Luang Prabang Authorities Ask People Not to be Rowdy During Pi Mai Lao

Source: Vientiane Times
Authorities of the world heritage town of Luang Prabang have instructed people not to engage in revelry beyond 11:30 pm during the Pi Mai Lao festivities and not to gather in groups to dance on the roadside.

Members of the public were also instructed not to drive when drunk, and not to ride in groups on roads, drive at excessive speeds, or make a lot of noise on the streets in order to maintain safety in the tourist hotspot city during the annual festive event.

People are also forbidden from using large containers of water or hoses to douse people using roads, and not to throw dirty water, colored water, water containing irritants, water balloons, or bags of ice.

Authorities also warned revelers not to wear indecent or provocative clothing.

Households were advised not to play music at excessively high levels and to turn off the music at 11:30 pm, while people should also refrain from blocking roads by dancing in the street or in groups on roadsides.

No one must ride on the bonnets of vehicles while they are in motion, and everyone must comply with the normal traffic regulations, while places of entertainment and restaurants were also instructed to strictly follow the standard rules of operation.

This year Luang Prabang is hosting an extensive program of PI Mai Lao activities, with events taking place over 10 days from April 11-20.

The festival will be celebrated on a much larger scale this year after activities were scaled down or canceled in the past three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The official Lao New Year holiday normally runs from April 14-16, but events in Luang Prabang province will overrun this timeframe, the Director of the provincial Information, Culture and Tourism Department, Dr. Soudaphone Khomthavong, told the Vientiane Times.

The program of activities includes the Nang Sang Khan contest, an elephant procession, the pouring of water over Buddha images and monks at temples, almsgiving ceremonies, a Naga lantern parade, and a performance of traditional dances at the Royal Palace Museum.

Luang Prabang city’s old quarter was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1995 by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Other popular tourist attractions in Luang Prabang include the Phu Si stupa, Xiengthong temple, Sae waterfall, Kuangxi waterfall, and the night market.


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