
Threedet Chaiha leads a group of dancers in the Northern Thai (Lan-Na) culture parade during the Thai Festival Seattle 2018 at North Seattle College. (Photo by Williams Boraparte)
This year’s Thai Festival Seattle, run completely by volunteers, took place last week at North Seattle College. The family-friendly event highlighted Thai culture through performances like traditional and contemporary music, dances, and theater — as well as food through cooking demonstrations. More than 80 vendors served authentic and fusion Thai food, drinks, and snacks.

Lines of people wait to taste a variety of Thai food, from mini appetizers to entrees, desserts and snacks, and fresh durian, king of the fruits in Thailand. (Photo by Warren Chin)
Porranee Thanapakpawin, one of the organizers, said the event had a nice mix of international visitors and that this year saw an increase in visitors overall.