Chiang Mai Flower Festival
Every first weekend in February you can enjoy the beautiful flower festival in Chiang Mai. In the coming year (2011) this grand spectacle will be for the 35e times take place. On Saturday 5 February you can fully enjoy the most cheerful flower parade through the streets of the city.
Chiang Mai bears the honorary title 'Rose from the North' for a reason. There are plenty of flower growers who all proudly present their latest creations.
Flower parade
The beautiful procession sets off around 9 in the morning from the train station towards Narawath bridge and travels via the well-known Thapae Road to the 'Gate' and then turns left via the city moat, ending in Suan Buak Haad City Park. At that place you can admire the beautiful floats afterwards, and also the next day (Sunday). But now back to the Saturday parade. Dozens of floats, bands, dancers, and groups, including hill tribes in their colorful attire, form the miles-long procession. Beautifully dressed ladies sit on the floats who have passed the preliminary rounds to have a shot at the Miss Chiang Mai pageant.
Flowers predominate and the carriages beautifully decorated with many kinds of flowers are a real feast for the eyes. In addition to the many different types of orchids, salvias, bougainvillea and a type of marigold are also richly represented. As a spectator, the Thapae Road is my personal preference because it is always so pleasantly busy and the procession has to stop there regularly. That will give you the opportunity to take the necessary photos. In short, the flower festival of Chiang Mai is an absolute must. Make sure you get one in time hotels make a reservation because in that weekend they are almost all fully booked.
Sunday
The beautiful floats, so richly decorated with flowers, gather at the Buak Haad City Park afterwards on Saturday and can be admired there all Sunday. Around all those cars there are a lot of stands with beautiful orchid varieties that have won prizes. In my imagination, the Thai eat all day long, so food and drink are widely available. You can now view the floats from very close. The only drawback is that the beautiful ladies are now missing from the wagons. Do you live, or are you going to during that period Thailand then the first weekend of February is simply a must to visit Chiang Mai Flower Festival.