I went to the world's wettest Pride parade where everyone gets soaked
I'm sitting in the police station soaking wet, still clutching my super-soaker as I drip on the tiles and wait for the officer to finish typing up my report. Not exactly how I'd expected my first day in Bangkok to end.
I'd come to Thailand 's capital for Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year festival that turns the streets of the city into a giant water fight every April.
I'd hoped I might dry off on the ride over, but sitting on the back of the motorbike only made me a moving target. That's the thing about Songkran, nobody is off limits. Police officers, Buddhist monks, the elderly and small children – I'd seen them all targeted with rapid-firing squirt guns and freezing buckets of water. It seems that there really are no exceptions.
If you step onto the street, you're consenting to getting wet.
That's why I'd put all my things into a waterproof bag. Squirting strangers as I ducked and dodged and sought out my next victim, I let my guard down only to realise I'd just become a victim myself.
Feeling my bag snag on something, I turn to find the pockets zipped wide open – my second passport, money and credit cards all stolen. I glance around the crowd of saturated revellers, but whoever had taken them had already disappeared.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJO-BVNTofK/?igsh=MWJ2NnI4NGpiOTh1MA
I try my best not to let it dampen my spirits – the money was minimal, my bank cards were immediately cancelled, and my primary passport was tucked away dry in the hotel safe.
But then I realised they'd taken something infinitely more valuable.
My second passport had my US visa in it – my only ticket to entering the United States. This may not seem like all that big of a deal, but with a new visa likely taking months, it was about to unravel all my carefully laid plans.
This year, I'm on a journey to experience Pride all over the world, and having already booked flights to San Francisco – the birthplace of Pride – and World Pride in Washington DC, I realised it was now unlikely I'd be able to go to either.
But this year is also what brought me here to Thailand. On the second day of the festivities, the LGBT+ community come together to get soaked in the Songkran Pride Parade. Being robbed the night before didn't exactly fill me with joy, but if I've learned anything on this journey, it's that the queer community always know how to lift my spirits.
A hidden gem
Finding the parade presented a new challenge in itself. While Pride events are usually heavily documented, for this one, I struggled to find any information at all. In fact, I started to question whether it actually existed. I didn't have a start time, or an exact location, all I knew was that it took place somewhere along Silom Road.
For the uninitiated, that's the beating heart of Bangkok's queer scene, but during Songkran, it becomes the centre of the party for everyone.
It's easy to understand why – the queer community spill out of the bars to party in the streets, pop up stages are erected, and spontaneous K-pop choreography catches like wildfire. The raucous spectacle speaks to Thailand's acceptance of the community.
The queer party is t he party, and everyone wants to be involved. Though with such wide-sweeping acceptance, queer spaces can sometimes become diluted, making us once again the minority. That's why a pride parade here is so important, it reclaims the space and tips the balance back towards centering queerness.
Despite the lack of information online, it doesn't take long for me to find the festivities.
I'd assumed it would be a small parade – given the fact that the streets are already so crowded – but I was pleasantly surprised to find it was quite the opposite. A dozen floats are lined up ready to depart, bubble cannons firing in all directions, rainbow fabric drenched in water and sweat as dancers perform in the sweltering heat. One drag queen has fashioned an outfit out of super-soakers, while another's make-up streams down her face as she performs on the back of a truck.
The current Miss LGBT+ Thailand poses for a photo with the winners of the past four years, while Mr Bear Bangkok is soaked by his countless admirers.
There's a tremendous sense of camaraderie here, and even though I'm travelling solo, I quickly feel I'm amongst friends. People approach to chat – or to attack me with their water pistols – one boy even pulls me in for a kiss after I turn his white shirt see-through.
Pride Around the World
Calum McSwiggan, author of Eat Gay Love, is a man on a mission. He plans to spend 2025 exploring how the LGBT+ community is celebrated everywhere on Earth: 12 months, 7 continents, 20 Prides.
