Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently announced the successful conclusion of the 2025 Chao Phraya River Light Festival. As a landmark event of the year-end peak tourist season, this riverside light extravaganza not only created a unique nighttime experience for Bangkok but also brought strong tourism benefits and economic gains to Thailand.
Held from November 9th to December 23rd, 2025, the festival, themed "Light of Siam – Mother Earth," paid tribute to Queen Sirikit. During the event, the banks of the Chao Phraya River were illuminated with light installations, projection mapping, laser effects, drone performances, and fireworks displays. Bridges, temples, historical sites, and modern landmarks combined to form an open-air cultural stage, presenting an immersive nighttime spectacle for citizens and tourists.
On the closing night, Mr. Arthakorn Siriratayakorn, Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, was present, along with senior government officials, diplomatic envoys, and key partners. Senior management from the Thai Tourism and Sports Authority (TAT), including Director-General Ms. Thapane Kiapappur, also attended. This high-profile attendance demonstrated the full support of the nation for the event and further solidified the Chao Phraya River Light Festival's status as Bangkok's core annual cultural event.
Mr. Arthakorn Siriratayakorn stated, "The success of the 2025 Chao Phraya River Light Festival fully demonstrates the crucial role of large-scale cultural events in stimulating tourism demand and enhancing Bangkok's international appeal. Through creative presentations along the Chao Phraya River, the event effectively boosted tourism-driven economic growth during the peak tourist season, while significantly enhancing Bangkok's international image."
According to TAT's preliminary assessment, the event attracted over 1.7 million visitors and is expected to generate at least 5.5 billion baht in revenue (final figures are subject to official full assessment). The economic benefits extended far beyond inland river cruise and passenger ship operators, encompassing hotels, restaurants, retailers, and other related businesses, benefiting the local community. In particular, the usage of inland waterway transportation services saw a significant increase during the event.
Ms. Thapane Giapapur pointed out, “This festival fully showcases Thailand’s strengths in integrating culture, creativity, and technology, providing international tourists with a highly attractive travel experience. This lays a solid foundation for future festivals, demonstrating Thailand’s soft power and effectively extending tourists’ stay, thereby stimulating sustained consumption.”
The event was carefully selected at 15 venues along the Chao Phraya River, each with its own unique theme concept, coupled with advanced lighting, sound, and visual technologies to accurately reflect the characteristics of the surrounding area. The 45-day event not only strengthened the Chao Phraya River’s positioning as a “cultural corridor,” enabling it to host international-level events, but also brought cultural tourism benefits to the public—all programs were open to the public free of charge from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM each evening during the event.
Looking ahead to 2026, the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports, through the TAT, announced that the next Chao Phraya River Light Festival (Vijit Chao Phraya 2026) will be held from November 12 to December 12, 2026. The new event will reportedly be upgraded in scale and presentation, further creating a stunning spectacle along the Chao Phraya River. Through art, culture, lifestyle, and creative expression, it aims to showcase Thailand's unique charm, continuously attract domestic and international tourists, extend their stay, and inject consumer spending power into the entire tourism industry chain.
