Water Festival a big hit for businesses

Under the sunshine on Tuesday a day ahead of the long holidays, a businessman, among hundred others was busy preparing his stall displaying snacks, expecting big sales for the three-day event that draws millions of Water Festival lovers to the city.

Dressed-up in simple clothing, Sot Sal, a businessman who organises exhibitions at provincial concerts, said this year’s festival is the first where he decided to open his stall at Diamond Island, which is also known as Koh Pich.

He said he did not regret doing business during the three-day Water Festival, as the revenue is beyond his expectation.

This was also observed at other higher-end stores where sales have gone through the roof during what was expected to be a less hectic festival.

At Koh Pich, hundreds of temporary stalls were being installed and products from snacks to drinks and clothing as well as materials for daily use were on display. This is an annual long holiday for Cambodians who will flock to the city to see traditional boat races in the day time and fireworks in the evening in front of the Royal Palace.

The Water Festival, or Bon Om Touk in the local language, is celebrated to mark the end of the rainy season and the reversing of the flow of the Tonle Sap River.

This year, the Water and Moon Festival was held on November 21-23 with the biggest celebrations taking place in Phnom Penh. At least 295 racing boats joined the competitions and 15 illuminated boats cheered the nights.

Schools, private companies and public institutions remained closed during the event, freeing people from all walks of life to take time-off to watch the thrilling boat races.

Seeing an opportunity, Mr Sal says he decided to move his stalls to Koh Pich.“I decided to rent the expensive stall here (Koh Pich) because I wanted better sales during the three-day period. I realised this area is popular for festival lovers and commuters to walk during the evening for shopping and for dinner,” Mr Sal says.

Stall outside the concert zone is $500 and $1,000 within the zone, says Mr Sal, who usually pays $100 to $200 for a stall in exhibition concerts in other provinces.

“Whether I come next year will depend on the sales this year. If they are not good, I will not come next year,” Mr Sal said on Tuesday while preparing his stall. But the record sales have boosted his confidence in the festival.

Some main streets in Phnom Penh, particularly those located in the Royal Palace zone and river side were decorated with lights and billboards sending out ‘Happy Water Festival’ messages.

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