In an exclusive Metro series, Calum will journey from the subzero climes of Antarctica to the jewel-toned streets of Mumbai, telling the story of Pride around the world.
Follow his journey on Metro, in print and on our socials to learn how Pride is celebrated around the world. Next up? A different sort of Pride, behind closed doors in Malaysia.
A place for everyone
It quickly becomes apparent that it isn't just the Thai community that's come to celebrate either. There are queer people from all over. There's a float decked out in Filipino flags, and one in Taiwan 's colours too. I meet people from India, Cambodia, Japan, China and Korea. I even meet some who've travelled from Malaysia, where LGBT+ identities are still considered criminal.
For some, Songkran is another excuse to party, but for others, it's a form of escapism, one of the only times of year when they can truly be themselves.
'Songkran is one of the most diverse and inclusive events I've ever attended,' Taiwanese personal trainer Patrick Chen tells me as he shields his boyfriend from an incoming bucket of water. 'It's something everyone should experience at least once.'
Vietnamese influencer Milton echoes this sentiment. 'It's one of the best memories I've ever made. A place where everyone – regardless of religion, language barrier, or sexual orientation – comes together to have fun and get wet. You don't need alcohol or drugs, you'd be amazed how many friends you can make by just splashing water in their faces.'
Talking to people from right across the Asian diaspora helps me realise how important it is to have this space in Asia, where there are comparatively fewer spaces for the LGBT+ community.
Songkran also coincides with GCIRCUIT, Asia's largest LGBT+ dance festival, giving extra incentive for people to make the journey to come here.
'We wanted to create a safe space where our community can come together from all over Asia,' Tom Tan, who founded GCIRCUIT with his partner, explains.
'From our earlier years, where sponsors weren't interested in gay events, to now having the endorsement of big brands, it's evident to see the shift in perception of our community. We're proud to keep pushing for that while championing visibility, acceptance and inclusion.'
Booking.com's Travel Proud research shows that 63% of LGBT+ travellers prioritise destinations where they can be their authentic selves – and that's exactly what Bangkok delivers. It doesn't just welcome queerness, it soaks it in unashamed joy.
Inclusive and proud
There's an enormous emphasis on the trans community here, too.
Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia to have never been colonised, and as a result, its centuries old practise of trans inclusion has been preserved. While legal rights for trans people are still far from perfect, Thailand is now leading the world in areas like gender affirming care, with people travelling from all over the globe for treatment.
Still, this visibility comes with a dark side.
Kathoey is the term traditionally used for transfeminine people in Thailand, but the use of the westernised ' l a***oy' slur has become commonplace.
While some reclaim the word, or brush it off as harmless, for others it's deeply offensive, and only contributes to segregating them further from society.
With sex tourism on the rise, trans people are often objectified and fetishised, sometimes with horrifying consequences. In April, trans woman Woranan Pannacha was violently mutilated and murdered by a Chinese tourist after she refused to have sex with him.
That's why it's so important to see such loud and proud trans representation in the parade. Some march for sex worker rights, with signs that read 'my pussy, my business,' while others wave flags and gleefully soak the crowd with water canons. It's still very much a celebration, but there's an undertone of protest too – and that combination, for me, is exactly what Pride everywhere is all about.
By the time the parade is over, I've all but forgotten about the robbery from the night before.
New friends invite me to dinner, and I remind myself that this is what this journey was always about. It's too early to say whether or not the robbery has completely derailed my plans for the rest of the year, but no matter what happens, I have no regrets in coming here.
Songkran Pride is one of the best things I've ever experienced, I'm already planning on coming back.
Travel guide to Bangkok Pride
Getting there
Thai Airways offers return fares from both London Heathrow and Gatwick starting at £683 return.
Things to do (beyond Pride)
S20 Festival: Combining sky-high water canons with EDM for the wettest party on Earth.
Yunomori Onsen: To celebrate the water festival in a more relaxed environment, this serene bathhouse lives up to Japanese standards and is very popular with the LGBT+ community.
