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Thailand aims for global festival recognition as UNESCO-listed Thai New Year takes centre stage with parades, performances, and nationwide celebrations.
BANGKOK, April 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Thailand officially opened the Maha Songkran World Water Festival 2025 last night with a spectacular celebration in the heart of Bangkok. Hosted at Sanam Luang from 11–15 April, the festival is the centrepiece of the Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year 2025, under the Thailand Summer Festival campaign spotlighting Thai heritage, creativity, and cultural unity.
Prime Minister, H.E. Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, stated: "The Maha Songkran World Water Festival 2025 brings together soft power, technology, and creativity to deliver a memorable experience that boosts tourism, drives the economy and showcases Thailand's ability to host world-class events."
The Maha Songkran Parade marked the opening of UNESCO-listed Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year, travelling from Democracy Monument along Ratchadamnoen Avenue to Sanam Luang. The parade featured eight themed floats celebrating Thai culture — from the Naga of River of Blessings and tropical fruits of Colours of the Seasons to Tomyum Kung, elephants, and betta fish. Other highlights included temple fair nostalgia, tuk-tuk flair, and a child's-eye view of Songkran's future. A second parade will circle Sanam Luang today, with all floats remaining on public display at the venue through 15 April.
From 15.00 to 23.00 Hrs. daily, Sanam Luang becomes a vibrant cultural hub with concerts, crafts, rituals, and regional showcases. The Main Stage hosts top Thai artists alongside classical performances and a nightly drone show. Smaller stages feature traditional acts like Nora dance and puppetry. The Regional Identity Zone reflects Thailand's five regions through architecture and hands-on workshops. Visitors can explore temple fair attractions, water play zones, and the "5 Must Do in Thailand" experience. Over 100 booths offer local food and crafts. A festival app and free shuttle service support visitors, while GCYOU-TURN promotes sustainability on-site.
The Festival Web App provides real-time updates, maps, and Songkran listings nationwide to support visitor convenience. Free shuttle services run throughout festival hours from Central Pinklao and MRT Sanam Chai Station.
TAT projects that Songkran 2025 will generate over 26.5 billion Baht in tourism revenue during 12–16 April, marking an 8% year-on-year increase. This includes 476,000 international arrivals contributing over 7.32 billion Baht and more than 4.4 million domestic visits generating 19.24 billion Baht.
Thailand aims for global festival recognition as UNESCO-listed Thai New Year takes centre stage with parades, performances, and nationwide celebrations.
BANGKOK, April 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Thailand officially opened the Maha Songkran World Water Festival 2025 last night with a spectacular celebration in the heart of Bangkok. Hosted at Sanam Luang from 11–15 April, the festival is the centrepiece of the Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year 2025, under the Thailand Summer Festival campaign spotlighting Thai heritage, creativity, and cultural unity.
Prime Minister, H.E. Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, stated: "The Maha Songkran World Water Festival 2025 brings together soft power, technology, and creativity to deliver a memorable experience that boosts tourism, drives the economy and showcases Thailand's ability to host world-class events."
The Maha Songkran Parade marked the opening of UNESCO-listed Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year, travelling from Democracy Monument along Ratchadamnoen Avenue to Sanam Luang. The parade featured eight themed floats celebrating Thai culture — from the Naga of River of Blessings and tropical fruits of Colours of the Seasons to Tomyum Kung, elephants, and betta fish. Other highlights included temple fair nostalgia, tuk-tuk flair, and a child's-eye view of Songkran's future. A second parade will circle Sanam Luang today, with all floats remaining on public display at the venue through 15 April.
From 15.00 to 23.00 Hrs. daily, Sanam Luang becomes a vibrant cultural hub with concerts, crafts, rituals, and regional showcases. The Main Stage hosts top Thai artists alongside classical performances and a nightly drone show. Smaller stages feature traditional acts like Nora dance and puppetry. The Regional Identity Zone reflects Thailand's five regions through architecture and hands-on workshops. Visitors can explore temple fair attractions, water play zones, and the "5 Must Do in Thailand" experience. Over 100 booths offer local food and crafts. A festival app and free shuttle service support visitors, while GCYOU-TURN promotes sustainability on-site.
