In support of children’s literacy, the group has also produced a digital storybook, entitled “The Nutcracker’s Adventure”. Written for the whole family to enjoy, the book will be available to read online for free on https://online.flippingbook.com/view/127964/.

The Peninsula Bangkok has a real Christmas tree imported from Canada covered with colourful decorations. In addition, the lobby is decorated with the two-metre-high Advent Calendar designed by rising illustrator Phannapast Taychamaythakool who has partnered with the hotel for the hotel’s 20th anniversary design project.

At the lobby, guests can also enjoy a festive-themed aternoon tea until December 31. Prepared by executive pastry chef Nicolas Pelloie and his pastry team, delicacies and savouries include freshly baked scones, handcrafted traditional sandwiches and sweets inspired by Christmas and New Year celebrations. A portion of the festive afternoon tea sales will be donated to Make A Wish Foundation – Thailand and Unicef Thailand. The prices are Bt1,400-plus for a set of two, and Bt2,500-plus with an additional glass of champagne per person.

For details, call (02) 020 2888 or e-mail diningpbk@peninsula.com.

The “tour” is actually just at the various outlets and is finishing out the current year, but of course it’s the 2019 calendar that’s being sold, although the calendar includes November and December 2018.

The “Hooters girls” featured in the calendar will autograph their pictures for you.

Dana is Miss January, Ang has February, Guitar March, Wanida April, Amy May, Mena June, Rinnie July, Som August, Tok Tak September, Natcha October and Mo November. Pokky is Miss November 2018 and Joom has December 2018.

They’ll be at Hooters Silom on December 6 from 7pm onward, Hooters Sukhumvit Soi 15 on December 11 and Hooters Pattaya on December 27.

The calendar costs Bt499, with a portion of the proceeds going to Destination Eats’ fund-raising campaign for breast-cancer research.

The popular “Soi Dao” (lucky draw) is back again and even more generous than in years past with a beautifully decorated Soi Dao Tree on the ground floor of Gaysorn Centre. Customers spending Bt5,000 or more will receive a special wineglass from Riedel, the world’s finest stemware company from Austria. Every Bt30,000 spent receives a prize from the Soi Dao Silver Tier. And for major spenders, there’ll be a prize from the Gold Tier for every Bt300,000 spent. Customers spending more than Bt1 million will be rewarded with a three-day-two-night stay at the Anantara Vacation Club Mai Khao Phuket (100 prizes available). Many other special prizes from leading luxury brands are up for grabs with a total value of more than Bt10 million.

Good deeds to support educational future for underprivileged children go the extra mile with a simple donation of your gently used treasures at the Soi Dao Tree on the ground floor. All donations go to the Pankan Charity Shop. Gaysorn Village is also donating Bt100,000 in secondary education scholarships for underprivileged students with Pankan Society project by the Yuvabadhana Foundation.

Discover unique gifts for your loved ones this special occasion from various brands, such as leading skincare Jurlique from Australia, exclusive sweet treats from Mandarin Oriental Shop and special teas from 1823 Tea Lounge by Ronnefeldt. The Decorate Village also brings in stylish home decorative items from Is.ideastone, BetterTogether.House and Hummingbird. Pana.Objects, Ora Clay and Wunder Kammer Studio present their unique wood crafts, ceramics and houseware at Gaysorn Christmas Marche on the first floor.

This festive season marks the return of Kittiphong Khamsat, aka GOH-M of Buddha Bless, for his second solo art exhibition on the G floor.

Send your best wishes to loved ones this holiday with Christmas postcards in four different designs created by French artist Caroline Seiller. Simply show your same-day purchase receipt to receive a special postcard at the Concierge Counter.

Enjoy delicious food creations and Christmas cocktails in a charming outdoor courtyard. With a giant Christmas tree lighting the way, discover the taste of the holidays at more than 20 food stalls and food trucks from now until January 6.

For more information, visit Facebook.com/GaysornVillage.

The eight venues for this fourth “river of culture” festival are Wat Phra Chetuphon (Wat Pho) Wat Arun, Wat Kalaynamit (Wat Kalaya), Wat Prayurawongsawas (Wat Prayoon), Yod Piman Riverwalk, Tha Maharaj, Asiatique the Riverfront, and Lhong 1919.

The festival is intended to promote awareness of the culture and traditions that have been long been practised along the Chao Phraya River.

This is a special opportunity for locals and visitors alike to come at night to view and pay respect at some of Bangkok’s most revered temples. The four commercial locations will also have cultural shows, live music, food, and activities related to the Loy Krathong Festival, which will also take place at the weekend.

A free shuttle service is available. Check out http://www.RiverFestivalThailand.com and Facebook.com/riverfestivalthailand/ for more info.

