Thai Food Festival

Who knew that one Sunday could hold so many photos?

Thankfully the Thai Food Festival was only down the road from the Spanish Quarter Street Festival. I nipped between the two a number of times throughout the day, interspersing Thai treats with Spanish salsa.


Thai sweets


Thai videos

It was a gloriously hot day and the buzz of families gave Tumbalong Park a happy carnival atmosphere. Thai families are definitely organised! They arrived with bamboo mats for sitting on, umbrellas for shade and some entreprenuerial types had even set up tents.

Refreshment came in the form of iced tea, iced black coffee, iced milky coffee or iced lemon tea. Then were were young coconuts shaped like a circus tent, to be shattered open by a smiling young man holding a cleaver. The sweet milky juice would be sucked up with a straw, and the soft creamy flesh scooped out with a spoon.

Little tubs of exotic ice creams could also be had for $1.50 but alas all the cool flavours like mangosteen, taro, green tea and guava were already gone by the time I enquired. I really wanted mangosteen but had to settle for the last papaya one instead.


Ice cold drinks


Chendol - a dessert made using rice flour tinted green
and then pushed through a sieve to create "green worms".


Queuing for food


Chefs making popiah (a Singaporean-style raw spring roll
with egg, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, prawns and vegetables)


Thai fare


Keeping cool with a painted parasol


Ice kacang

After nibbling on a sample of pad thai and crunching on a trio of sesame-encrusted toffeed banana fritters, a cup of ice kacang fulfilled both the drink and the dessert urges. A motley assortment of Asian sweets were ladled into the bottom of the cup: sugared beans, purple yam, mung bean, jelly, jackfruit and chendol, then topped with an avalanche of ice shavings and drenched with sweetened coconut milk.

The Thai boy bands (indeed, they sounded so) cleared the stage for a final performance of Thai dancing in traditional dress. They shimmered in resplendent silk embellished with intricate gold headpieces and adornments.







As day turned into dusk, preparations began for the Loy Krathong festival. A famous Thai celebration, Loy means "to float" and Krathong refers to the floating vessel made of banana leaves in the shape of a lotus leaf.


Krathong candles for sale


Procession of Thai dancers





Loy Krathong is traditionally celebrated on the night of a full moon in the twelfth lunar month.

People purchase krathong candles, light them and make a wish before setting them afloat. The krathong are believed to carry away bad luck or sins, as well as signifying respect to Khongkha or Ganga, the River Goddess.



The Thai Food Festival was held in Tumbalong Park on Sunday 13 November 2005.

This event takes place annually, usually in November.

Related GrabYourFork posts:
Spanish Quarter Street Festival Part I
Spanish Quarter Street Festival Part II
Spanish Quarter Street Festival Part III
Newtown Festival