Beauty contests, fireworks shows, cultural performances of Laos, China, Thailand and Myanmar, fireworks displays, Kong Ming lantern festivals...... On the afternoon of January 26, the 3-day 2024 21st Kapok Festival of the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Bokeo Province, Laos opened on Kapok Island in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone.
The opening ceremony ushered in the climax with the ribbon cutting and fireworks. As soon as the exotic Lao, Chinese, Thai and Myanmar cultural performances ended, the first round of the 21st Miss Kapok Beauty Pageant was ushered in. 20 contestants from all over Bokeo Province wore the costumes of various ethnic minorities in the province to show on stage, and after three rounds of competition, 4 Miss Kapok will be selected, and the final selected person will receive bonuses and gifts. The final winners of this year's "Miss Kapok Beauty Pageant" will have the opportunity to become the tourism ambassadors of the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, disseminate and publicize the tourism and development of the Special Economic Zone, and attract more tourists to the Special Economic Zone for sightseeing, playing, living and vacationing.
The contestants of the Miss Kapok beauty pageant are all from Bokeo Province, and the contestants of the Miss Tourism Laos 2024 beauty pageant are from all over Laos, and the competition is more intense. On the evening of January 27, the Miss Laos Tourism Beauty Contest entered the final session at the Riverside Square in the Special Administrative Region, and on the night of the final, 36 graceful beauty pageants appeared on the stage, they were confident, elegant, calm and generous, and won bursts of applause from the audience.
It is understood that the top 5 players in the competition will become the ambassadors of Laos cultural tourism. According to the person in charge of the organizer of the Miss Tourism Laos beauty pageant, the beauty pageant is jointly participated by Miss Beauty Pageant and the media, aiming to enhance the popularity of Miss Beauty Pageant and promote the development of Laos' cultural tourism industry. Every year, on the eve of the beauty pageant, contestants can register for the competition through the Facebook website, and the candidates must be women aged 18 or above with a university degree and a height of 165cm or more.
On the occasion of the opening of the Lao Tourism Year, people from all regions of Bokeo province have displayed their national culture at the Kapok Festival. The art team from Laos, China, Thailand and Myanmar presented wonderful programs, which were deeply loved by the audience. In addition, during this year's Kapok Festival, a special fireworks show, Muay Thai matches, fireworks displays, 1,000-person Kong Ming lantern festival, Shikoku goods exhibition and other wonderful activities were held, and tourists from all over the world could enjoy the exotic atmosphere while experiencing a number of visual feasts. (Text/Picture Ding Yi Anning)
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The origin of the Kapok Festival?The Kapok Festival is derived from Kapok Island, an alluvial sandbar on the banks of the Mekong River in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, famous for the island's nearly 2,000 tall kapok trees. From the end of January to mid-February every year, the fiery red kapok dyes the entire island red, making it a beautiful scenery on the banks of the Mekong River. Since 2001, the local government has held the "Kapok Cultural Festival" on the occasion of the opening of kapok every year, and the kapok festival has become one of the local traditional cultural festivals. Since 2007, with the establishment and continuous development of the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Laos, with the support of the Special Economic Zone, the Kapok Festival has gradually evolved into a comprehensive event of cultural, artistic, tourism and business exchanges between Laos, China, Thailand and Myanmar, attracting thousands of tourists to participate in this charming festival every year.