During 2006, the Kingdom of Thailand celebrates the auspicious occasion of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Sixtieth Anniversary of His Majesty’s Accession to the Throne. This will be a year of regal splendour as grand celebrations are held throughout the Kingdom of Thailand to honour HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the ninth ruler of the Chakri Dynasty founded in 1782. An inspiration to his subjects, this much loved monarch is admired and respected by people all over the world. HM King Bhumibol is the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history, and has for some time been the world’s longest reigning incumbent monarch.

The Royal Barges of the Kingdom of Thailand are the last of their kind in the world. One of the kingdom’s grandest spectacles, the Royal Barge Procession on the Chao Phraya River, the ‘River of Kings’, is an ancient tradition that was revived by His Majesty King Bhumibol in 1959. This breathtaking water-borne procession is reserved for nationally auspicious occasions and has been held fourteen times during the His Majesty’s reign.

On this auspicious occasion of the Sixtieth Anniversary Celebrations of His Majesty the King’s Accession to the Throne in 2006, monarchs and head of states from 29 nations from around the world will be joining Their Majesties the King and Queen as royal guests. The Grand Royal Barge Procession being organised by the Royal Thai Navy on June 12, 2006 to mark the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of His Majesty the King’s Accession to the Throne is set to be the grandest ever held in recent times.

The grand procession will involve 52 traditional-style barges, four of which are major royal barges — Suphannahongse, Anantanagaraj, Narai Songsuban H.M. King Rama IX, and Anekchatbhuchongse, 12 barges with animal figureheads and 36 smaller ceremonial barges. A total of 2,082 Navy officers from various units within the Royal Thai Navy will serve as oarsmen.

In his capacity as Chairman of the Preparation Committee for the Royal Barge Procession, Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel of the Royal Thai Navy, Vice Admiral Suphakorn Buranadilok, indicated that Their Majesties the King and Queen and royal guests consisting of monarchs and head of states from 29 nations from around the world will be viewing the actual procession, which will be held on June 12 during 19.30 – 20.30 hrs, from the Royal Navy Institute (Ratchanavik Sapha), situated by the Chao Phraya River.

A new royal barge procession boat song has been specially composed for this auspicious occasion. The 45-minute long boat song provides accompaniment as the barges proceed gracefully along the river. The poetic composition describes His Majesty’s contributions to the country, the beauty of the royal barge procession and the beauty of the country.

Dress Rehearsals on June 2 and 6
Full Dress Rehearsals on June 9
Although all the 1,200 tickets have been sold out for viewing the main event on June 12, 2006, many tickets are still available for the three rehearsals on June 2, 6 and 9 at the two best riverside spots organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand — the lawns of the Bank of Thailand and the Riverside III cruise.

For those who miss the opportunity to view the spectacular procession live, around 1,200 overseas and local media have signed up with the Public Relations Department to join this special event. They will be providing extensive coverage via their travel channels and documentaries. TAT has also invited 80 overseas media from Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Germany, Italy, Russia, Sweden and USA to view the Royal Barge Procession rehearsals.

TAT is still inviting visitors to enjoy the Royal Barge Procession rehearsals, tickets can be booked at Tel: 0 2250 5500 ext. 2116-7 for the two locations:

1. Bank of Thailand riverside lawn:
   This is the only good place to clearly view the starting point of the procession in natural light. Refreshments will be served. Entrance fee is 1,000 baht.
   

   -	As parking space will not be available, it is best to take public transport to the venue.
   -	The Royal Barge will start its formation for the procession at 16.30 hrs when the lead boat will be at the King Rama 8 Bridge. Spectators are suggested to arrive well before the official time in order to clear the security check and be seated before the procession starts.

2. Riverside III Cruise:
   Rehearsals on June 2, 6 and 9, 2006
   Cocktails and drinks will be served. Ticket price is 3,000 baht.
   Recommendation for viewers:
   

   Boarding will be at the Riverside Cruise point at Niwet Woradit Pier (near the Royal Thai Navy Club) between 15.00-16.00 hrs. The route of the procession will be closed to all water-borne traffic. The cruise boats to view the procession have to leave the pier at 16.15 hrs sharp in order to dock at the Royal Thai Navy Institute. There will be no way to reach the cruise boat after its departure and late-comers will not get a refund. As parking space will not available at the Niwet Woradit Pier, it is best to take public transport there.

For more details, please check out http://www.60thcelebrations.com/en

REGAL SPLENDOUR
An Introduction to the Royal Barge Procession
Please click to view

Contact information:
Reservations/Tickets
Tourism Authority of Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 2652 8313-5

Royal Thai Navy
Web site: http://www.navy.mi.th/sctr/royal_barge_60/eng/index.php