Locals have started water fight festivities at a zoo ahead of the annual Songkran celebrations in Thailand.

Footage shows visitors in colourful costumes engaging in water gun fights as they cooled off at a pool in the Khon Kaen Zoo on April 10.

Acting Zoo Director Tipawadee Kittikoon said the zoo has kicked off the 'Songkran E-san Summer Khon Kaen Zoo 2024' event, which will coincide with the Songkran Water Festival being held this weekend.

She said: 'Khon Kaen Zoo recognises the importance of being a key tourist attraction for families during the holidays. Most tourists travel with their children and families during these breaks, so we prepared various activities they can enjoy together.'

Apart from viewing the wildlife - including Asian black bears, white rhinos, Aldabra giant tortoises, deer, giraffes, and Thai elephants - visitors can also participate in animal mascot parades, animal feedings, photoshoots, and water blessing ceremonies at the zoo.

Songkran E-san Summer Khonkaen Zoo 2024 will run from April 12 to 15.

The Buddhist festival Songkran, which takes place every year from April 13 to April 15, marks the new calendar year in the ancient religion. It originated in India in the 6th century before being taken up by the Hindu-Buddhist Khmer Empire - the predecessor to modern-day Cambodia.

Followers splash each other with water to wash away the sins and bad luck of the past year. Traditionally, young relatives would pour water over the hands and feet of elders as a mark of respect.

However, the once-sedate festival has been commercialised by the avaricious Thai tourism industry and spawned into depraved alcohol-fuelled near-naked water fights across the country's major cities, with hundreds of thousands of tourists joining in the chaos to cool off as temperatures reach 40 degrees Celsius in the hottest month of the year.

Ministers have urged locals not to drink and drive while officials in Bangkok have banned alcohol at its official festival venues due to the rise in road accidents during the period.

There are also criticisms that it wastes water at a time when prolonged droughts are causing peril across the world.