Mark your calendars! According to today's Bangkok Post, a Royal Barge procession will be held on June 12th and 13th this year to celebrate His Majesty the King's 60th year on the throne. The king ascended to the throne of the Kingdom of Thailand in June 1946, making him the world's longest serving monarch.

The royal barge procession is one of the most spectacular — and rare — cultural displays Thailand has to offer. The last procession was held for the APEC summit meeting in 2003. As with the APEC meeting, this procession will be held at night. A flotilla of 52 barges holding more than 2,000 oarsmen will glide past the Grand Palace on the Chaophraya River.

VIP guests, which are expected to include several other heads of state from around the world, will view the procession from the Navy Auditorium, across the river from the grand palace. The rest of us will have to make do with grandstands set up along the river. These will probably sell out quickly, so you'll need to act fast to get them once they go on sale. There's no indication of when that will be, as yet.