Bangkok is the capital of Thailand, a state in Southeast Asia. This is the abbreviated name for a huge city with a population of about 15 million people. Its full name is difficult to reproduce, it got into the Guinness Book of Records as the longest city name in the world.
Bangkok is located in central Thailand, near the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. It is developing rapidly, and its residents dream that their city will soon be able to rise on a par with such giants of Southeast Asia as Singapore and Hong Kong. Bangkok has many historical sights and is visited by a huge number of tourists. They are attracted not only by monuments of history and architecture, but also by all kinds of cultural events. One of them is the International Music and Dance Festival.
The enormity of the scale of this event can be judged at least by its duration. For example, this year the festival starts on September 10 and will end only on October 14! The first festival was held in 1999 under the patronage of one of the princesses of the Thai royal family. Of course, then its scale was much more modest. But the organizers did not hide the fact that they plan to eventually turn this event into a real world-class holiday, and Bangkok into a cultural center for performing arts. And they succeeded quite well. The royal family continues to provide all-round support for the events related to the organization and holding of the festival. After all, this festival, although it is associated with large material costs, not only increases the prestige of Thailand, but also contributes to an increase in the number of tourists. And this is very important, since tourism revenues account for about 10% of the state's GDP.
The performances of musicians and dancers have been going on for more than a month. This year, viewers will also be able to enjoy jazz music, opera, symphonies performed by the best musicians and singers from various countries, for example, from Italy, Spain, and France. Musical performances will alternate with dance programs. Among the participants will be Russian performers. Foreign masters will also be accompanied by their colleagues from Thailand, many of whom are known far beyond the borders of their country.
The aim of the organizers of the international festival in Bangkok is to make it the best in all of Asia. And, judging by the results achieved in such a short time, it is quite real.
