Songkhran (Thai New Year Celebration), Phuket
Phuket
Thailand
Thailand
Concierge.com's insider take:
On the Thai New Year (April 12-15), the island becomes an enormous outdoor water fight. The fest springs from the tradition of sprinkling water on statues of Buddha, but you're more likely to have a drunken Swede dump a bucket of water on your head or get squirted with a watergun by a seven-year-old Thai kid. Actually, being soaked to the skin anywhere in Patong is a nice refreshment in April's boiling-hot weather. Beware: Some pranksters mix the water with talc, resulting in a white spray that makes for a really bad hair day.