Chatuchak Market: For super soakers, waterproof bags, and other Songkran supplies, this is one of the largest weekend markets in the world, and filled with LGBT+ owned stalls.
Where to stay
Ibis Styles (£)
Amara Hotel
Capella Bangkok (£££)
These hotels all proudly display the Travel Proud badge after completing Booking.com's LGBT+ inclusivity training.
Where to eat and drink
Little Bao: A concept by LGBT+ chef and advocate May Chow, this eatery brings a modern twist to traditional Chinese comfort food.
Luka Sathorn: LGBT+ owned bohemian brunch spot in the heart of Silom.
Patpong Night Market: For late night eats, just steps from the queer scene.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
5 days ago
- Time Out
London is officially the most diverse and inclusive city in the world, according to locals
Here at Time Out, cities are kind of our thing. We're always interested in how cities across the world are changing and evolving and keen to know how they're perceived by the people that know them best. So, our enormous annual survey of 18,500 city-dwellers asks folk what they think of their hometown's transport, food, nightlife, green spaces and more. This year, we also wanted to find out how many would describe their city as 'diverse and inclusive'. Because there's not really any point going somewhere if you don't feel welcome. We can reveal that, according to locals themselves, London is the most diverse and inclusive city in the world. Our capital topped the ranking with 78 percent of respondents agreeing that they'd describe it as diverse and inclusive. There are around 300 languages spoken throughout the capital and an estimated 41 percent of its inhabitants were born outside of the UK. Its largely considered one of the most multi-cultural places on Earth, with international communities dotted across north, south, east and west of the city. There's Little Portugal in South Lambeth, Little Korea in New Malden and Little Lagos in Peckham to name but a few. Brixton is known for its thriving African-Caribbean influence, Soho has Chinatown, if you go to Green Lanes you'll be able to tuck into authentic Turkish and Cypriot cuisine and in Tooting, there's a large south Asian population and a network of restaurants that have earned it the nickname of 'the land of the curry mile'. It's not just London's rich mix of cultures that makes it such a diverse and inclusive place. The city is also a huge champion of LGBTQ+ inclusivity. It hosts a huge annual Pride celebration (this year, it's on July 5) and throughout the rest of the year is home to a plethora of gay bars, club nights, queer landmarks, lesbian spaces and LGBTQ+ collectives, like wrestling troupe Fist Club. So, whoever you are, wherever you're from, whatever you're into, London is a place where everyone is welcome.
Time Out
6 days ago
- Time Out
Airbnb reveals the top trending Pride Month destinations for 2025
Thank the rainbow gods it's Pride Month, a chance to celebrate love in all forms and connect with like-minded community. Some people travel for Pride if their city doesn't host large-scale festivities, and renting an Airbnb to share makes the journey even more special. To that end, Airbnb has released a list of the top trending Pride Month destinations this year, based on searches by Gen Z and millennial users. Younger travelers like those born between 1981 and 1996 (a.k.a. Millennials) and between 1997 and 2012 (Gen Z) have been looking online for the best cities to celebrate Pride Month, with search interest surging from 20-percent last year to 90-percent in June 2025. In the U.S., the cities seeing the most trending interest are Chicago, Illinois and Boston, Massachusetts, beating LGBT-friendly hubs like New York and San Francisco. And internationally, the cities of Cologne, Germany; Bogotá, Colombia; and Mexico City, Mexico are also seeing a huge uptick in interest. Why these two American cities? Chicago was where the country's first gay rights organization (the Society for Human Rights) was founded in the 1920s; half a century later, the city's annual Pride Parade began as a protest march in 1970 after the significant Stonewall Riots in New York City, where people protested the police raid on a gay club called the Stonewall Inn. Today, Chicago's Pride Parade brings out more than a million people to cheer and celebrate. The larger Pride festivities last all month around Chicagoland, with concerts, street festivals and dance parties. And Boston, of course, has its own historical LGBTQ+ bonafides: its own Pride parade, which debuted in 1971, was the first in all of New England. This year's observances, centered on the ever-resilient theme of "Here to Stay," include an epic parade, rainbow flag raising, live music and performances from both drag kings and queens.
