02-05-2025
Thai festival brings eruption of color and music to Riyadh
RIYADH: The Thai Festival in the Cultural Palace in Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter celebrates both Thailand's rich culture and its blossoming friendship with Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh was chosen as one of six flagship cities around the world to hold the festival, alongside Washington DC, Beijing, New Delhi, Hanoi, and Paris.
At a press conference prior to the festival, which is open to the public May 2 and 3, Thailand's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Darm Boontham said: 'This is a proud moment for us and a great opportunity to share the rich tradition and modern creativity of Thailand with our Saudi friends.'
The festival comes at a significant time, three years since the normalization of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Saudi Arabia.
• This year's theme is 'The Pulse of Tradition, The Pulse of Tomorrow,' reflecting Thailand's pride in its culture and its commitment to innovation and creativity.
• The ministers of culture for Thailand and Saudi Arabia — Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol and Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al-Saud — attended the event.
'This event is a celebration of the strong and growing friendship between our countries and our people,' Boontham continued.
This year's theme is 'The Pulse of Tradition, The Pulse of Tomorrow,' reflecting Thailand's pride in its culture and its commitment to innovation and creativity.
The festival features several exhibitions of Thai products and services, including handicrafts from local communities in Thailand, live demonstrations, health and wellness products, eco-tourism, and Thai cuisine.
It also includes a live cooking show by a celebrity Thai chef, screenings of several beloved Thai movies followed by Q&A sessions, a musical and cultural performance, a Muay Thai boxing demonstration, a fashion show by Thai designers, and a Khon performance.
Khon, a traditional masked dramatic art that features music and dance as well as ritual, literary, and handicraft components, is included on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, Boontham said.
'We invite everyone, Saudi nationals, residents and all friends of Thailand to join us for this unique celebration, to enjoy the science of sound and taste of Thailand and to continue building a warm and lasting friendship between our two great nations.'
The festival was organized by the Royal Thai Embassy in Saudi Arabia in partnership with Thailand's private and public sectors, including Thai supply chain company SGC International's Riyadh division, with the support of Saudi and Thai private companies.
The ministers of culture for Thailand and Saudi Arabia — Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol and Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al-Saud — attended the event.
The objective of the festival goes beyond tourism, the ambassador said, it is intended to promote everything Thailand can offer in terms of creative economy, innovation, and how Thailand can tap into Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom's green initiative.
Boontham also confirmed plans to create Thai AirAsia X, a new low-cost airline from Thailand that should operate flights from Riyadh to Bangkok 'very soon,' he said.
According to Boontham, the largest developing areas of cooperation between the two nations are economy, trade, and investment.
Over the last three years, the volume of trade has increased by an average of 25 percent and the ambassador is confident that 'all the necessary mechanisms' are in place to support further growth.
In 2024, trade reached a value of $8.8 billion and the hope is that in two years that number will reach $10 billion, he added.
Boontham cited SGC International, a Thai company known for construction materials that is now expanding into petrochemicals, food, and food processing as a sign of promising investment in Saudi Arabia.
Technology sharing, in areas including green consumption technology, is 'quite prevalent' and shows promise, he added.
Tourism is another large area of cooperation. Last year, around 230,000 Saudi tourists visited Thailand, and 13,000 Thai tourists visited Saudi Arabia; both numbers are expected to grow in coming years, the ambassador noted.
According to Boontham, 'many Thai students' are coming to pursue their studies in Saudi as well, and Thailand is working hard to encourage more Saudis to study in Thailand.
In hospitality education, especially, 'Thailand has a lot to offer Saudi students,' Boontham said. In 2024, 50 individuals from Saudi Arabia went to train in Thai hotels and institutions.
