Chiang Mai Travel Information

Festivals of Chiang Mai

Flower Festival

Chiang Mai's location in a large valley surrounded by mountains plays host to an incredible array of flower species. The tropical valley climate is perfect for orchids and the high-altitude areas for carnations and other species that prefer a cool climate. The rich diversity of Chiang Mai's flora was the reason it got the name "Rose of the North".

Chiang Mai's flower festival first ran in 1977 and was such a hit that it became an annual event. The most significant feature of the flower festival is the float parade.

Each float is a work of art, using each shade of color specially arranged to form patterns, pictures or words. There is also the usual beauty contest and traditional performances and paraphernalia, although the overall flavor is different from Loy Kratong

Songkran Water Festival

Mid-April is when Chiang Mai really comes alive. This is the Thai New Year celebration and Chiang Mai is easily the best location to be in terms of fun and games.

With the temperature in the high 30s the whole city forgets the more mundane elements of life for 3 days and throws water at each other. Sounds like fun? That's because it is. In fact the atmosphere is so damn happy it's worth planning your trip around just to see all those smiling faces. And if you have kids then all the better.

Back in the old Lanna days people would first ask permission and then just lightly splash water at each other, a mere sprinkle for the elderly. However, times have changed; young or old prepare to give as good as you get with all sorts of water guns/cannons and ice-filled buckets.

Warning: the fun can get out of hand at times. Alcohol is on sale by the gallon and drunk driving is rampant. Many people use water from the old city moat, which is very dirty. If you go outside during Songkran Be Prepared: anyone seen walking around dry during Songkran is a prime target - there will be no mercy; you and all you possess will be soaked.

If you arrive at the bus station, airport, train station during Songkran and you don't want your luggage to get wet then DO NOT get a tuk tuk.

Keep in mind traffic jams around town are horrendous during the daytime. Water based fun and traffic start to ease about 5pm and by 7pm things return to something resembling normality .. until the next day.

Loy Kratong

Loi Krathong is basically a three-day festival to show gratitude to the river for feeding the earth with life giving nutrients, and interestingly enough, as a way to seek forgiveness for making the river dirty, or so the legend goes anyway.

Although the town of Sukhothai is the spiritual home of Loy Kratong, Chiang Mai comes a close second in terms of festive grandeur. Loy Kratong coincides with the onset of the dry season at the end of November so the evenings can be chilly.

Kratongs are beautifully made floating receptacles that resemble lotus flowers. They are usually made from banana trunk, folded paper, banana or coconut leaves, and believe it or not, styrofoam.

The kratongs are placed onto the river to float downstream, usually sent with a wish or prayer of some kind. The Ping river is a memorable sight since every floating Kratong has a candle and a bunch of glowing joss sticks.

In days of old the Kratongs were said to float all the way to Bangkok and into the gulf of Thailand but nowadays they don't make it very far due to a dam about 10 km down river. Still, the lively atmosphere during Loy Kratong makes it worth sticking around for.

There seems to be a continuous noise of crackers and fireworks and the sky filled with paraffin powered sky lanterns, small hot air balloons. An opportunity to release a lantern is available to everyone and is believed to release one's bad luck and sorrow. Apparently wherever the lantern lands the sorrow and bad luck will fall onto that place, so watch out!

The third and final day of the festival sees giant mobile Kratongs paraded around town, a lot like a carnival parade with traditional performances and dancing. If you're into parades then you will love Loy Kratong Many call it the most picturesque of all Thai festivals.

Another, and perhaps more authentic, place to enjoy Loy Kratong is the much smaller town of Chiang Dao, about 80 km from Chiang Mai. The celebrations are nowhere near as grand as in Chiang Mai but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in terms of authenticity.

As well as the usual fireworks and floating receptacles it also features a beauty contest, Thai boxing, traditional dancing and singing and also has a procession. Loy Kratong in Chiang Dao is worth checking out if you prefer a more "homey" atmosphere.

Chiang Mai