According to the Government Public Relations Department, King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) chose to celebrate Queen Suthida’s birthday on 6 November during the Buddhist Kathin festival. The ceremony was held on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, drawing attention for its impressive scale.

The flotilla set off from Wasukri Pier and travelled about 4 km to Wat Arun. It consisted of 52 barges manned by 2,200 oarsmen, arranged in five columns and three lines, covering 1,280 meters in length and 90 meters in width.

The King and Queen rode the principal barge, Suphannahong, also known as the Golden Swan Royal Barge. Suphannahong was launched in 1911, replacing an earlier barge commissioned in 1782, and its bow features a carved golden swan.

The event marked Queen Suthida’s 48th birthday, a major milestone in the Eastern zodiac system, and coincided with the Kathin festival. The royal barge procession traces its roots to ancient naval battle flotillas that displayed the monarch’s might, but today it serves a purely ceremonial role.

Since King Rama X ascended the throne in 2016, Thailand has held only three such commemorative river ceremonies. This rarity makes the royal barge procession a truly exceptional cultural event.