Time Out
6 days ago
- Time Out
The world's most diverse and inclusive cities, according to locals
A city can boast outstanding street food, brilliant nightlife culture and some really cool museums, as well as be easy to navigate on transport or on foot, but all that is rather pointless if you don't feel welcome. Cities vary enormously when it comes to how diverse and inclusive they are, but somewhere that embodies both of those values is simply a better place to live. There's evidence showing that cities that are culturally diverse aren't only blessed with all the benefits of having different cultures living side-by-side, such as diverse food options and the joy of getting to know new people and new customs, but also for our economies and our wellbeing. So, as part of our massive annual survey to determine the world's best cities, we asked 18,500 city-dwellers whether they'd describe their city as 'diverse and inclusive' – and below is a roundup of the cities home to the highest proportion of people who'd do so. Topping the list is London, where a huge 78 percent of survey respondents said they'd describe the UK's capital as diverse and inclusive. Thanks to its long history as a hub for immigration, it's widely considered one of the most, if not the single-most, diverse city on the planet. Around 300 languages are spoken, and you'll find communities throughout the city that have brought their culture to the UK. South Lambeth is home to Little Portugal, in New Malden you'll find Little Korea and Little Lagos is nestled in Peckham, but there's also Green Lanes in North London, famous for its well-established Turkish and Cypriot community, Ealing's historic role as a base for London's Polish community, and Tooting, which is home to a large British Asian population, and some lip-smacking restaurants to match. London is also a champion of LGBTQ+ inclusivity, hosting a massive annual Pride celebration which, this year, will take place on July 5. It also has an impressive and ever-growing selection of year-round queer spaces like gay bars and clubs as well as lesbian spaces and events, too. Second place goes to Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, which lies across several different Indigenous Australian land divides. Seventy-seven percent of locals here described the city as diverse and inclusive. The city's original name is Naarm, and Melbourne honours the land's Traditional Owners in its art scene, with events such as RISING: Melbourne, and venues such as Malthouse Theatre, which supports lots of First Nation plays and productions. Melbourne's proximity to Asia also means a dazzling array of communities and cuisines. Chinatown is in the city's central business district, where, in some restaurants, you can watch dumplings being folded and the noodles being pulled. There's also a huge Greek influence in the southeastern suburbs, due to the large numbers of people who emigrated after the Second World War. Third place? That went to Brighton, a seaside city on the UK's south coast, which is affectionately known as the country's Gay Capital. Census data from 2023 shows that it has a higher proportion of people identifying as bi, pan, asexual and non-binary than any other city in England and Wales, and it's also home to one of the most popular Pride celebrations in Europe. Kemptown and St James's Street are the best spots to head for some queer nightlife pubs and clubs. But New York also came in joint third, and given it was the birthplace of the Stonewall Riots and is widely known as one of the world's most welcoming cities for LGBQT+ people, we're hardly surprised. Today, neighbourhoods such as Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, the West Village and parts of Brooklyn like Park Slope are the go-tos for queer nightlife. The Big Apple is also one of the most diverse cities, not just in the US but the world, with more than 200 languages spoken and a proportion of residents born outside the country of around 37 percent, according to the city's official website. Along with Brighton, 76 percent of locals described it as 'diverse and inclusive'. Read on for the top 15. These are the most diverse and inclusive cities in the world London, UK Melbourne, Australia Brighton, UK = New York, USA Los Angeles, USA Chicago, USA Madrid, Spain Barcelona, Spain Bangkok, Thailand Johannesburg, South Africa= Cape Town, South Africa Montreal, Canada= Medellin, Colombia= Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia= San Francisco, USA There's a whole load of factors that make a city great, and we have assessed them all. Check out our roundups for the best cities in the world for walkability, public transport, and green space, as well as the best cities for food, nightlife and culture. Oh, and here's our latest annual list of the world's best cities overall. Plus: .
