Interested persons are invited to attend the upcoming full-dress rehearsal for the Royal Barge Procession along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok on 22 October 2024. 

The full-dress rehearsal is scheduled to begin at 15.00 hr, starting from the Rama VIII Bridge and continuing until Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), situated on the west (Thon Buri) bank of the river.

The Royal Barge Procession will be specially arranged on 27 October 2024 to celebrate His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua (Rama X)’s sixth-cycle (72nd) birthday, 28 July 2024. It will be organized for a royal journey to present kathin robes to Buddhist monks at Wat Arun.

The procession will comprise 52 barges, manned by 2,200 crew members. It will be 1,200 meters long and 90 meters wide. The procession will start at the Wasukri pier and pass through the Rama VIII Bridge and the Pin Klao Bridge, heading to Wat Arun. The total length is 4.2 kilometers.

The royal barge procession on 27 October 2024 will be the second in the present reign. The first one took place on 12 December 2019, which made it the concluding chapter in the Coronation of His Majesty the King.

Since ancient times, Thai kings have traveled not only by land but also by boat. When they traveled by boat, a magnificent royal barge procession would be formed. Thai kings have undertaken this ceremonial water-borne procession since the Sukhothai period (the 13th century).

Thailand is the only country in the world to have a royal barge procession, recognized as part of the country’s cultural heritage.