The event, which runs from Friday to Sunday (November 23-25) on the first floor of the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre, aims to promote waste reduction, the green lifestyle and fight against over-consumption and our throwaway culture.

Other activities include an exhibition highlighting Thailand’s waste crisis and over-consumption and a talk “Shopless Society: buy less, reuse, and DIY”.

On Friday, the workshops will demonstrate how to make face masks and face and body scrub from rice and cooling herbs by Youtuber Mamasayyes, and packaging-free solid shampoo from Saijai Nature and Herbal. SuperBee Wax Wraps teaches how to make natural wax food wraps to replace plastic wraps on Saturday while on Sunday, TAM:DA shows how to turn used cloth banners into bags and Pipo from the YouTube channel pipodiy demonstrates how to breathe new life into old clothes.

Other workshops include making Macrame plant hangers from knotted fabric, crafts from recycled fabric and paper and coasters from old fabric.

Guest speakers at the “Shopless Society” talk are the founder of the 3-Wheels Uncle facebook page that focuses on waste separation and management, Leelapat Kasantikul, Editor-in-Chief of My Home magazine, and Anchalee Pipattanawattanakul, Ocean Campaigner from Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

Workshops and talks are free of charge. For more information or to register, log on to http://www.Greenpeace.org/seasia/th/.

 In 02:21:39 hours, Croneborg claimed his title less than two minutes before his toughest contender Bart Aernouts from Belgium, who recently took second place on the podium at the World Championship in Kona. Coming in third was Per Van Vlerken of Germany with a time of 02:24:02.

Also racing with bib number 1 to honour his four-time LPT title was Massimo Cigana of Italy who came in the fourth at 02:27:00 as the crowd cheered on a field of more than 1,000 triathletes, representing 50 countries in the event, which features a 1.8K swim, 50K bike and 12K run, with a US$20,000 (Bt658.000) prize purse.

In the women’s field, world champion and LPT first-timer, Annabel Luxford from Australia finished first, in 02:39:50. Following Luxford in second was fellow Australian Dimity Lee-Duke (02:42:08) who then saw her follower, Hungary’s Anna Eberhardt in third with 02:46:21.

The race’s transition area was at Laguna Grove in the heart of Asia’s premier destination resort, Laguna Phuket. The race start on the resort’s beachfront was comfortable with mild weather and small waves. The bike and run courses became challenging when the Phuket heat kicked in.

“I was second on the podium before at LPT, so it feels really good to win today,” said Croneborg. “I know every corner of the race course and being familiar with the bike course really helped as I had to push hard today. I had a good swim leg and tried to keep the other guys away on the run course.”

Wowing the Thai crowd were defending champions in the men’s and women’s fields. Jaray Jearanai was once again the first Thai finisher in 02:34:26, breaking his own record from last year and claiming his eighth consecutive LPT win since 2011, and Nichakarn Ruttanaporn in 03:11:58.

In the “25 For 25 Sprint” category, newly launched this year with a race distance of 25K (swim 0.5K, bike 18.5K and run 6K combined) to celebrate LPT’s 25th anniversary, Phuket-based Britons Oliver Trott in 01:02:21 and Sam McInnes in 01:12:11 finished first in male and female categories.

Sunday’s race followed LPT Charity Fun Run, hosted on Saturday and which saw the participation of 1,500 runners in the 2K kids, 5K and 10K categories. The event raised Bt250,000 for the Children First Fund in support of seven orphanages in Phuket, housing more than 400 children.

Aimed at becoming a global landmark, the shopping centre is designed to reflect every dimension of Thainess while also boasting a who’s who of leading brand names from all over the world.

The invitation-only opening party drew celebrities from across Thailand and the world to the less-visited area of Charoen Nakhon Road in Thon Buri district.

A team of more than 1,000 people contributed to the opening event, with seven local and international organisers responsible for bringing out the “Creating Shared Value” and “Co-Creation” themes.

One of the highlights was a show featuring 1,500 drones, the first of its kind in Thailand. Grammy-award winner Alicia Keys performed to loud applause while Thailand’s top singers staged a series of mini concerts.

Guests of honour included South Korean superstars Choi Siwon and Kim Dong-jun, Taiwanese boy band F4 and English actor Dan Stevens, who played the Beast in Disney’s live action remake adaptation of the “Beauty and the Beast”. Actress Naomi Ellen Watts of “Tank Girl” fame was also there alongside Thailand’s very own Patcharapa “Aum” Chaichua, Ann Thongprasom, Jirayu “James” Tangsrisuk, Sukollawat “Wier” Kanaros, 9×9, Sririta Jensen, Toni Rakkaen, Buakaw Banchamek, Metinee Kingpayom, Sonia Couling, Suquan Bulakool and a liberal sprinkling of models and beauty queens.

