Up Close with Pulin Milintachinda, Founder of S2O Songkran Music Festival

CONTENT: Andrew Kho
IMAGE: S2O Songkran Music Festival

S2O Songkran Music Festival is the world’s only water music festival started in 2015 in Bangkok to celebrate Songkran (Thai Water Festival) which is celebrated every year during the month of April. Songkran is celebrated with the splashing of water which is believed to wash away bad luck symbolically and usher in Thai New Year.

We interviewed Pulin Milintachinda, Founder of S2o Songkran Music Festival at the recently concluded festival in Hong Kong as he shared with us more about the history of S2O, the launch of S2O Hong Kong and the future of this widely accepted music festival.

Luxe Society Asia: With your busy schedule of launching S2O in various parts of the world, how’s your daily schedule like?

When I’m free, I love going to different music festival and play guitar at home.

Luxe Society Asia: How was S2O Music Festival conceptualized?

My brother, Woody Milintachinda, and I had the idea of creating a festival that combined water splashing and music together so that people could enjoy both at the same time. To us, S2O is more than just water and music, the water in the Songkran festival means blessings. We want to bring blessings to participants through a fun way.

Luxe Society Asia: Is there a meaning behind the event title S2O?

‘S’ is Songkran, meaning water splashing and ‘2O’ is derived from H2O, that is water. Songkran is the Thai festival to welcome a new year start by splashing water to wash away bad luck symbolically.

The festival has performances by international DJs and top stars. It is also famous for its outdoor stage and 360 degrees of water splashing experience that is synchronized with the music, allowing the audience to enjoy the music and the sensation of getting wet.

Luxe Society Asia: Do you get to decide on which artists get to perform at S2O? How do you decide who would make-up the artist line-up?

We never want to apply the same lineup to all locations, so it’s really about Hong Kong as a city and the people who are here. What do Hongkongers really like? What do they really want? We discussed this thoroughly before coming up with a shortlist. There are two stages in the event featuring an impressive line-up of performers.

The wide range of music selection will cater various music preferences of the audience. We are committed to promoting and supporting local artists. We are providing a platform for them to demonstrate their talent and let more people to know about them. Every artist deserves a chance to shine.

Luxe Society Asia: What made you decide that you want to launch S2O in Hong Kong?

During pandemic, everyone had experienced a long time of lockdown with travel restrictions, cancellation of events and various quarantine measures. 2023 is a good time to resume normal and the best time to have S2O in HK. The festival itself means bringing blessings, happiness and luck to people. And I hope HK people will share the same happiness and luck through the event.

Hong Kong definitely has the advantages to host S2O. We are a city that embraced diversity, we have people with different background and culture. We are so lucky to have the Central Harbourfront event space, the city centre, as the venue. Not just because of the convenient location, we also have the magnificent Victoria Harbour as the event backdrop. It serves as the first and only one S2O that is held in the city centre.

Luxe Society Asia: What can the public expect at the inaugural S2O Hong Kong?

It is the first and only music festival that combines water effects with live music performance in Hong Kong. Instead of just focusing on performing artists, we hope audience to enjoy a large-scale party by creating their own experience in the event. We have iconic giant water towers, an exclusive 360-degree powerful water sprays, something that you could not find from other music festivals. These designs will also create extraordinary visual and audio impact as they are adjusted in real time according to the performer’s own music and atmosphere. This is the unique selling points of S2O.

Luxe Society Asia: Are there unique elements at S2o Hong Kong that is not available at other S2o festivals?

Yes, there are several unique arrangements for S2O Music Festival in Hong Kong. There will be two stages in Hong Kong where Thailand had only one. The Main S2O Stage will feature world-class DJs with amazing wet effects, and the Summer Beats Stage will be a non-water zone stage with different styles of music such as local band sound, hip hop, and pop.

In addition, there are several new elements in the Hong Kong event, such as Glam zone by Hair Corner x Sue Cheung, where attendees can have quick shimmering hairstyle or glittering makeup service on-site.

Among the brand experiences available at the event, include the PayMe Cafe, presented by title sponsor PayMe with Capital Café, to offer authentic Hong Kong-style cuisine, as well as PayMe Your Love and PayMe Your Flavour special drinks. Other sponsored booths include NuSkin TRME Protein Bar, offering free samples of TRME Protein Shake and personalized TRME WhatsApp stickers and stylish tattoo stickers; a Carlsberg bar to experience its smooth draught beer which also offers two large Carlsberg dryers to let wet visitors dry themselves and their clothes with warm air. VLT Vita Lemon Tea will have a giant Vita Sparkling can on display and distribute free Vita Sparkling teas as a summer refresher. The Red Bull “Underground Stage” and Chill Out area offers special Red Bull drinks for purchase, while the Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Whiskey bar will serve spirits and other cocktails.

Other experiences include Nike Dance Crew performances, UPLive dreamy photo spots with bubble machines, 24/7 FITNESS lightweight fitness equipment for summer workouts, Vinnic Power free charging services, and Vita Water’s free water stations offering pure distilled water.

Food is also another highlight of the Hong Kong event, featuring a blend of local and international cuisine. Multiple food stalls serving various global cuisines are set up inside the venue, including the PayMe Cafe, The Stadium X The Coconut’s handmade pizza and Thai snacks, Pigsman’s world-famous pork meatballs, N+ Burger’s delicious burgers, Mafa Selangor X Simple Me special desserts, and refreshing summer ice creams by Teemtonefai.

The Hong Kong event is located in the central business district making it a convenient location for attendees. There will be a re-entry arrangement to allow attendees to come and go as they want. The Victoria Harbour view is also a unique feature of the Hong Kong event and is the only S2O’s location facing the harbor. So even if you have attended other S2O events, I think the Hong Kong event is a must-visit for its distinctive cultural experience and location.

Luxe Society Asia: On the future of S2O Music Festival, what are your plans for S2o?

We’re just going to make it better and better every year. After August 2023, unless there’s a hotter time, we’ll come back in August 2024. We’ll improve on what we did the year before. And I don’t think we need more audience; we just need a good time.