As Songkran celebrations in most of Thailand drew to a close on Saturday, the residents of Bang Saen in Chon Buri province will hold their own celebration, called the “Wan Lai Bang Saen” festival, today (Sunday) and tomorrow.

Besides the normal water splashing, the main feature of Wan Lai Bang Saen is the building of elaborate sand sculptures, like pagodas, mermaids and elephants.

Teams of artists work on the sculptures for 24-36 hours, to have them ready for the competition, which is part of the Wan Lai festival. The competition is judged in the morning and the sculptures will be knocked down in the evening and the beach cleared.

In anticipation of traffic gridlock on the approaches to the Bang Saen beach and on the beach road itself, the district police have defined on which roads water splashing is permitted or banned, to ensure order and traffic flow.

The roads where water splashing is banned include Sukhumvit Road, from Bang Saen intersection or Galaxy intersection, along the road in front of Burapha University to Bang Saen circle. Pickup trucks carrying barrels of water are not allowed and violators may face arrests.

Water splashing is permitted along the beach road to Ang Sila and from Sukhumvit Road, from the intersection with Khao Lam Road, to Laem Taen and towards Ang Sila.

14 police checkpoints are being set up today to screen for drunk driving and drinking on board.

The festival usually attracts tens of thousands visitors each year.