Security measures will be increased throughout Thailand during the Songkran festivities. Officials advise tourists to wear clothing appropriate to the water festival, where getting drenched – and drenching others - is part of the fun.
This year, officials have prohibited the custom of pouring ice-cold water from passing pickup trucks. Hospitals are ready to provide emergency treatment to those injured in street water fights.
Songkran is known as a water festival, and for a reason: Everyone gets soaking wet. The holiday is celebrated nationwide with splashing water, shooting water guns and pouring buckets of water over passers-by. Visitors are advised to wear clothing that dries quickly, and to wear bathing suits under street clothes. They also caution tourists to keep money, documents and cell phones in waterproof plastic bags which can be purchased in supermarkets.