Thailand's Ambassador to Korea Tanee Sangrat speaks during an interview with The Korea Herald on Friday. (Yoon Chang-bin/The Korea Herald) From sizzling street food and Thai tea to T-Pop, K-Pop and traditional massage, Thailand will bring the Sawasdee Thai Festival back to Seoul's Cheonggyecheon this weekend.Thai Ambassador Tanee Sangrat said the festival would give visitors the chance to experience Thailand without boarding a plane, and feel its "creative life and heartbeat."Marking its 11th anniversary this year, the festival runs Saturday and Sunday and is open to the public free of charge.Sangrat told The Korea Herald that the event serves not only as a cultural showcase but also as a strategic platform for strengthening ties.Organizers said the festival, themed "Creative Life, Creative Heartbeat," is expected to draw more than 100,000 visitors, having attracting a similar number last year.Sangrat said that the festival grounds would be double the size they were in 2025, with more food stalls to showcase a broader range of Thai cuisine.New additions include southern Thai specialties and Thai-style roti, a street-food favorite with roots in South Asia, he stressed. A poster detailing the Sawasdee Festival displayed on the walls of the Thai Embassy in Seoul. (Sanjay Kumar / The Korea Herald) Among the highlights will be displays of Chut Thai, Thailand's national dress, which Bangkok plans to nominate for UNESCO cultural heritage recognition.The festival will include a 300-member cultural parade along Cheonggyecheon, traditional Khon performances based on the Ramayana, Muay Thai-Taekwondo collaborations and joint performances by Thai and Korean pop stars."We have always provided a platform for T-Pop and K-Pop collaboration," Sangrat said.The festival also forms part of a broader push to deepen economic engagement with Korea. The Embassy will launch the Seoul Thailand Startup and Innovation Space on Wednesday to support startups entering each other's markets, while a Thailand-Korea Business Forum focusing on BioHealth, MedTech, Wellness and Future Food is scheduled for Monday.Sangrat also highlighted the ongoing Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations between Seoul and Bangkok, expressing hope that talks could conclude later this year."It helps connect consumers, businesses and supply chains between Thailand, Korea and ASEAN," said the ambassador citing Korea as a strategic partner for ASEAN and a gateway for broader regional cooperation.