PATTAYA, THAILAND – Pattaya prepared a five-day food and shopping festival to capture visitor demand during the 33rd SEA Games while directing support to small border-region businesses.
Beachfront market for five days in December
From 10 to 14 December 2025, the Pattaya Beach Road was set to turn into a continuous market zone daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The event area was planned to stretch from Soi 9 to the front of the Central Pattaya shopping mall. More than 40 selected vendors were expected to showcase specialties and products from eight eastern provinces: Chonburi, Chanthaburi, Rayong, Trat, Sa Kaeo, Prachinburi, Nakhon Nayok and Chachoengsao.
Quick stimulus for small and medium-sized firms
The “Taste, Shop, Cheer by MOC” event was organised by the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) under the government’s “Quick Big Win” economic stimulus policy. Its goal was to generate short-term income for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that had suffered from earlier disruptions in border trade, particularly along the frontier with Cambodia. The festival was jointly supported by the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the commercial offices of the eastern provinces.
Regional products and sustainability standards
Stalls were set to offer a wide range of regional goods, including fresh seafood, tropical fruits and processed fruit products, herbal drinks, hand-dyed clothing, organic massage oils, farm produce and other typical local specialties. All vendors were required to use environmentally friendly packaging and comply with strict hygiene and food safety standards. The organisers aimed to link the culinary offer with sustainability and clearly defined quality requirements.
Timed with SEA Games and jazz festival
The festival period was deliberately chosen to coincide with the 33rd SEA Games, held from 9 to 20 December, and to overlap with the Pattaya International Jazz Festival. Organisers therefore expected high visitor numbers from athletes, sports fans and music enthusiasts. Nattacha Traipipattanapong, director of the Tourism and Sports Promotion Division at the Chonburi Provincial Office, underlined the dual benefit for guests and the regional economy.
“This is a perfect opportunity for everyone to taste delicious local food, buy quality products and cheer on our SEA Games athletes, while directly supporting entrepreneurs who have faced challenges in the border areas.”
said Nattacha Traipipattanapong, director of the Tourism and Sports Promotion Division at the Chonburi Provincial Office.
Boost for the eastern economic region
With an invitation to “enjoy delicious food, buy great products and cheer on the SEA Games”, the festival was designed to stimulate not only Pattaya but also the wider eastern regional economy. The combination of an international sports event, music festival and regional market was intended to further strengthen the city’s position as a tourism and trade hub on Thailand’s eastern seaboard.