Where to Watch the Royal Barge Procession in Bangkok (Maps)

Oarsmen paddle their boat during the rehearsal for the Royal Barge Precession on the Chao Phraya River Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019. The Royal Barge Procession event is part of the coronation of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn and will be held on Dec. 12. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP
Oarsmen paddle their boat during the rehearsal for the Royal Barge Precession on the Chao Phraya River Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019. The Royal Barge Procession event is part of the coronation of Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn and will be held on Dec. 12. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP

BANGKOK — His Majesty the King’s royal barge procession consisting of 52 ornately crafted river barges and 2,200 seamen will set sail down the Chao Phraya Thursday. Here’s where to watch the procession, which will be presided over by King Rama X and the Royal Family.

Thursday’s royal barge procession will set off at 3:30pm until 6pm, and the city has prepared 16 spots that people can watch for free, such as under the Rama VIII and Phra Pin Klao bridges on both sides of the river.

Spots on the eastern side of the river: Wat Rachathiwat Pier, under Rama VIII Bridge, Sam Phraya Park, Santi Chai Prakan Public Park, Thammasat University Tha Prachan campus, under Phra Pinklao Bridge, along Maha Rat Road, and at Nagaphirom Park.

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Spots on the Thonburi (western) side of the river: at the end of Soi Charan Sanitwong 52, Rama VIII Park near the bridge of the same name, Phra Pin Klao Bridge Pier, under Phra Pin Klao Bridge, Chaloem Phrakiat 72th Year Park, Siriraj Hospital, and Wat Rakhang Khositaram.

Grandstands will be set up at Santi Chai Prakan Public Park, Thammasat, Nagaphirom Park, Rama VIII Park, Chaloem Phrakiat 72th Year Park, and Siriraj Hospital.

Bring your citizen ID or passport and hold it up on your right when passing through checkpoints in front of the spots. Be sure to dress in yellow, and refrain from dressing in black or other dark colors.

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Prefer dining while watching royal barges? Contact your favorite riverside eatery along the river route above to see if they have any tables left.

With His Majesty the King and Queen Suthida onboard, the barges will depart Wasukri Pier and alight at Ratchaworadit Pier, where the monarch will continue toward the nearby Grand Palace by land procession. After performing religious ceremonies there, the Royal Family will return to Dusit Palace by motorcades.

To make way for the royal visit, roads around Sanam Luang and the Grand Palace will be closed from 4:30pm to 6pm (refer to map), and the Rama VIII and Phra Pin Klao Bridges closed during those hours