Thai Festival to open in Taipei next week with AI costume exhibit

Taipei, April 15 (CNA) This year's Thai Festival will be held in Taipei next week, featuring food, performances and an AI exhibit that lets visitors virtually try on national costumes developed by Thailand's late queen mother, the Thailand Trade and Economic Office (TTEO) said Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference in Taipei, Narong Boonsatheanwong, Thailand's top representative to Taiwan, said Thai Festival 2026 will feature a diverse lineup of performances and exhibits aimed at giving visitors "a firsthand sense of the creativity and beauty of Thai culture."

The annual festival, themed "Creative Life and Creative Heartbeat," will be held at the Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 from April 24-26, featuring food stalls and exhibits by 10 selected Thai brands, according to Narong.

He said the TTEO would also use the festival to honor Thailand's Queen Mother Sirikit, who died in October last year, by highlighting some of her past contributions, especially her "invaluable" role in developing Thailand's national costume.

Narong said that in the 1960s, Thai women did not yet have a clearly defined national costume, so the Queen Mother directed experts to study ancient court attire and incorporate modern tailoring techniques in developing traditional royal dress.

Those designs later became a model for today's national costume for Thai women and were designated as part of Thailand's national cultural heritage in 2023, he added.

During the festival, visitors will be able to use an AI-powered interactive exhibit to virtually try on Thailand's national costumes and take photos at the venue, Narong said.

Thai performers have been invited to the festival, including dance group Sbunnga, music group The Ping Reverie and boy band Lad, he said, noting another 13 T-Pop artists will also appear and interact with fans.

With the opening ceremony set to begin at 3 p.m. on April 25, three lucky visitors will be selected to win round-trip tickets between Taipei and Bangkok, according to the TTEO.