Bun Bungfai or the Rocket Festival, is held annually in May at Phaya Thaen Park. The festival’s origins lie in a custom of firing rockets into the sky at the start of the rice-growing season to encourage rain.
The festival now takes the form of a competition to see whose rocket will stay aloft for the longest time. The competition is marked by a weekend of celebration, including highly-decorated floats parading through the town, accompanied by partying, dancing and music.
On May 10, 1999, the Yasothon Rocket Festival made world headlines when a 120 kg rocket exploded 50 meters above ground, just two seconds after launch, killing five persons and wounding 11.
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