WHAT a difference a day makes. Within 24 hours of marking the solemn fifth anniversary of the tsunami, an event that the world's media covered without exception, Phuket was able to return to what it does so well: having fun.

So it was that Phuket City's Local Life festival, the first without the unsightly cables hanging from poles in Thalang Road, attracted hundreds of locals and visitors.

While unsightly cables can be placed underground, it would be a mistake to try to bury the past.

Many of tonight's fun-seekers were probably emotionally mature enough to mark the tragedy of the tsunami the previous day . . . and just as keen to shake off the solemnity with some fun in Thalang Road.

One senior member of Phuket's leadership group told Phuketwan on his his way home: ''That was cool . . . what a pity it was just for one night.''

Indeed, cool it was, with rows of antique VWs, quirky and traditional street entertainment, and a sense that Phuket has reached another phase in its development.

Not only can it deal with tragedy one day, an essential in a tsunami zone where seabed earthquakes are frequent, but the next day, it can deal with getting on with life.

Frequent reminders of the tsunami are as essential as the blue and white signs telling everyone which way to run. Anyone who tries to forget the past is destined to repeat it.

But those people who enjoyed a good time in Thalang Road tonight know that real life is about good and bad, not simply directed by misguided optimists.

The signs are good for Phuket City, with new retro-guesthouses and bars opening in Old Phuket Town amid a sense that the island at last has a beating cosmopolitan heart.

Yet the people who seemed to be enjoying it most where those older folk, dressed in traditional garb.

That's yet another paradox of life: the wise and experienced can usually detect what's good about the modern world.

As for Phuket's future, only a fool would offer predictions about next year. We'd prefer to wait and see. More walking street fairs would certainly be a good sign.

Realists will take the good with the bad. We are prepared to say there will be a tsunami anniversary again next year . . . along with plenty of fun.