AROUND 250,000 visitors travelled to the ancient cultural heritage site of Bagan, attending the Bagan Thadingyut Festival on the day after the Full Moon Day, according to reports.
The Thadingyut Festival in Bagan was recognized as one of the busiest celebrations held in the ancient city. At the Alodawpyae Pagoda precinct, 1,000 small hot-air balloons were launched daily, with a total of 3,000 balloons released on the eve of the Full Moon Day, the Full Moon Day itself and the following day. The festival also attracted large numbers of devotees who performed meritorious deeds by offering oil lamps and flowers to the Buddha.
country arrived in large numbers to pay homage at 19 prominent pagodas and stupas in Bagan, including the four sacred Buddha-relic pagodas. The Shwezigon Pagoda, which usually receives the highest number of visitors, welcomed 57,137 foreign and domestic tourists, including visitors from the United States and China. More than 4,000 visitors travelled to Htilominlo Temple, while 1,174 domestic and foreign tourists visited the Lawkananda Buddha-relic Pagoda.
The steady stream of visitors to pagodas and stupas filled hotels, guesthouses and monasteries, with some visitors having to sleep and rest within pagoda precincts due to the large crowds. Although visitor numbers on the day after the Full Moon Day were slightly lower than those on the Full Moon Day, around 250,000 tourists visited Bagan, according to reports.
“This year, Bagan has been extremely crowded. Today marks the third consecutive day of small hotair balloon launches from the Alodawpyae Pagoda precinct. As the festival includes MSME businesses and many other activities, our department is immensely pleased with the large number of tourists visiting the area,” said Daw San San Myint, Assistant Director of the Bagan Branch of the Directorate of Hotels and Tourism.
Throughout the Bagan Thadingyut Festival, the area was particularly lively with sales stalls offering traditional Myanmar foods, food products, fruit preserves, handicrafts, local products and clothing, alongside entertainment programmes and outlets operated by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
The 2026 Thadingyut Festival attracted unexpectedly large crowds of tourists, exceeding local expectations and bringing considerable vibrancy to the ancient cultural destination throughout the festive period, according to reports.
Thitsa (MNA)/ ST
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