Editorial: February 2017 Whooo! It’s our Citylife Garden Fair

We have 220 stalls booked, ranging from gifts, handicraft items, non-profit PR stands, second hand goods and a whole heap of food and drinks stalls…including five food trucks.

By | Wed 1 Feb 2017

Our Citylife Garden Fair is going to be spectacular this year!

As the event has grown and its ambitions expanded, we have found it to have outgrown our wee media company. Thankfully over the past two years a group of volunteers have stepped up and helped us turn our amateur little af(fair) into something which is going to be quite extraordinary this year.

A core group of around ten expatriate ladies, and dear Steve Yarnold, have been working alongside Citylife’s staff since June last year to help us turn our fair into, not only a fundraising machine, but also a well-oiled and fabulously fun one.

This year’s fair, moved from November last year, due to the mourning period for HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej, will be held on the 4th of February at JJ Hobby Market. We have 220 stalls booked, ranging from gifts, handicraft items, non-profit PR stands, second hand goods and a whole heap of food and drinks stalls…including five food trucks. Monies raised from stall fees go to cover event costs and a full accounting will be published post-event.

How we raise money is by asking our business friends and associates in Chiang Mai, and beyond, to donate goods or services for us to use to fundraise. There will be tombolas for all of you to join in with hundreds of items to be won — some huge! We also have around 60 items in our silent auction sala including a diamond encrusted necklace from Georg Jensen, travel bags from Jim Thompson, dining for two at Restaurant Andre in Singapore (voted 5th best restaurant in Asia by S. Pellegrino guide), room nights at Chiang Dao Nest, The Legend Chiang Rai, The Pavana Resort, U Sathorn Bangkok, Siripanna Resort, Shangri-La, Duangtawan, as well as fabulous items such as design packages from Digital Zoo and Creative Chili and membership to Makerspace.

Some of our city’s best restaurants such as Anantara’s The Service 1921, David’s Kitchen, Chez Marco, La Terrasse, Steak of the Day, Le Crystal and Tengoku have also donated vouchers as have other great businesses including Sabu-Sabu, Nikki’s Pure Spirit, Mae Rim Ceramics, Buddy’s Visa Service and…more more more. The full list has been published on our Facebook page.

Our live auction will be held at 2pm, so make sure you are there for a chance to bid on our main item, two return tickets on Bangkok Airways to the Maldives which includes two nights at Four Seasons Kuda Huraa, Maldives. Le Meridien has donated two nights in their diplomatic suite and Rachamankha as well as 137 Pillars House hotel have also donated fabulous room nights. DIAA aesthetics clinic has donated big and will also be going under the gavel.

There is going to be a great lineup of local musicians, Thai and foreign, performing from noon to around 5.30pm including Lanna Commins, The Odd Gods and Jai Yen. The Wine Gallery will be selling wines and bubblies and others will be selling beers, cocktails, shakes, coffees and all sorts of drinks to quench your thirst. There will be a Kid’s Zone this year with children’s activities and a kiddy tombola.

This is a day for Citylife’s community of readers to come together and have a fabulous time supporting local businesses, enjoying each other’s company and importantly raising funds for Warm Heart Foundation, Royal Project Foundation and Thai Freedom House. Last year we raised a quarter of a million baht together and I truly hope we will be able to sign bigger cheques for our charities this year.

I would also like to ask you to please stop by the Citylife booth and help support Citylife by purchasing a subscription for one year at 850 baht. If you value what we have done over the past 25 years and wish to see us continue to publish articles, news, reviews, events, updates and information as well as organising events such as this, I would be very grateful for your support.

See you all for a fantastic day on the 4th February!

Visit Citylife Garden Fair 2017 on Facebook for more information.

As to this month’s content, well, it is February, and we have filled it with lots of love stories…as well as a must-read story about what you can do to help stem the growing annual smog problem.