Sala Chalerm Krung Palace Theater Marks 93 Years
Thailand's oldest royal theater celebrates its 93rd anniversary with a ceremony featuring khon dance performances and scholarships for artists and senior performers on July 2, 2025.
Sala Chalerm Krung Palace Theater and the Sala Chalerm Krung Foundation are celebrating their 93rd and 21st anniversaries with a religious ceremony on Thursday, July 2, 2025, led by Air Vice Marshal Supichai Suntharabura, Deputy Secretary to the Palace.
The auspicious day begins with a monastic ceremony at 8:00 a.m. inside Sala Chalerm Krung Palace Theater, followed by a royal salutation ceremony at 9:09 a.m. at the theater's entrance. A traditional dance performance titled "Goddesses Bestowing Blessings" will be presented by Sala Chalerm Krung's khon performers, invoking seven goddesses—Uma, Lakshmi, Surasvatee, Suchadha, Dhani, Ganga, and Pohsop—to bestow victory and prosperity.
At 9:45 a.m., scholarships from the Sala Chalerm Krung Foundation's Thai Dance and Music Arts Fund will be distributed. One scholarship will be awarded to Watchramone Aranyanak, a Thai music expert specializing in string instruments at the Graduate Institute of Fine Arts. Additionally, four medical assistance scholarships will be given to senior performers facing health challenges, represented by Namngern Bunhak, Kanda Namayyampaen, Chumsakdi Sutheetharm, and Komkrit Yuttiyong.
Sala Chalerm Krung is Thailand's first royal theater, established in 1931 with royal funds exceeding 9 million baht from King Rama VII to commemorate Bangkok's 150th anniversary. It was the country's first cinema for sound film projection and was the most modern theater in Asia at the time, featuring air conditioning. The building was designed by architect Mom Chao Somjai Kridakorn, a graduate of prestigious French institutions. The theater officially opened on Sunday, July 2, 1933.
The theater has served as the center of Thai cinema, home to producers, directors, actors, and production crews, as well as an institution training personnel in film, khon dance, drama, and Thai classical dance. In 2024, on the occasion of the theater's 92nd anniversary, King Maha Chakri Maharaj approved a comprehensive renovation and landscaping project completed on May 15, 2025. The restored theater now stands as a testament to Thailand's first royal theater, serving as a premier institution for cultural and artistic performances and an important national monument that has operated for 93 years.
