Unless there's been a major calendar change, the barge procession is a 7-8 day event, not a monthlong event (Example 2013). It's held at the end of the Buddhist lent, the week preceding the October full moon.
The Telegraph appears to have gotten their information from the Tourism Thailand website which also list the event as a monthlong event.
Of course Tourism Thailand has a disclaimer which reads in part "... information may change without notice ..."
Watched the entire game on a live Youtube feed without commentators and commercials.
Action was fast paced as it was for the GOLD.
During the first half of the game I would have bet that the game would go into extra time.
I was proven very wrong during the second half.
The stadium seemed at around 80% capacity, with plenty of empty seats in the nosebleed section.
The SEA games end today with water polo, badminton, volleyball and a closing ceremony. Find youtube live streaming of events here
Even though Singapore has the highest medal count, Thailand is ranked number one in gold and silver. Eleven countries participated in the SEA games