi Peng Lantern Festival at Tha Phae Gate on 13-15 November is NOT cancelled now, though there will be no music or entertainment
- People can organise weddings, ordinations and sporting events, but no music or entertainment
- Nightclubs are allowed to open and sell beer, but they mustn’t organize any special activities or play loud music. Basically, they are allowed to continue as long as they keep it behind close doors and are respectful.
- People are allowed to organize weddings, ordinations and sporting events, but no music and entertainment.
- Shows aimed at tourists are all open as normal, this includes Siam Niramit, Alcazar Cabaret, Tiffany’s Show, Calypso, Muay Thai Live etc.
- Loy Krathong is allowed to take place on 14th November, but music and entertainment is not allowed. Basically people will go to the local canal and river to float their krathongs.
- Cinemas, ice rinks, zoos, tourist attractions are all open as normal. Night markets in Bangkok opened as normal at the weekend
- Places like Dream World and Safari World are open as normal, though the parade at Dream World is cancelled for 30 days
- In Chiang Mai, the famous Night Bazaar and Walking Street opened as well.
- Shopping malls are all open as normal. Local markets in Chinatown, Pratunam, and Bo Bae were all packed over the weekend. Chatuchak Weekend Market was open as well, but as shops are individually owned, some chose not to open as they wanted to go to the Grand Palace. We expect them to be fully open next weekend.
- The Temple of the Emerald Buddha and The Grand Palace is closed to tourists. However, you are allowed to go and pay respects to his portrait (if you are wearing black) at the Sahathai Samakhom Hall in the Grand Palace between 8.30am & 4pm. Starting from 28 October, the public can pay respects to King Bhumibol’s urn in the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall from 9am-4pm
- Every other temple around the country is open as normal. This includes the historical parks in Ayutthaya and Sukhothai.
- Dinner Cruises on Chaophraya River are continuing though they won’t play any music and will dim the lights
WHAT IS CANCELLED?
- CentralWorld cancels New Year Countdown Party & Beer Garden
- The Scorpions 50th Anniversary World Tour, scheduled for 26 October, has been cancelled
- Wonderfruit Festival, originally scheduled for December, has been postponed until 16-19 February 2017
- The Big Mountain Music Festival, scheduled for 10-11 December, is cancelled
- The annual temple fair at Wat Saket and the Golden Mount, scheduled for 7-16 November, is cancelled
- BDMS Bangkok Marathon 2016, scheduled for 20th November, has been postponed until 12th February 2017
- The annual Patong Carnival has been cancelled this year
- Luang Pho Pan Festival parade by boat & truck in Khlong Dan, Samut Prakan, has been cancelled.
- “Bryan Adams The Get Up Tour Live in Bangkok” and “Blue Man Group” have been postponed. No new dates announced
- The annual Elephant Roundup in Surin, scheduled to be held from 19-20 November 2016, has been cancelled
- Asia’s First Ever All-Girl Battle of the Bands Competition, scheduled for 21-23 October, has been postponed
- Full Moon Party cancelled on 17th October. The next one is going ahead
- Hellfire Pass Memorial and Walking Trail will be closed from 14-16 October
- The Sound of Heritage concert scheduled for 21 October is cancelled
- Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and other Muay Thai rings in Bangkok are closed for one month. Lumpinee will re-open on 15th November
- Bangkok Street Show, scheduled for 10-12 December has been postponed
- Pattaya International Fireworks Festival, scheduled for 25-26 November, has been cancelled
- The Illuminated Boat Procession, scheduled for 9-17 October, has been cancelled
- Naga Fireball World Festival in Nong Khai, scheduled for 15-24 October, has been cancelled
- Bangkok International Festival of Dance and Music is cancelled
- Morrissey Live in Bangkok scheduled for 18 October is cancelled
- Scorpions 50th Anniversary Tour, scheduled for 26 October, is cancelled
- New Year celebrations in Pattaya are cancelled
It is expected more will be added and possibly some cancellations rescinded. Come back as I will update the above list daily to make changes. New additions will be added to the top of the list.
Tourists are NOT expected to wear black. But, if you don’t have muted colored clothes, the Thais would love it if you wore a black ribbon pic.twitter.com/nI43Ukynoy
— Richard Barrow (@RichardBarrow) October 17, 2016
THE SITUATION DURING THE FIRST THREE DAYS:
- King Bhumibol died at 3:52 p.m. on Thursday 13th October 2016. The announcement was made to the nation shortly before 7 p.m.
- Flags to be flown at half staff for 30 days. Most Thais expected to wear black, grey or white for 30 days. Government officials to wear black for one year.
- Over the first few days, people were in shock. Entertainment venues were asked to close or at least turn off the lights and music, and shut the doors. Many places also stopped selling alcohol over the weekend.
