KUALA TERENGGANU: First it was the Kongsi-Raya. Then came Deepa-Raya. But come Oct 13,  folks here will celebrate Krathong-Raya, the twin festivals of Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Loy Krathong (water lantern festival), which is the first of its kind.

Organiser Eh Chan Tok hopes  the tourism industry will take note of  this unique event  and bring visitors on a cultural trip to Terengganu.

The Loy Krathong festival traditionally attracts visitors from Kelantan and Thailand and, for this eighth edition of the festival, 10,000 people are expected to attend.

This is double the number who attended last year, and Eh attributes it to good publicity from promotions and word of mouth  as well as repeat tourists.

Festival organisers have chartered 15 buses to bring in the visitors from Kelantan.

“Terengganu is the only state in the East Coast to celebrate this festival. The nice thing this year is that at night, tourists can release paper boats and the next day they can go to an open house.

“The fact that we're expecting 10,000 people this year proves that this festival is a bankable one for the tourism industry.

“If anything, this is a good time for the state to boast its cultural marvels. We hope it will be included in the tourism calendar next year,” Eh said after a buka puasa function here on Thursday.

Loy Krathong is a Thai festival celebrated annually to mark the end of the rainy season. Participants launch small boats (krathong), made from banana trunks and leaves,  on the open water. It is believed that wishes will be granted if the boats do not reach land.

The festival will be held near the Tuanku Mizan Golf Resort. Entrance is free.