Songkran is a thai water fight festival celebrating the new year. I first heard about it last year, when Khao San Road, toronto’s best thai restaurant held an dinner event with small water guns. This year, the event was held in a outdoor heated tent with various food vendors. That means more food options and more water. I wasn’t sure what to expect —shooting random strangers in a tent…hm? Ruhan and Sameer are also pretty calm guys too. I figured we’d get a couple of spritz here and there… no need for a change clothes. Well… that wasn’t the case.

The event was from 1pm to 4pm and admission + 3 food tickets were $35 after taxes+fees. We lined up around 1:30 to get into the small-sized but heated tent. In the tent, there is a dry area (where the food vendors are) and the wet zone. We just started picking out what we wanted to eat. There were only about 7 vendors, including Khao San Road, Come & Get It, La Carnita and Gushi. I was pretty happy and impressed with the food. Khao San Road offered a unique dough fritter snack with condensed milk, pandan custard and thai iced tea sauce –a new way to eat dough fritters. It was great! Come and Get It offered a flavourful butter chicken slider. Junk (by Matt Blondin) had some great pork belly skewers. Gushi also had a delightful fried chicken served with hoisin sauce in a steamed bun.

The DJ was playing some fun tunes and people started shooting each other in the wet area. I wasn’t sure how much I would get into but Ruhan was eager to starting shooting. So we went and filled up our mini-waterguns. Once we got started, we were so immersed in the fight. We were shooting each other’s faces and trying to surprise each other with squirts. Everyone was having a blast and just shooting everyone. Before we knew it, we were pretty wet.

Quite often, we would have to refill our mini guns in the big buckets of cold water but it was all part of the fun —to see who would outshoot the other before reloading and ninja attacks while they are vulnerable as they fill up. Things got more extreme… people started using cups! And of course, when someone gets you… you want revenge! Ruhan, Sameer and Sabrina both got me pretty bad… oh but I got them back too.

By the end this, we were all drenched but it was all in good fun! I had no idea I’d enjoy it as much as I did —delicious food, pumping music and a good friendly water fight. So much for “a couple of spritz here and there”  Yeah… next time, I’ll definitely wear a bathing suit under and bring a change of clothes. The drive home wasn’t very comfortable.