PHOTOS: A Grand Celebration of Thai New Year

This year marked the ninth annual Thai New Year Songkran Festival, and thousands turned out to celebrate.

The festival closed off Hollywood Boulevard between Western and Normandie avenues to make way for food and arts and crafts vendors. 

The most popular draw seemed to be the festival's cultural stage, at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue, where dancers performed traditional Thai dances.

Vibul Wonprasat, founder of the Thai Community Arts and Cultural Center which spearheads the festival, said Los Angeles is the ideal place to hold such an event.

“L.A. is multiethnic like a melting pot,” he said. “Doing an event here can touch so many people.”

About 40,000 people showed up for last year’s festival, and it seems to get bigger every year, said Teresa Chung, one of this year's organizers.