Thai Fest, a celebration of Thai Culture, returned to Olbrich Botanical Gardens on Sunday, September 1,
2008. Due to bad weather, however, the performances were moved from the Thai Pavilion and Garden to the
main building.
The cloudy weather didn't deter hundreds of visitors to come and enjoy Thai dance performances,
accompanied by classic Thai music by musicians from the Thai Cultural and Fine Arts Institute of Chicago and
members of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Thai Student Association. Attendees also enjoyed a cultural
display and traditional Thai dishes sold by local restaurateurs in the Serenity Garden.
The highlight of the show was the sharing of a traditional Thai wedding ceremony, by an "authentic" newly-
wed Thai couple from Chicago. Their parents, as well as the Thai Consul General Narong Sasitorn and his
wife, led in the wedding ritual.
Thai Fest debuted in July 2005 with nearly 5,000 people in attendance. This year’s festival was funded by the
University of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Alumni Association, the Royal Thai Consulate General in Chicago, the
Tourism Authority of Thailand, and Olbrich Botanical Gardens.
For more information about the Thai Fest, call Olbrich at 608-246-4550 or the Wisconsin Alumni Association
at 608-265-8769, or visit their websites at www.olbrich.org and www.uwalumni.com/thaifest.
| Thai Fest at Olbrich Botanical Gardens A video report by Heidi M. Pascual |
