A yearly event, not to be missed if you happen to be in Thailand in February. This, the 48th annual Flower Festival in Chiang Mai is a nature lovers delight. Not only are there millions of flowers on view, but markets, decorations and cultural sights are set to entertainment visitors for three full days.
Nong Buak Haad Public Park
The forefront of this festival happens at this park, located in the corner of Old Town Chiang Mai. Open all year round, this beautiful green space is completely transformed for this event. Visitors are welcome to walk around from 9am to midnight each day, enjoying the sights, smells and sounds that fill the air. From fountains and ponds, to fairy lights and statues, the park is now visual masterpiece!
An orchid forest, my favourite part of the garden. Seeing these exotic beauties in their natural surroundings, growing from trees, springing from ferns and languishing over bubbling ponds is truly a beautiful sight.
This year, a garden of tall lilies, almost as tall as me, filled the air with their heady scent. I stood still and watched as their stamens danced upon threadlike stalks, tiny bees buzzing the pollen. Beds of roses almost looked like they were spilled across the lawn, the colour was so dense.
Statues
There seems to be a statue component to each area of the garden this year. Pretty dolls and dancers stand in the shade of the tall trees, while dolphins leap from the flower beds.
Garden Market
There are three fairly distinct markets that form part of the Flower Festival. These are located in the road surrounding the park, just inside the moat. The largest of these is a garden market. Here find rows of stalls, selling all sorts of flowers, plants and supplies.
Of particular interest to me were comparing the costs from back in Canada. Here pots of large roses were going for 100baht, or $4 CAD. A fraction of the price, for these back home would be $30-40 for that size of plant. Other stalls were selling all sorts of tropical and exotic fruit trees. And yet others had hundreds of cacti of every shape and variation. This really is a gardeners dream and I witnessed many locals walking around ladened with bags of plants.
Handicrafts Market
Just down from the Garden Market is a row of stalls selling all sorts of exquisite ethnic clothing, handicrafts, specialized coffee’s, lotions, potions, bits and baubles. I spent quite a while here admiring all of these beautiful hand made items. The colourful clothing, embroidery and adornments were particularly interesting and amazing to see.
Food Market
Across the street are food vendors, and down each little alley, these covered tents stretch, enticing visitors with their aroma. Every type of meat on a stick, from bloated squid, to fish balls, pork and chicken.
Noodles, steamed buns, cashews roasted with chili peppers, fried chicken skin, quail egg wontons and fried pork tendon. These are a fraction of the variety that is available at the Food Market.
For those with a sweet tooth, such as myself, there are home made ice-creams and lots of fresh juices including sugar cane, freshly squeezed orange and logan berry.
Floats
I wrote a previous post about the parade itself. But now, in a line down the street, outside of the park, are all of the floats. Visitors can approach each one for photo ops and inspection. Here is your chance to see just what went into the creation of these visual delights. It is truly amazing to see.
The Chiang Mai Flower Festival is the third most popular event in the city. The Festival of Lights and New Years are the only two things that draw more visitors into this amazing city. If you love colour, flowers, markets, cultural exhibits, learning and a fun experience, look no further. This Flower Festival will amaze you year after year.
