Thai concert in Sweden halted for safety concerns amid huge crowd
Ponglang Sa-on's comeback concert in Stockholm was halted due to overcrowding, with thousands of fans—including many from abroad—gathering beyond the venue's safe capacity during the Thai folk group's first European performance in nearly tw
Thai folk music group Ponglang Sa-on was forced to temporarily halt its comeback concert in Sweden after the venue became overcrowded during the band's first European performance in nearly 20 years.
The popular group recently reunited and launched a European concert tour, kicking off in Stockholm. However, the show was interrupted after organisers and security officials reportedly struggled to control the large crowd.
Eed Ponglang Sa-on, the group's leader, posted an apology to fans on social media, saying authorities had ordered the performance to stop temporarily for safety reasons. "Sorry to fans in Stockholm. For safety reasons, officials asked us to pause for a while. The venue is overcrowded," he wrote.
Band member Duangrudee 'Lulu' Phonam later said she and fellow member Khwannanpha 'Lala' Ratchata had not yet been able to perform because the crowd had exceeded safe capacity.
Lala later wrote that officials decided to stop the concert because the situation had become difficult to control, with people reportedly climbing into the venue as thousands gathered to watch the show.
In a livestream after the incident, Eed described having "mixed feelings" about the event. "I'm happy to see the power and unity of Thai people living abroad. Many foreigners also came wearing Thai costumes. Some travelled for hours or flew in to see us," he said.
Lala added that the audience had reached "tens of thousands," prompting organisers to end the performance due to safety concerns.
