The ‘longest beach music festival in Asia’ is still on for this weekend in Pattaya.

The Pattaya International Music Festival 2010 is back on Friday, promising to be bigger and better than ever because this year as it’s one of the events celebrating the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s 50th anniversary.

The music festival has an expanded budget of Bt40 million, half of it from the Tourism Authority, which is also the host. The TAT has donated two more stages, bringing the total to six. Other sponsors include the Chon Buri Provincial Administration Organisation, Telecom of Thailand (TOT) and CAT Telecom.

Pattaya City is blocking off a longer stretch of street – four to five kilometres from the dolphin circle in the north to Bali Hai Pier in the south – allowing the festival to bill itself as the “longest beach music festival in Asia”.

“The full length of the street will be blockaded from 4.30pm on Friday to midnight on Sunday,” says Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome.

“The Pattaya International Music Festival is bigger and greater this year,” says the mayor. “The extra stages go along with the event’s concept of offering a wide of variety of music, in line with Pattaya’s City of Variety theme, after last year’s ‘Amazing Music Amazing Pattaya’. This year, we have a special stage for techno and electronic music.

The budget covers more than 100 Thai and Asian artists and the production costs for a six-stage extravaganza, with Bt7 million being used for promotion.

The blue stage in central Pattaya is for variety. Artists include Klear, Kala, So Cool, Namcha, Ice Sarunyoo, Clash, Black Beauty, Potato, Mike Phiromporn, Brazier, Tai Tanawut, Buddha Bless, Pong-Lang Sa-orn, and Thaitanium.

The purple stage at Central Festival has easy-listening from the Candies, Dream On, Panadda, Lukpad, Lula, Nam, Ford Sobchai, Bell Supol, Nicole Theriault, Ann Thitima, Calorie Blah Blah, Soulda, Pom Autobahn and Techin.

Ska and reggae sounds take the yellow stage in south Pattaya with Madagascar II Circle, Joey Boy, Superglasses, Manorom, No Bar Nachore, JoFax, Lasanya, Modley Ska, Bangkok Smoke Run, Gold Red and Bangsean Gaya.

Orange is the colour of techno and electronica at the Hard Rock Hotel, where GMM Grammy’s Mashroom label chief Fahmai Damrongchaitham is curating an A-list lineup of foreign and local DJs.

Indie rockers take over the green at Pattaya Soi 4. They include Pek Palitchok, New-Jew, Off Pongsak, Ab Normal, Parapol, Pancake, Stamp, Tattoo Colour, Slur, the Richman Toy, Instinct, and Kob Saowanit.

Finally there’s the pink stage at Bali Hai Pier, with the headline pop-rock acts Bodyslam, Ruj and Gam from “The Star”, Golf-Mike, Zeal, Ebola, Sweet Mullet, Playground, Da Endorphine, Big Ass, Paradox, Retrospect and Pang Nakharin. Foreign acts are After School, 5356F(X) and Wheesung from South Korea, Zhang Li Yin from China, Leprozy from Laos and Christian Botista from the Philippines.

“Pattaya Music Festival has been cool every year and this year I expect it to be even cooler because the preparation is better and the event is bigger,” says Big Ass singer Ekarat “Dak” Wongchalad.

Festival-goers will also be able to enjoy more booths fun activities, food and beverages. They’re named after favourite Thai dishes, such as som tam, kaeng khiew waan, kaeng tai pla and phad Thai. Hand-made products will be on sale between the green and orange stages.

Some 500,000 punters are expected to turn out over the three days, generating an anticipated Bt500 million in revenue. Last year’s edition drew 350,000 visitors and earned Bt300 million.

“Usually, the split is 70 per cent Thai and 30 per cent foreigners, but we think this year, it’s more likely to be 80 per cent Thai and 20 per cent foreigners, many of them from Taiwan, Korea, and Japan,” says Itthiphol. “We’re collaborating with Modernine and True Music for the live telecast, as well as GMM Grammy’s TV channels.”

There are 70,000 rooms in hotels in town at rates to suit all pockets – an increase of 5,000 over last year.

And don’t worry about Bangkok’s political chaos affecting the festival, says Pattaya’s mayor, who assures that there be increased security.

“We’ve upped the number of community volunteers from 1,200 to between 1,800 and 2,000. These community representatives will work closely with the Pattaya police and tourist police,” Itthiphol says. “Our newly founded group of volunteers is called ‘Thappaya’, which is taken from the old name of Pattaya City. We’ll be watching the garbage bins.” he says.

 TAT TURNS 50

Prakit Piriyakiet, deputy governor for marketing communications of Tourism Authority of Thailand, says Bt50 million is being spent on the celebrations this year and is being divided into three parts.

“We’re using roughly one third to promote the country on radio, TV and in the papers. The second 30 per cent will go on inviting 250 foreign media representatives from all over the world to come to see what we have to offer.

“The rest will be used to organise the Thailand Tourism Festival and for foreign tours to stimulate the economy.

“The big events are the Tourism Awards, given for outstanding traders such as hotels and the community, and the Friends of Thailand for tourist agency, media and supporters from all over the world.”

  SHORT DRIVE

-The Pattaya International Music Festival runs from Friday to Sunday from 4 to midnight.

 News item courtesy of www.nationmultimedia.com