Surin Elephant Festival

1. 1955

   The first great gathering of elephants

   About 200 elephants were gathered in Tha Tum district, an initiative of Winai Suwannakat, the district chief at the time.

   The sight of so many elephants together amazed the public and sparked the idea of presenting the elephants' skills and the mahouts' knowledge as a real show.

2. 19 Nov 1960

   The Surin elephant show is born

   Five years later, Tha Tum held its first elephant show to celebrate the new district office, on the old airfield that is now Tha Tum Pracha Soemwit School.

   The programme featured an elephant procession, lasso demonstrations, elephant races, sports and entertainment.

   It was a great success. Newspapers and television carried the story, introducing Thai and international audiences to Surin's elephants and the mahouts' unique way of life.

3. 1961

   From a local event to national tourism

   The success caught the eye of the Tourist Organization of Thailand (TOT), the predecessor of today's Tourism Authority of Thailand.

   TOT supported the event, coordinated with the province, refined the show, sent staff to help train the elephants and promoted it at home and abroad.

   The second show, on 18 November 1961 in Tha Tum, drew even more visitors — a key step from a local event to a renowned attraction.

4. 15 May 1962

   Named an annual national event

   The Cabinet approved the Surin elephant show as an annual national event, with government agencies supporting it.

   That same year the show moved from Tha Tum to the Surin provincial stadium, with more space, easier access and room for more visitors.

   The move helped the festival grow in its performances, organisation and reach.

5. 1962 onwards

   Growing with the city of Surin

   Over the decades the show kept evolving — from early displays of the elephants' skills to large productions about way of life, culture, tradition and history.

   Grand processions, clever elephants, elephant sports, re-enactments of war elephants and scenes of the bond between people and elephants.

   Around it grew the welcome of the elephants, the elephant buffet and cultural activities that bring visitors closer to Surin.

6. 2026

   66 years of a living story

   From the first show in 1960 to 2026, the Surin Elephant Festival has come 66 years.

   What gives it meaning is not only the scale of the processions or the spectacle, but its cultural roots: the Kuy people's knowledge and the cooperation of mahout communities, government, the private sector and the people of Surin, passing this story on from generation to generation.

The festival did not begin as a show built for tourism. It grew out of the real lives of people and elephants.

From a small mahout community in Tha Tum to a show that made Surin famous — and a cultural heritage its people are proud of.

66 years of the festival is not the story of 66 events, but of a bond between people and elephants that is many generations older.

Surin Elephant Festival — from a way of life to a source of pride, from the past to the future.