Bangkok’s Bun Bung Fai Rocket Festival 2023 – Clear the airspace for home-made rockets

Ever heard of a festival of rockets? Thailand hosts one each year and the festival is known as Bun Bang Fai! This is a festival where locals construct rockets themselves and send them off on the day of the celebrations. Bun Bang Fai starts on the 12th of May this year and goes on till the 14th of May. The festival sees about 50,000 visitors each year including guests from hotels like Pathumwan Princess Hotel boasting one of the top restaurants in Bangkok.

The festival has grown so much in popularity over the years that there are now teams from countries like Cambodia, Japan, Laos and South Korea competing for the rocket with the most power and speed. Preparations are made months or weeks ahead, rockets are constructed from bamboo, plastic wood, paper, and sometimes even glass and metal and are fired with gunpowder.