The Festival Web App provides real-time updates, maps, and Songkran listings nationwide to support visitor convenience. Free shuttle services run throughout festival hours from Central Pinklao and MRT Sanam Chai Station.
TAT projects that Songkran 2025 will generate over 26.5 billion Baht in tourism revenue during 12–16 April, marking an 8% year-on-year increase. This includes 476,000 international arrivals contributing over 7.32 billion Baht and more than 4.4 million domestic visits generating 19.24 billion Baht.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Maha Songkran World Water Festival 2025 Ignites with Grand Parade in Bangkok
T. Rowe Price Investment Management, Inc. and Braidwell LP participate as new investors
Stephen Williams, MD, Ph.D. joins as Chief Scientific Officer
Rebecca Chambers and Frank Witney, Ph.D. appointed to Board of Directors
FREMONT, Calif., Jan. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Alamar Biosciences, Inc. ("Alamar"), a leader in precision proteomics dedicated to advancing the early detection of disease, announced the close of an oversubscribed convertible notes financing, bringing in more than $50 million of new capital. Accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Investment Management, Inc. and Braidwell LP joined the financing as new investors. Existing investors, including Illumina Ventures and Sands Capital, also participated. The financing will support the continued commercial advancement of Alamar's precision proteomics platform.
"We deeply appreciate the continued support from our existing investors and are excited to welcome our new partners," said Dr. Yuling Luo, founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Alamar. "Their confidence in our vision and strategy underscores the transformative potential of our work. This investment will enable us to accelerate innovation and continue to expand the reach of our platform, unlocking the full value of precision medicine and early disease detection."
Leadership and Board Expansion
Alamar also announced key additions to its executive leadership team and board of directors to support the company's continued growth and commitment to operational excellence.
To further strengthen its scientific leadership, Alamar welcomes Dr. Stephen Williams as Chief Scientific Officer. Steve brings more than three decades of experience in precision medicine and biomarker innovation. He most recently served as Chief Medical Officer at Standard BioTools and SomaLogic, and previously spent 18 years at Pfizer in senior leadership roles. A recognized leader in the scientific community, he has served on the NIH National Advisory Council for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, helped launch the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, and co-founded the FDA-FNIH-PhRMA Biomarker Consortium.
Alamar has also appointed Rebecca Chambers and Dr. Frank Witney as directors to its board. Rebecca, Chief Financial Officer at Veracyte, brings deep financial and healthcare leadership experience from her current role as well as previous positions at Outset Medical, Illumina, Myriad Genetics and Life Technologies. Frank, an operating partner at Ampersand Capital Partners, adds over three decades of life sciences leadership experience, including serving as President and CEO of Affymetrix and Dionex Corporation, and currently sits on the boards of Revvity, Cerus Corporation, Standard BioTools, and several private companies.
"I am thrilled to welcome Steve to our leadership team, and Rebecca and Frank to our board of directors," said Dr. Yuling Luo. "Their deep expertise and diverse perspectives will be invaluable as we accelerate our mission to unleash the power of our Precision Proteomics platform, to enable broad impacts across health and disease. This is an exciting moment for Alamar, and we look forward to the impact their leadership will have on driving innovation and growth."
About Alamar Biosciences, Inc.
Alamar Biosciences is a privately held life sciences company dedicated to powering precision proteomics to enable the earliest detection of disease. Leveraging its proprietary NULISA™ technology and the ARGO™ HT System, Alamar's platform is designed to deliver ultra-high sensitivity and addresses key limitations of existing technologies to deliver precision proteomics. For more information, please visit alamarbio.com.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Alamar Biosciences Announces Close of Oversubscribed Convertible Notes Financing and Expansion of Leadership Team
Alamar Biosciences Announces Close of Oversubscribed Convertible Notes Financing and Expansion of Leadership Team
Alamar Biosciences Announces Close of Oversubscribed Convertible Notes Financing and Expansion of Leadership Team
Alamar Biosciences Announces Close of Oversubscribed Convertible Notes Financing and Expansion of Leadership Team
