From 8 – 19 April 2024, the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Kolkata celebrated “Songkran Festival” in junction with 5 Thai Food Festivals organized at leading hotels in Bhubaneswar and Kolkata; namely, (1) “Thai Food Festival in Odisha” co-organized by the Consulate-General and Mayfair Lagoon, Bhubaneswar, (2) Thai Food Festival at ITC Sonar, Kolkata, (3) Thai Food Festival at The Westin Kolkata, Rajarhat, (4) Thai Food Festival at The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata, and (5) Thai Food Festival at Hyatt Regency, Kolkata. These Thai Food Festivals aimed to promote Thai food’s popularity in Bhubaneswar and Kolkata by leveraging the recent recognition of “Songkran Festival” or Thai traditional new year as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO. Each hotel also organized the ceremony of bathing Lord Buddha statue to bring about good lucks and to preserve Songkran’s tradition.

The said “Thai Food Festivals” were curated by Thai chefs; namely, Chef Samrong Chanfalueam, personal chef to the Consul-General, Master Chef Klae Somsuay, Baan Thai Restaurant, The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata, and Sou-Chef Yhin Phinyaphat Arwatthana, Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort, including experienced and talented local chefs. Examples of Thai dishes served at the Festivals were Yam Talae (Thai seafood salad), Som Tam (green papaya salad), Tom Yam Goong (spicy prawn soup), Tom Kha Gai (galangal chicken soup), Pla Neung Ma Naw (sea bass steamed in lime juice and herbs), Goong Sauce Makam (prawn with tamarind sauce), Gaeng Khiaw Wan (green curry), Gaeng Leung (yellow curry), Pad Thai, Khao Niaw Ma Muang (mango sticky rice), Tab Tim Krob (water chestnut coated in jelly with coconut milk), and Ice Cream Kathi (coconut ice cream).

These “Thai Food Festivals” were organized under the cooperation between the Consulate-General and 5 leading hotels in Bhubaneswar and Kolkata with aims to promote Thailand’s culinary heritage among local Indians to open new markets and export opportunities for Thai food and ingredient products to India, as well as to further strengthen special bonds of friendship and partnership between Thailand and India, particularly in Odisha and West Bengal. Moreover, the Thai Food Festivals in celebration of Songkran Festival also encouraged more Indian tourists to travel to Thailand. These efforts are in line with the Royal Thai Government’s policy in promoting Thai food and Songkran Festival as “Soft Powers” and “Ignite Thailand Vision” that aims to develop Thailand as a global hub for food and tourism industries.