She continued by saying that the theme for this year’s sand sculpture festival was ASEAN integration and that symbols of the 10 member nations were depicted in the statues. She noted that Vientiane’s very own Tat Luang Stupa and the Lao national symbol, the Asian elephant, were among the sculptures.
The sculptures are being created by a team of Lao and Thai artists. Ms Busadee said the project began on 8 March to ensure the sculptures were ready in time for the start of the Pi Mai Lao Festival on 13 April. She finished off by saying that around 100,000 people visited the beach to view the sculptures in 2015.
The three-day Pi Mai cultural extravaganza celebrates the passing of one year to the next and is also marked in Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar. Don Chan Beach stretches along the banks of Vientiane’s Mekong riverbank. Admission fees to the sculpture site have been set at LAK10,000 (THB43) per person.
Vientiane workers add finishing touches to beach sand sculptures
News in Asia
Artists in the Lao capital of Vientiane are busy finishing off sand sculptures on the city’s beach to herald in the traditional New Year. Ratsadaporn Busadee told reporters that there will be 15 sculptures on Don Chan Beach and they will be finished by Sunday at the latest.