Although the festival officially lasts for 10 days, the main events are held during the first weekend at See Na Rong provincial stadium in the south of town. For two days, you can watch elephants run races, play football and perform all sorts of tricks. The weekend culminates with an elaborate “battle” where you can get a feel for what warfare was like when elephants were used rather than tanks. It’s quite the thrilling rendition that involves not only elephants but also hundreds of foot “soldiers” who pretend to fight it out like in the old days.