Phuket festival bans alcohol for first time

Thailand’s annual Phuket Good Taste Food Festival has banned the sale of booze for the first time in its 15-year history, but promises to entertain visitors with a sexy singer.

Performers booked for this year’s Phuket Food Festival include the sexy “Dear at Ten”, according to the Phuket Gazette.

The event has responded to the demands of local food vendors and the Stop Drink Network, who are keen to wipe out alcohol-related problems which have marred past festivals.

Although the sale of booze has been forbidden, visitors to the festival will be allowed to bring their own drinks as long as they don’t consume them within a new demarked alcohol-free area, according to the Phuket Gazette.

The use of Styrofoam containers for serving food has also been banned, with vendors obliged to use biodegradable containers instead.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to retain visitors, a singer will be performing who is renowned for her sexy dance acts (see video, and picture above).

The festival is held held at Saphan Hin in Phuket Town and starts this Friday. It will be open from 4pm to 11pm daily from 14-22 September.

The Stop Drink Network (SDN) was founded in 2009 to deal with rising alcohol-related problems among young people and students in northern Thailand.

It is a branch of the national Stop Drinking Network Organization, which was founded in 2006.

According to the SDN website, it started to prevent accidents during festivals, and has been active at events such as the Lanna New Year in Chiang Mai 2007, or the Loy Krathong (Light festival) in 2006 and 2007.