King Power Rangnam has been divided into six zones for the event, the first, Celebration Express, boasting a funpacked train with Mickey iconshaped windows. The interior mimics a real train and the windows feature graphic animations of the stunning natural scenery.

Garden of Dreams is the first Mickey Mousethemed garden in Thailand and showcases fresh, colourful and real flowers. Photo spots are provided.

Mickey & Friends Boulevard is designed like a real street complete with shops and activities. Decorations on both sides of the buildings are inspired by some of the Disney characters in amusing antics. These include Mickey and Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Chip and Dale. Activities and workshops are open to fans of all ages. The highlight in the evening is a parade that will create a memorable and impressive experience for all.

“Mickey Hallway comes alive with a long interactive wall displaying graphics and featuring screens for gamers. The games change according to the theme of each month. In November, visitors have fun throwing balls (featuring Disney characters) into a Mickey Mouseshaped hoop. December is the time to make Mickey Mouseshaped snow models. And January abounds with prize boxes. When its screen is touched, the box will pop open and set off a few fireworks.

Mega Store, meanwhile, features licensed merchandise from Disney with special limitededition collections designed exclusively for the festive season. For the first time, the fullrange “Sawasdee” collection of Mickey Mouse’s 90th anniversary will be offered.

Mickey Gallery hosts an art exhibition titled “Welcome Mickey to Thailand” featuring paintings to be created on Mickey Mouse models by Thailand’s wellknown artists.

Mickey Mouse’s birthday on November 18 will see the coming together of Thailand’s bestknown celebrities, artists and other personalities for the exhibition, among them rocker Artiwara “Toon Bodyslam” Khongmalai.

The array of engaging activities during the campaign include workshops to create customised Disneystyle accessories. A spectacular light and sound show and a 3D projection mapping performance will be staged.

The day will culminate with a gathering of 1,928 fans who were born in November, an event to set a new Guinness World Record. Together they will blow 1,928 birthday candles in the evening and release 1,928 balloons into the sky to celebrate Mickey Mouse’s big day. Fans are welcome to visit King Power Rangnam for a string of performances and other activities and special meetandgreet sessions with some of their favourite Disney friends from November 23 to 25.

Admission is free.

Central Chidlom and Central Embassy were transformed into spectacular botanical oases with more than a million fresh flowers, a magnificent 7metre tall gazebo and 12 special breeds of rare roses from the UK and France. Special guests at the November 1 opening included Thaweesak Lertprapan, Deputy Governor of Bangkok, actress Urassaya “Yaya” Sperbund and actor Nine Naphat.

Central Chidlom hosted a sevenmetre tall gazebo, centred in the store, while each floor took on a floral life of its own. The first floor was the main focus, with vivid red tones, birdcage decor and an exhibition highlighted by five rose varieties from the UK and eight from France.

Central Embassy’s front yard became home to a field of 1,000 Cordia shaped windmills complementing the masterpiece “Fruits Tree” created by South Korean artist and designer, Choi Jeong Hwa.

And while the floral display has wrapped, special offers are continuing through November 21.

The airport’s campaign “Next Landing Nagoya” is designed to promote various tourist attractions to which tourists can easily travel from Nagoya such as Shirakawago World Heritage Village, Gero Onsen, one of the famous onsen, Iga Ninja Museum, among others.

“Chubu Centrair International Airport is the main international airport in Nagoya. The airport is about 40 km away from Nagoya City. Tourists can easily travel to the city in just 28 minutes by train. Nagoya is Japan’s third largest city after Tokyo and Osaka. It is located midway between these two cities. Nagoya is considered a midpoint connecting popular destinations in Chubu Region and nearby, such as Takayama and Shirakawago. You will get to know more about Japan once you visit this area,” says Harunori Nishiguchi, Business Development & Marketing Manager, Southeast Asia.

“On this occasion, Chubu Centrair International Airport Nagoya has joined with VJ Ja to launch the “Next Landing Nagoya” campaign. It invites Thais to experience in Chubu Region starting from Nagoya city and enjoy the culture, fun activities, beautiful scenery, and of course some incredible dishes such as Hitsumabushi or Nagoya’s speciality charcoal grilled eel and Fried Pork Miso Katsu or pork tonkatsu with miso sauce.”

“Chubu Region offers a lot more than I thought. Not only that it has beautiful nature, the local food is also very unique, especially the Matsusaka beef, which is so soft that it melts in the mouth. The people are also friendly. I think it is a perfect place to bring friends, lovers, and families there,” VJ Ja said.

“I have been to Japan several times, but this trip is especially memorable. I want to invite Thai travellers to try this central region of Japan and get a new experience. You can follow the beautiful photos from this impressive trip on Instagram at #NextLandingNagoya,” the actress adds.