- Quite a few events scheduled over the first three days were cancelled or were toned down. Some cinemas shut their doors on the day after the death of His Majesty. Local Immigration offices shut for one day.
- There were no advertisements on the electronic billboards and on the skytrain. Mannequins in the shops were all dressed in black.
- On Saturday, the annual Buffalo Racing in Chonburi was cancelled, though the Buddhist boat parade in Bang Phli went ahead. It was confusing to know what would be acceptable.
- On Sunday, the malls were packed. Cinemas open as normal. People eating in the restaurants. Life goes on.
- All airports continued to operate as normal. All transportation networks, buses, trains and boats, continued as normal.
Please follow me on Twitter @RichardBarrow for all the latest breaking news and updates.
Hi Richard
Are fireworks now allowed in Thailand, specifically Phuket region?
thanks
Do you mean celebrations? The cremation of King Bhumibol is next month. After that it will be back to normal.
Hi Richard, are we still able to pay respects to the late King at Dusit Maha Prasart Throne Hall ? We are visiting Bangkok next week and thought we would do so if we could. Thanks.
Yes you can
Hullo Richard (love your work 👍)
I’ve read that Dec 25th to 29th are the proposed dates for the cremation.
Do you have any information regarding events, restrictions etc, that may be scheduled for the 1 year anniversary of HRH, The King’s death in mid October 2017.?
I’m planning a 3 week visit to Thailand (BKK & Isarn) in October – knowing what to expdct would help enormously with my planning .
There’s no fixed date yet, but latest is that the cremation could take place at the end of October. No details known yet.
Richard, many thanks for producing this very informative website.
I am considering travelling to Thailand for Song Kran/Thai New Year in April 2017 and wondered whether the festivities will be going ahead as normal or whether they will be different this time round.
I would appreciate any guidance you can provide.
Thanks! Jonathan.
Hi
we are visitig phuket in march 2017 would it be fine to visit then?
Why, what happened?
Hi Richard, Nice to see you are so Updated and of help to tourists. Me and my partner are going to be in Chiang Mai for New years eve, specially for the Lanterns. (We were not Updated enough of the kings death until now unfortunately! 🙁 ) We were actually wondering now if there still be lanterns and celebrations, or is that cancelled now? Do we need permission to light a lantern, if yes where and how? Many Thanks, Kirsten
As far as I know there are no official fireworks or floating lantern release this new year.
Are people still wearing muted colors just to visit the grand palace? Will I be treated differently if I don’t wear black will I stand out?
From day one foreign tourists were allowed to enter the Grand Palace wearing bright clothing. But, if you want to show respect to your host country, please wear muted colours and/or a black ribbon.
Will I be denied access to grand palace if I wear pink or yellow or bright blue?
No.
What will Bangkok be like on December 5th and 6th this year?
Hi Richard,
we have not heard officially anything about fireworks on New Years Eve in Phuket, are hotels allowed to lit fireworks or is it off the functions.
Sorry if this has been already mentioned somewhere.
Thanks
No-one seems to dare to be the first to announce fireworks.
I don’t see this as a dare or not dare issue, but rather an issue of guidelines set by the government. I would think there won’t be fireworks but then again it would be good to get some form of guidelines so everybody can easily cohere with them and give information to the guests/tourists, etc
, not just guessing.
Is new King going to crackdown on notorious sex trade. Looking to visit late this year with wife and our teus. Are there areas in Bangkok where can see culture without being exposed to dirty side.?
Mark.. my company operates one of the best rated Modern Thai restaurants in the USA and we host 10 person trips to Thailand twice per year for the last 6 years and we have never had a problem with NOT seeing the seedy areas of any large urban city. There are SO many cultural landmarks, parks, museums, temples, river trips, markets that you will not have time to seek out the seedy spots…
Hi Richard thank you very much for your updates, four of us have planned our first overseas tour to Thailand from 18th to 23rd November.how is the situation there can we enjoy our tour with current situation please advice.
Should be no problem as it’s outside the 30 day mourning period
Is Bangkok going to celebrate the New Year and if so what is the best think to do on New Years eve to be respectful in mind of a country in mourning? Thankyou in advance.
Well, the biggest Countdown event in #Bangkok in front of Centralworld has been cancelled. But private events inside should be going ahead.
Hello Richard,
we will be in Bangkok November 16 to 21. Hoping to visit the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha TEmple. Do you know if these places will be open to tourists then? Thank you
Yes, already re-opened. I went there last weekend
Will be traveling there December or January. Still would like to wear at least black ribbon if not dark clothes. At that time, after the first 30 days, would that be okay since government workers will wear black for year.
As a tourist that is no problem.
I will be in BKK on Nov 16. Will the bars and gogo still close at 12pm?
Up to each venue. But they say by 14 November they will be back to normal.
Hi Richard,
Myself and my fiancee are due to fly to Bangkok and then Phuket and go a few of the islands, just wondering now out of monsoon season is the weather likely to be good? As i have seen a few mixed reviews about the forecast for heavy rain and thunderstorms ?
