The Thai New Years festival Songkran is celebrated between April 13-15 each year. In Chiang Mai the festival holds onto its traditions with temple visits and parades through the city. These aspects become lost as young foreigners and Thais hit the streets for what has become a spectacular water fight. Buckets of water are slammed at close range into the faces of passing drivers and accidents are common. The moat surrounding the historic centre becomes the playground from which buckets and water guns are refilled, traffic comes to a stand still, the music is loud and everyone gets very wet.
