Hua Hin Jazz Festival in Thailand

The Hua Hin Jazz Festival is the highlight of an otherwise slow summer season in Thailand. Each June, jazz lovers from around the world converge on the small seaside town of Hua Hin to enjoy a weekend of free jazz. For three evenings, top Thai musicians take the stage alongside well-known Asian artists and internationally recognized jazz players.

Locals are well prepared for the hoards of guests that arrive inflating the population to more than twice its normal size. Streets are decked out in colorful banners.

Tuk-tuks are loaded with pictures from previous festivals and current entertainers. Restaurants and cafes offer special meals and prices. Vacant lots are converted to parking areas and vans shuttle guests from hotels to one of the town's two stages.

Stage locations vary but each year since the inaugural event in 2002 the Hua Hin Jazz Festival has had at least one beach venue. Visitors can stroll along the beach, toss down a straw mat or towel and settle in for a breezy evening of music.

In recent years, the beach stage has been just outside the Sofitel Centara Grand Resort and Villas which also hosts a special dinner and seating for guests who don't want to fight their way through the crowd and sand. Heineken beer also sponsors VIP seating for 100 or so lucky souls with a clear view of the stage.

For low-season travelers to Hua Hin the festival offers a perfect opportunity to witness modern and traditional Thais, expatriates that call Thailand home and international visitors mingling comfortably.

Hip young Bangkokians flock to the event wearing the latest off-beat fashions. Extended Thai families casually picnic on the beach then enjoy nightly jazz together. European couples arrive dressed for a evening on the town. And singles find it unnecessary to spend the evening alone.

Main streets near music venues are turned into walking streets and lined with food vendors. The smoky aroma of charcoal fired grills is sharply punctuated by whiffs of Thai peppers.

Everything from spicy Thai curries to beef kababs is available to passersby. Patrons can buy the fresh catch of the day in one booth and a luxury condo in the next. Smiling vendors walk the streets offering traditional Thai products to any and all.

On the beach, music wafts gently through the cool night air while listeners sway in time with the beat. Festival-goers can close their eyes and allow pleasant jazz tunes to sweep them back though time to a bygone era of mysterious smoky clubs and illegal booze.

More likely, jazz lovers swing with the rhythm, enjoying the moment while listening to live jazz beneath the palms on an exotic Thai beach.

Video of Hua Hin Jazz Festival