The Riga Thai Festival 2023
On Saturday, September 30, 2023, the Royal Thai Embassy, Stockholm, led by Ambassador Arunrung Phothong Humphreys, Ambassador-Designate of Thailand to Latvia, together with the Thai community in Latvia, organised the Riga Thai Festival 2023 at the Grand Hotel Kempinski, Riga.
The event was well attended by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Ambassadors and high level representatives from foreign embassies in Latvia, Latvians and tourists.
In her opening remarks, Ambassador Arunrung highlighted close relations between Thailand and Latvia, and introduced many aspects of Thai culture to the audience, such as Thai food, boxing (Muay Thai), fabric and traditional Thai massage.
Thai cultural experiences were presented throughout the event, including Thai dances performed by the Thai residents in Latvia. Visitors also got to try traditional Thai massage, registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. The beautiful Thai fruit and vegetable carving booth attracted the attention of many attendees who came to try their hand at the art. Information about tourism in Thailand was provided by a representative of Tourism Authority of Thailand. Another highlight of the festival was when Mr. Vasiliy Fleisher, President of the Latvian Muaythai Federation, brought the team from the “Muay Thai Academy” to show the art of Muay Thai and various fighting techniques.
The participants also learned how to make the world-famous Thai dishes like spicy fruit salad, Tom Yum soup with prawns, and mango sticky rice. They had fun answering questions about Thailand, winning several giveaway prizes throughout the event.
The Embassy would like to thank everyone who came to experience Thailand in Riga with us. Special thanks to Ms. Natharada Rianthong and Ms. Duangdao Verdins, our Thai volunteers in Latvia for their passion and dedication, including all the sponsors. See you all again in the next Thai Festival in Latvia!
