Bun Fai, Beer and Auntie Lamyong

Since moving to Isan, I've enjoyed visiting attractions, festivals and getting to know my in-laws. Without doubt, an introduction to Bun Bang Fai rocket festivals, first at a large event and then at a smaller one, was a highlight. Now it was time to see how a local village went about staging one.
 

 
Walking and Cycling Around Rural Sisaket
 
Since moving to Sisaket in March 2023, I’ve spent plenty of time cycling and walking around the surrounding villages, often to the amazement of locals unused to seeing a farang travelling on foot.
 
Indeed, Ning, a traffic cop, married to my wife's cousin, stopped in his car one day to offer me a lift. He shook his head, smiled and drove away in disbelief when I turned him down. One of those walks took me to Nong Hai, home to Auntie Lamyong and Uncle Wah, who can be read about in my piece about a visit to a previous rocket festival.
 
It’s around 5km from where we live, and I always enjoy visiting. As well as Lamyong and Wah, their son and his family have their home on the land, as does their granddaughter. With their offspring and their kids, there is always something going on, especially when some return home from afar.
 

Parade Day in Nong Hai

News Travels Fast in Thai Villages
 
If anything is happening locally, we usually hear about it through a phone message, which is how things are passed on in this part of the world. The original news is often broadcast over loudspeakers located around each village, with a community leader announcing any important news or details of any celebrations or events.

 

The news this time was that Nong Hai was staging its own rocket festival weekend. There was no way I was missing out on that. Taew drove us and parked up at aunties, as Wah took me onto the main road through the village, where the floats were starting to assemble for the Friday parade.

An Incredible Exhibit

The Friday Parade
 
Each little community in the village had put something together, with those without a vehicle putting on a display, having a truck playing music to walk and dance in front of. It was all very impressive, taking me back to happy days as a kid in Scarborough when a grand procession would parade through town.
 
One exhibit couldn’t fail to grab anyone's attention. It was a huge purple penis and testicles made from papier-mache. There is no other way to describe it. I was lost for words. Other performers were in intentionally over-the-top costume make-up. There was certainly no attempt to offend, just local people having fun.
 
The parade got underway with traditional music blaring out, and vehicles going at the usual snail's pace, with people coming out of their houses and lining the road, cheering, with some joining in the dancing. I was guilty as charged. It was a fantastic way to spend a Friday afternoon.
 
After a few drinks, the parade finished at the grounds of the Nong Hai Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, where the dancing continued, and a bouncy castle was in place for youngsters to keep occupied. We would return the following lunchtime.
 

My YouTube Video of the Festval

Rockets, Beer and Gambling
 
Saturday looked to be a little iffy, weather-wise. We found Lamyong and other members of the family waiting for us around the far side of the lake, which is where the rockets would be launched from. The remaining ground between the vendor stalls was rough and uneven.
 
Despite this, our blanket was plonked down on what was an uncomfortable terrain, as I thought anyone could sit. We had a couple of fold-up seats, which we took turns in. Beers were bought, predominantly from one man who astutely wore his Sisaket United football shirt. How could I turn him down?
 
The rockets were smaller than the previous displays we had been to, but still dramatic. As it was a local event, not as many entered, with many more competitions to choose from. It was good, clean fun, while those with stalls once again did well.

Preparing the Launchpad

 
Auntie Lamyong’s Business Venture
 
Once things were underway and the crowd was at its largest, Auntie Lamyong decided it was time for her to make some money. She’d learned her lesson, or so it seemed, from gambling on the rockets. She set up her own game, where she would be the banker. I did love her enthusiasm and most things about her.
 
However, it was always going to be ambitious to set up such an enterprise in a government facility, with police around, in a country where gambling is meant to be forbidden. Sure enough, five minutes in, she was told to pack up, returning to us with her tail between her legs. At least there was beer and whisky to enjoy!

The Entrepreneurial Auntie Lamyong

Why Local Festivals Matter
 
The Nong Hai Bun Fai may never attract large tourist crowds, but that was part of its charm. It was two days of music, laughter, rockets and community spirit — the kind of local experience that makes rural Thailand so rewarding to explore.
 
If you enjoyed this story, feel free to check out my YouTube Channel, where I share videos about everyday life in Thailand, local football, and travel across the country.
 
Thanks for reading.