The Thai SELECT festival offered a traditional Thai puppets show. Photo courtesy of Thailand embassy in Cairo.
For the third year running, the grand opening of the Thai Food Bazaar and Thai SELECT Festival (13-16 February 2025) took place on 14 February at Al-Horreya Garden in Zamalek.
Head of the Public Parks of Cairo governorate, Mohamed Sultan, inaugurated the festival together with Niwat Apichartbutra, Minister Counsellor for Commerce at the Thai embassy, who deputized Ambassador of Thailand to Egypt Thanawat Sirikul until he arrived at the event.
Ambassador of Thailand Thanawat Sirikul and Head of the Public Parks of Cairo governorate Mohamed Sultan in Thai SELECT
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Sirikul said, "It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Thai Food Bazaar and Thai SELECT Festival 2025. Today, we have gathered once again to celebrate the third edition of the Thai festival to amplify Thailand's rich culinary heritage and vibrant culture, known and loved around the world. Food is often described as a universal language, and Thai cuisine speaks volumes. Its bold flavours and harmonious balance have captured hearts worldwide. But beyond the taste, each dish carries a deeper story about our people, country, and traditions. That is why this year we are introducing the first Thai SELECT Festival as a part of the event to bring you closer to authentic Thai cuisine".
Thai SELECT Festival offered authentic Thai food products and ingredients
"Thai SELECT" is a mark of certification awarded by the Royal Thai Government to guarantee the authentic Thai taste of Thai food products and restaurants. The only two Thai SELECT restaurants in Cairo are brought here to offer you a variety of foods and show you tips and recipes through their live cooking shows. In addition to the culinary experiences, we are proud to present captivating Thai cultural performances every day, including traditional Thai puppetry, Thai boxing or Muay Thai, Thai massage, and much more. It is a fantastic opportunity to experience the spirit of Thailand beyond the plate. And for that, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has contributed to the arrangement of this event. I want to thank the Cairo Governorate for this historical park. I would also like to thank the vendors for bringing all the flavours to life, the performers for their fantastic shows, and everyone behind the scenes who has worked tirelessly for this event. Last but not least, I would like to thank you, our esteemed guests, for being here with us today".
The Thai Food Bazaar and Thai SELECT Festival offered authentic Thai food products and ingredients imported from Thailand, including Thai rice. They also provided a live cooking demo and classical Thai music.
Ambassador of Thailand Thanawat Sirikul with Head of the Public Parks of Cairo governorate Mohamed Sultan in the festival
Speaking to Ahram Online during the occasion, Ambassador Sirikul said, "For 70 years, Egypt and Thailand have had a very good relationship, so introducing our culture and food is the best bridge to unite the two peoples."
##
"In this event, Egyptian businessmen exchanged ideas with their Thai counterparts to import and export. We are very competitive in the food sector and Thailand embassy has opened new business opportunities to startups in Egypt with the help of the Chamber of Commerce. On the cultural level, I know that the Egyptian embassy in Bangkok is also working hard to introduce the Egyptian heritage, culture, and traditional food to the people of Thailand," he added.
In conclusion, Ambassador Sirikul, who took over on 9 January 2025, said that since arriving in Egypt, he has been most impressed with the Egyptians' friendliness and ancient civilization. He also disclosed that the Thai embassy in Cairo is planning to organize a bigger economic and cultural function by the end of this year.
Short link: