Sawan Park

The name rests only on local stories: one says a Grandpa Sombun lived by the marsh and sold clay slingshot pellets at Pak Nam Pho market; another ties it to an Ayutthaya-era warrior named Sombun via a palm-leaf manuscript from Wat Khuean Daeng, said to be lost. Records note that in 1906, on his second incognito journey, King Rama V visited Pak Nam Pho market and the Sombun Chinese shop, but no link to the marsh is proven. The year it became a park is unknown; it existed as a 314-rai park with its dragon by 2008 at the latest.

The landmark is the Heavenly Dragon: a large dragon on a round, cloud-patterned base, ringed by four smaller dragons facing different directions, reached by four pavilions and a Chinese-style bridge over a lotus pond. You can stand on the base to look over the park, and it is lit at night. A filled island of about 3 rai sits in the lake. No height or build year for the dragon has been published. There are also fountains, an artificial waterfall, an open-air stage, a health park, outdoor gym equipment and a Guanyin shrine.

A 6 m ring road about 3.2–4 km long (sources differ) is used for walking, running and cycling, and there are pedal boats and fish feeding. Each year from about 21–25 December to 1–4 January the province and city hold the free Nakhon Sawan Lantern Festival here; the numbering runs without gaps — the 2nd was in 2019, so it likely began around 2018, and the 4th in 2021 moved to Khlong Yuan Chuan Rak canal. The 8th edition ran 23 December 2025 – 3 January 2026, with over 100 lantern figures, a 'heavenly light' boat ride and a countdown on the island stage.

The park is open daily about 06:00–18:00 (sources give 06:00, 07:00 or 08:00) and free, with parking at the front and toilets. A visit takes about an hour or two, and mornings and evenings are most pleasant. Parts of the loop have no shade at midday, children need watching near the water, and parking fills fast during the lantern festival.