Less than 34 years after the event lost royal patronage, it re-emerged as a prominent social festival with less ritual and more flair. According to some sources the first such round-up was organized and celebrated in 1955 while according to others the first event was celebrated in the 1960s.Either way, the first modern event was held on a modest scale in the Tha Tum subdistrict of Surin Province.
The festival was then moved to Surin proper.[12] Nowadays, elephants and their trainers travel 100 km to Surin to participate in the festival. The ritualistic elements and traits of the festival have all but disappeared and the festival has become a pure tourist festival.