Viva la Vespa Festival & Caravan - Thailand 2024
During my time in Thailand I had the opportunity to visit some friends, Vespa enthusiasts and business partners, for example Lome from Vintage Vespa Thai/Auu Vespa and Kittisak from Lady Bug Scooter. The warmth and hospitality is unrivalled and I would like to thank them for the great conversations and rides we were able to experience together. Rarely have I been so warmly welcomed.
Peace, joy, Vespa
Another very special event was "Viva la Vespa 2024", which attracted crowds of young people to six locations in Thailand from 9 to 10 March 2024. I was there in Bangkok and, according to the organiser Vespa Thailand, over 10,000 scooters were at the start here alone. I travelled with around 200 other Vespisti, escorted by the police on motorbikes, across Bangkok to the festival site. Everyone who came on a Vespa had free entry, and that also applied to the passenger. And there was a lot on offer! We were represented on the dealer mile by Lome with SIP Scootershop and the people were very happy that I was there. They thanked us profusely for our commitment to Vespa and, above all, the old two-strokes. "People are just thrilled that the boss of SIP Scootershop is here and interested in the scene," Lome explained to me. "It's important to them that they can thank you personally for this appreciation."
Even though around 90 per cent of the Vespa riders at this meeting are travelling on modern Vespas, there is an active and very knowledgeable scene dedicated to classic Vespas. And when you see how much effort the GTS, Sprint and Primavera riders put into styling their scooters, it was no wonder that popular brands such as Soca from Indonesia and Öhlins were present with stands.
A Vespa event live on television
It was impressive to see the professionalism with which the event was organised by Vespa: In addition to a large food area, there was also something for the kids, who were allowed to complete a course on a small Vespa. A Vespa town was also set up, all in Italian style, including ice cream vendors, pizza bakers and a carousel with real Vespas. During the course of the day, eight (!) brand new Vespas were raffled off and two concert stages featured artists such as Bowkylion, F. Hero, Lomosonic and Bright, who we hardly know here in Europe but who are in the top league in Thailand. There were professional photo studios at several points where visitors could take photos of themselves with Vespa. Several camera teams captured every moment, there was Vespa merchandise for sale and all kinds of fun games. Of course, Vespa is the organiser and of course it's also about marketing and commerce. While the mix is often viewed with scepticism here, the Thais are happy to be offered this beautiful stage and fill it with good humour and an amazingly fresh spirit. The atmosphere is relaxed and laid-back, there are no rival groups or other conflicts, just a lot of peace and love from a very young audience.
I strolled around the site, enjoyed the colourful hustle and bustle, was able to greet all kinds of very friendly people and was available for lots of photos. I didn't see a single security guard during the entire festival and there was no bag check at the entrance. Perhaps it is precisely this mentality that makes the country so attractive: friendly, peaceful and trendy. In conclusion, I can only say that it was a unique experience for me. The many impressions I gathered and the encounters I had with the local people made me very happy, but also gave me food for thought. Classic Vespa or modern Vespa? Gearstick or automatic? Plates or plastic? There are fundamental discussions here, in Thailand everyone is travelling together. Viva la Vespa!
Video trailer: Viva la Vespa 2024
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Picture gallery: Viva la Vespa 2024