Thanks
Today seems a good day. It’s on and off.
Hey .
We r three coming on dec 3th . Is that all right for us regarding activities.
Reply me
Can you say please?
After the 30 days of mourning when going to Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho) are we suppose to wear black or muted colors as tourist or can we wear our usually normal clothes? After the 30 days of mourning are we required to wear black when we go to the grand palace?
Like I’ve said many times before, tourists are not expected to wear black. But if you want to show respect around Thais who are wearing black, you can wear muted colours and/or a black ribbon. Choice is yours.
The King is not at Wat Pho so you don’t have to wear black! You can now visit the Emerald Buddha Temple, but as it’s in the grounds of the Grand Palace you should do your best to wear muted colours. Anyway, you will find people near there giving away black ribbons for free.
We Friends here from India are planning for a holiday for week which is from Nov 6th to Nov 11th , first we go to pataya for 3 days stay and then back to bankok for a 2 day stay, could you please explain at the situation in these two places , is it fine to be there at this time for enjoyment
Yes, everything is open as normal but SOME nightclubs might have quieter music than normal and also may close early. By 14th November everything is back to normal.
Dear Richard,
Thank you for your updates for tourists regarding the death of H.M. The King.
A general question:
When nightclubs and discos and bars prior Bangkok and Pattaya is like?
Do you think that is normal after November 15?
Yes, in the newspaper today, they are back to normal after 30 day mourning finishes
Hi Richard. Thank you for this very informative and useful post
A group of us from Singapore will be in Bangkok for a youth soccer tournament on Nov. 12 and 13, the last days of the 30-days mourning period. This annual tournament usually have foreign and local teams competing. Will it be appropriate to cheer for our kids when they score or win a match, especially if it’s against a local Thai team? Thanks
That’s the big question. If it’s only a small crowd then I think should be alright. We are still waiting to hear about the big international match on 15th November
Simon cabaret and all bars on Soi Bangla Patong? are they open and busy as usual? s
arriving nov 19th
No problem by that time as it’s out side the 30 day mourning
Hello Richard,
I am planning a cruise dinner for november 8th. Do you know If at that time will be the temples iluminated at night?
Thank you a lot!
Melissa
Lights are not banned. But some of the boats won’t have disco music and others only play quietly.
Thanks for this blog post, Keep it up.
Dear Richard,
Thankyou for your updates for tourists regarding the death of H.M. The King.
As someone planning to be in Bangkok in January I will be mindful and respectful with a greater appreciation of what this event means to the Thai. Thankyou again, Richard.
Adam Crawford
Can you please advice during new year time alcohol allow? To buy and drink on roads?
It’s illegal to drink alcohol in vehicle
I will be flying to Bangkok soon. I have question as I do not have many dark clothes. Is beige and super light pink ok to be wear? I know short is not very decent at this moment. How about bermuda short is this ok to be wear?
Tourists are not expected to wear mourning clothes. However, if you want to show respect, then black, white, or grey at the most and muted colours at the least. If you’re wearing normal holiday clothes, you can still show respect by wearing a black ribbon
Many thanks for your reply, really appreciate it a lot. I will put on a black ribbon, since I not a Jeans person as a respect for a great king.
we have booked flights to Surin for the elephant roundup. since it is now cancelled is there any point in still going? any opportunities there to see and be with elephants?
Hey… Can you advise if it will be a good option to visit for new year’s after sad demise of the king.?
Depends on what you want to do. Life goes on.
Thanks for the updates Richard!
A few questions:
– You say clubs are allowed to sell beer, what about hard liquor? Still possible to order bottle service?
– What’s the situation in RCA? What are the closing times?
– What about Soi 11, Nana etc. When do you think it will be back to normal?
Many thanks!
Alcohol is being sold as normal. Nightclubs also open. However, some not open for as long as they used to be. But things are slowly getting back to normal.
Cheers for this post! I have holidays in BKK starting November 1st, was wondering whether the markets and temples are still open
hey Richard,
thank you for all the updates. My husband and i Am travelling to thailand for a week from 26th nov to 3rd dec. Mostly spending time in phuket and krabi. n last 2 dyas at bangkok. Really hope to c the grand palace and also d cruise and chaophrya. Will that be possible.
Thanks
Should be no problem by that time.
Hi Richard, first I would like to thank you for this service that you are doing by keeping us informed and I would like to extend my condolences to the the Thai people and everyone else on the loss of their beloved King!
You mentioned that public access to Dusit Maha Prasart Throne Hall to pay respect to the royal urn postponed to Saturday. Is it likely to be very crowded? If so would that be only at the palace or surrounding areas will be affected by the crowds? Thanks
VERY CROWDED! And yes, as it’s a weekend, the surrounding around will be packed.