Pattaya, Thailand – October 31st, 2025– The city of Pattaya kicked off its inaugural Pattaya Halloween Festival 2025 on Thursday with a high-profile seminar titled “Thai Ghosts, Soft Power, and Driving Pattaya Toward a UNESCO Creative City of Film.” The event, held amid a period of national mourning, stressed cultural exchange and economic potential while honoring the late Queen Mother.
At 1:30 p.m., Pattaya Mayor Poramese Ngampichet presided over the opening of the seminar at the Grand Ballroom on the second floor of Cape Dara Resort Pattaya. He was joined by Deputy City Clerk Siwach Boonkerd and eight renowned Thai film directors: Adirek Wattaleela, Nonzee Nimibutr, Prachya Pinkaew, Yuthlert Sippapak, Rachen Limtrakool, Thaweewat Wanta, Ekkasit Trerath, and Wuttidon Intharaket.
The discussion drew a large crowd, including Pattaya city executives, department heads, representatives from related agencies, and members of the public.
Organized by the city of Pattaya in collaboration with the Walking Street Pattaya Business Operators Association, the seminar falls under a broader Pattaya Halloween Festival. Its primary goal was to gather diverse insights from the nation’s top directors to adapt strategies for Pattaya’s context, paving the way for the city’s bid to become a UNESCO Creative City of Film by 2027.
Participants highlighted Pattaya’s assets—pristine beaches, comprehensive tourism infrastructure, and nightlife—as key draws for domestic and international filmmakers. The event aims to boost tourism revenue, encourage spending at hotels, shops, restaurants, and transport services, introduce new activities, attract younger demographics, and elevate Pattaya’s image as a multifaceted destination. This, in turn, is expected to generate sustainable income for the city and Thailand overall.
Key proposals included launching a grand Thai Film Festival in Pattaya featuring iconic national films, investing in local productions, or partnering with major studios to showcase the city’s unique selling points, such as its seaside allure and nightlife. Directors added that Pattaya’s global brand recognition positions it for long-term success as a film hub.
This marks the first year Pattaya has hosted an annual Halloween festival, which will become a regular yearly event. However, in deference to the national mourning period for Her Royal Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, the city scaled back festivities. The planned street party and parade events at Walking Street were canceled, retaining only the seminar as an official event, although private businesses were allowed to continue holding Halloween parties which many bars and nightclubs were doing. The program began with a moment of silence, followed by a khon masked dance performance titled “The Battle of Thotsakan” by the Khon Lovers Club under the Ministry of Culture’s Department of Cultural Promotion. These elements paid tribute to the Queen Mother’s legacy and perpetuated her royal initiatives in cultural preservation.
For the original version of this article, please visit The Pattaya News.
