I first covered the Candle Festival in Ubon in 2005 where I
was pleasantly surprised by the accuracy of the schedules provided, the
promptness of the starting of events and the use of the beautiful park in the
centre of town.
What a difference 2 years make. The schedules provided were incomplete and
incorrect. The park in town basically sat idle throughout the festival. OTOP
products and local crafts were scattered through the bazaar of plastic junk in
front of the provincial hall. And last, but not least the Parade that makes up
the central event of the Festival started nearly an hour late.
I spoke to a number of foreigners who attended the festival and the most consistent comments were quite negative concerning the Parade, specifically the fact that thousands waited in the hot, humid sun for an hour waiting for the thing to start