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Thai Denmark Farm aims to make the plains of Saraburi the wild west of Thailand as it hosts the annual Muak Lek Cowboy Festival this weekend.

"We're aiming to build a stronger brand image for Muak Lek district as a real cowboy town," says Arunsak Ongla-Or, the founder of Between Millennium, the organiser of the event. "Previously, it was more of a big party. Now it's a major festival with movies and music in addition to the cowboy shows."

With a budget of some Bt10 million, the festival will have outdoor screenings of 16 cowboy films, as well as nine shorts by nine new directors and starring nine veteran performers, among them stuntman John Islam, who died of heart failure last Thursday. All the shorts focus on "cowboy nai roi Thai" - cowboys in Thai film.

"The idea of these films is to give the new generation some knowledge about the cowboy culture," Arunsak explains. "We are also producing a new Bt5-million film, 'Phu Chai Thit Tawan Tok Kap Dek Narok Jak Thit Tawan Ok' ['The Western Man and the Eastern Badboy'], which tells the story of an old-time cowboy and a boy in the cyber world. It stars Pawarit 'Bank' Mongkolpisit and Pattarawarin 'May' Timkul."

There will also be music. On Friday from 6, it'll be veteran artists Pongpat Wachirabun-jong, Billy Ogan, Somchai Khemklad, Pong Hen Lek Fai, Tanapol Intharit, Pe Hi-Rock, and the Rang Rockestra.

Cowboy reggae will be performed on Saturday from 3 to sunrise, with Job Banjob, Madagascar, Gold Red, Supergrass, Ta-Mone, the Exotic, Deep O Sea, Ska Chance, Alum Sum Sum, Joy Boy Saran and Ska Caravan.

 A TIP OF THE HAT

>> The Muak Lek Cowboy Festival runs from Friday to Sunday.

>> Tickets are Bt900 per day if Bt1,500 for a two-day pass. Get together a group of 10 friends, and you qualify for a 50-per-cent discount.

 >> On the Internet: www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.