Chiang Mai Flower Festival

Festivals in Thailand are numerous but of course, we have our favorites. The Chiang Mai Flower Festival  is one of them. Not so only for its very pretty and spectacular parade  but also for the atmosphere of the market that take place for 3 days in a corner of the ramparts and in Nong Buak Haad Park.

Every first weekend in February, Chiang Mai, the northern capital of Thailand, celebrates flowers for 3 days. The festival’s highlight is the parade that begins at Chiang Mai Railway Station and then continue on the Nawarat Bridge and ends at Nong Buak Hat Park. There are banks on the bridge to attend to the parade. In general, it starts around 8:30 am but punctuality in Thailand is very relative…

In Nong Buak Haad park, a stage is installed and offers concert and Miss Flower Festival beauty pagent in the evening . While in front of the Thapae Gate, there is another scene with live music and performances by the kids of Chiang Mai schools.

But what we love the most during that festival is the market that takes place in a corner of the historic center of Chiang Mai,  Thanon Arrack and Thanon Bamrungburi are partly closed to make way for a multitude of stands food with lots of variety. The opportunity to test many popular Thai food dishes. There is also an exhibition of flowers.

And next door, in the park, a real carnival that will delight children takes place. And best of all, you can enjoy a massage on the lawn of the park in the shade of trees.

In short, the Chiang Mai Flower Festival is a popular festival that we like a lot. But beware many people come to the city on this occasion, so in it is better to book in advance your hotel in Chiang Mai or your guesthouse to be sure to have a room.

This year, the Chiang Mai Flower Festival will be held from 6 to 8 February 2015.

The pictures of this article were made during the 2013 edition.