Phuket hosts it very first beach dance party this weekend. Be there
largest island and
home to the most famous of the kingdom’s southern beach resorts, has long been building a reputation as a hub for sport and leisure activities. Aside from hosting the King’s Cup Regatta each December and the Quick Silver Surf Competition, the island also has its own film festival, fashion week plus annual jazz and food festivals.
Next weekend, Phuket launches the debut edition of “Roy Fest”, a brand new music event that features more than 50 DJs and musicians from around the globe. The Tourism Authority of Thailand has invested more than Bt22 million to convert Karon Beach into the ultimate beach dance party and they’re expecting to draw thousands of partygoers to have fun on the white sand.
“Hua Hin and Rayong have their own music festivals so why not Phuket. It’s my hometown and it’s known as the Pearl of the Andaman,” says Norasate Mudkong, aka DJ Seed, who’ll be manning the decks at the festival.
“Singapore’s Zouk Out is an incredibly successful beach dance festival and our beach is much more beautiful.”
“With the current economic situation, it’s important that we promote tourism in Southern Thailand. Phuket is a great place to start, as it’s strikingly picturesque and because it’s already well-known, it’s easier to attract tourists from all over the world,” says Dom Chotivanich, CEO & partner of creative agency NetPublications.
"Our role models are Singapore's Zouk Out and England's Brighton Beach, both of which receive massive support from their respective municipal governments. That stimulates spending and helps money to circulate," adds Dom, who has experienced the Zouk Out party on three occasions. "Roy Fest actually aims to raise awareness about Phuket, largely by word of mouth from the artists, as we approach the high season."
The two-day music festival features two groups of international artists, among them DJ Ken Ishii from Japan, DJ Adsorb from England, DJ Lord Warddd from America, and DJ Lapsap from Malaysia, and local mashers such as DJ Seed, DJ Dragon, T-Bone, Ta-Mone, Thaitanium, Southside, Doobadoo, Silly Fools and Smile Buffalo.
“I’ve been really impressed with the Japanese DJ’s shows here,” says Dom. “DJ Adsorb, who played at Glastonbury,. is BBC Radio’s rising star. It’s not easy for a new organiser like us to any big names or even a rising star so we’ve been really luck.”
“DJ Ken Ishii is a world-ranked techno DJ. He once mixed the sound of our ‘kaen’ [Isaan reed mouth organ] with techno on an album he recorded here,” says DJ Seed, who’s the festival’s music director. “If Roy Fest is even 60 or 70 per cent successful, I think it can outdo Zouk Out.”
Zouk Out starts at 8pm and ends at 8am, while Roy Fest runs from 6pm to 2am.
"I initially planned to run the festival over the same period as Zouk Out but I was afraid that the audience would too exhausted. Based on my own experiences in Singapore, we're provide the shuttle bus service so that partygoers can head back and crash when they've had enough.
“We would like everyone to have a good time and enjoy dancing on the beach under the stars and cooled by the sea breezes,” says Dom.”
And, in keeping with every good Thai fest, partygoers will also find plenty of booths foods, beverages and souvenirs.
Package and party
>> Two party packages priced at Bt4,950 and Bt5,250 are available. They include a round-trip ticket on Air Asia and two nights accommodation. Visit www.RoyFest.com or call (02) 503 3878.
>> Karon Beach is on Phuket's west coast, south of Patong and north of Kata.
>> Phuket has 712 hotels, ranging from Bt200 to Bt100,000, with 38,000 rooms and 200 spas including 50 inside the hotels. Phuket has five yacht haven piers with 135 yachts moored as of last month.
>> Sethaphan Buddhani is director of Tourism Authority of Thailand, Phuket Office
source : http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/09/20/entertainment/entertainment_30112611.php
source : http://images.hotel-rates.com/hotels/HKT_MOVE-ctyrd-1.jpg
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