Rocket team members celebrate as their yee sip lan (20 million) class size bung fai talai gondola rocket, the festival’s largest with a diameter of 10 meters, lifts off during the annual bun bang fai festival in Ban Kut Wa, Kalasin province, Thailand, May 17, 2026.

A man covered in mud looks to the sky while watching his team’s bung fai talai gondola rocket fly into the sky during the annual bun bang fai festival in Ban Kut Wa, Kalasin province, Thailand, May 17, 2026.

Rocket team members hold lit torches shortly before lighting their bung fai talai gondola rocket during the annual bun bang fai festival in Ban Kut Wa, Kalasin province, Thailand, May 17, 2026.

Rocket team members rejoice as their bung fai talai gondola rocket lifts off during the annual bun bang fai festival in Ban Kut Wa, Kalasin province, Thailand, May 17, 2026.

Rocket team members pose for a picture as one of them holds a large wooden phallic fertility charm during the annual bun bang fai festival in Ban Kut Wa, Kalasin province, Thailand, May 17, 2026.

Rocket team members rejoice as their bung fai talai gondola rocket lifts off during the annual bun bang fai festival in Ban Kut Wa, Kalasin province, Thailand, May 17, 2026.

A large explosion scatters debris in multiple directions after a sen (100,000) class size bung fai talai gondola rocket exploded shortly after lift off during the annual bun bang fai festival in Ban Kut Wa, Kalasin province, Thailand, May 17, 2026.

Two men smile perform traditional wai gestures as signs of respect towards Buddhist monks after being splashed with holy water during a parade through Ban Kut Wa town the day before the annual bun bang fai festival in Ban Kut Wa, Kalasin province, Thailand, May 16, 2026.

Hundreds of traditional dancers perform before the start of a parade through Ban Kut Wa town the day before the annual bun bang fai festival in Ban Kut Wa, Kalasin province, Thailand, May 16, 2026.

Festival goers gather at Wat Udom Klang after watching a parade the day before the annual bun bang fai festival in Phanom Phrai, Roi Et province, Thailand, May 31, 2026.

Rocket team members prepare their sip lan (10 million) class rocket, measuring over 5 meters long and weighing approximately 900 kilograms, before hoisting it onto a launch platform during the annual bun bang fai festival in Phanom Phrai, Roi Et province, Thailand, Jun. 1, 2026.

Rocket team members fasten their rockets onto launch platforms during the annual bun bang fai festival in Phanom Phrai, Roi Et province, Thailand, Jun. 1, 2026.

Spectators watch a rocket launch during the annual bun bang fai festival in Phanom Phrai, Roi Et province, Thailand, Jun. 1, 2026.

Women perform a traditional dance before the start of a parade through Suwwanaphum town the day before the annual bun bang fai festival in Suwwanaphum, Roi Et province, Thailand, Jun. 6, 2026.

Rocket team members pray for a successful launch during the annual bun bang fai festival in Suwwanaphum, Roi Et province, Thailand, Jun. 7, 2026.

Spectators watch a rocket launch during the annual bun bang fai festival in Suwwanaphum, Roi Et province, Thailand, Jun. 7, 2026.

A spectator shields his face from smoke while watching a rocket fly into the sky during the annual bun bang fai festival in Suwwanaphum, Roi Et province, Thailand, Jun. 7, 2026.

Spectators make their way through heavy clouds of rocket exhaust after a launch during the annual bun bang fai festival in Suwwanaphum, Roi Et province, Thailand, Jun. 7, 2026.

Adryel Talamantes (b. 1986) is a photojournalist originally from the United States, based in Bangkok, Thailand since 2015. Adryel’s passion for visual media, encompassing both still photography and video, stems from his desire to share individual moments in a clear, unfiltered context. His work primarily focuses on news and documentary subject matter, and he has covered stories in Cambodia, the Hong Kong S.A.R. (China), Iraq, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and the USA.