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Adventures With Tom: Sunscreen

Anyone with an internet connection is unlikely to have been able to avoid becoming aquainted with Australian director Baz Luhrmann’s hit single from the 90s “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)”. The song and video, which begins with the line “Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ’97: Wear Sunscreen”, makes regular outings across social media. The words were originally and erroneously attributed to author Kurt Vonnegut and a commencement speech he never gave at MIT. In fact they first appeared in a column entitled “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young” penned by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich.

Dublin Literary Awards: Kan Jitpakdi-Ryu

Citylife has been hosting the northern chapter of the Junior Dublin Literary Awards for Thailand for 10 years. Each year we send letters out to as many schools as we can in the north asking Thai nationality students between the ages of 14-18 to send us an 800 word essay on a theme which changes annually. This year’s theme was World with No Boundaries. This month we are featuring the essay “World with No Boundary” by 17-year-old Kan Jitpakdi-Ryu, who came third place in the northern regional finals. The winners from central and southern regions competed in Bangkok last month, with the national winner being awarded two return plane tickets to attend the Senior Dublin Literary Awards Ceremony in Dublin, Ireland.

A Dream to Reforest our City

The Pgazkoenyau people (ปกาเกอญอ) high in the mountains of northern Thailand have a simple motto from which they live their lives. “Just plant a tree where you are.” This Karen hill tribe lives in the forest, and every aspect of their lives revolve around nature, even their sacred birthing ceremony involves a tree.

Old Roots New Ambitions: How two sisters introduced the world to traditional Northern Thai massage

It’s always fascinating to see how businesses evolve with the ebb and flow of trends and technology, only the most adaptable, those with the firmest foundations, leaders with the greatest visions, thrive. Leading up to our magazine’s 25th anniversary next month, and with a touch of nostalgia, we were skimming issues past, when we came across an advertisement for one of our earliest clients, International Training Massage School (ITM), and realised that this traditional business is alive, well, and as far as we know, booming.

Design Ideas: Ung Handcraft Darkroom Shop

Ungsumalin ‘Ung’ Yodkampa, 25, and Nathamon ‘Tah’ Kithanes, 26, owners Ung Handcraft Darkroom Shop

Bring Back Vinyl With NEO Entertainment Gallery

When you hear the words vinyl, record player, or the crackling sounds of yesteryear, you may consider them passé and soon to be obsolete in this digital audio world. Surely these are things you only hear down in your grandparents’ basement or in a museum. You may even reminisce fondly over DJs of the 90s, scratching away over tracks played on minidisks and what not. But did you know that right now, vinyl and record players are making a huge comeback, a format favoured by young and old. Pressing factories are re-opening and a new era of modern and high-tech vinyl is on the rise.

City Hobbies

Find yourself moping around at home? Well get off your couch and get active at these cool new venues.

Editorial: June 2016

Tha Pae Gate is a public area used for many events and occasions; political rallies (when we were allowed to have them), cultural shows, public gatherings and of course the ubiquitous markets. It is also the unwitting stage of a deep divide which reflects many other issues we as a city are facing today.

2016 Round Square Conference

Round Square is a worldwide network of innovative schools in 40 countries across five continents. One of its founding schools in the 1960s is Aiglon College in Switzerland, today an international boarding school for boys and girls ages 9-18 from over 60 nationalities and offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma.

A Permanent Chiang Mai Home for Contemporary Art

This July will see the north of Thailand’s first contemporary art museum opening in Sankampaeng. A fitting home for one of the country’s largest private collections of contemporary art. Chiang Mai has been producing arts and crafts for over 700 years, and for the past few decades, has been home to some of Thailand’s most exciting artists.

Chiang Mai’s Wacky and Wonderful Facebook Groups

We all know that Facebook is the home of everything imaginable, and Chiang Mai is no exception.

Mickey Mouse House

  “I never thought it would get this big, but here we are…” These were the words spoken to me when Naren ‘Oak’ Panyapu opened the door to the north of Thailand’s very first independent Micky Mouse memorabilia museum in Lamphun. Walls were covered in glassed off shelves that were stacked to the brim with rows and rows of Mickey Mouse figurines, toys, plushies and wall hangings. “I first starte … Continued

Explore Nature

Get out of the city and indulge in ancient rock formations, bathe in hot springs or sip on a coffee next to a hidden lagoon…

Science for Aesthetics: DIAA aesthetics and anti-ageing clinic opens

Art and science, like opposing magnets, can come together to create extreme beauty. From the days of Da Vinci when the two disciplines coexisted and built upon one another, to today’s modern inventions as seen all around us, art and science are not polar opposites, but complementary.

Just Good Grub

Here are three restaurants that serve up some really good grub that you can add to the (ever growing) list of your faves.

Born a Threat: Highlanders with no Citizenship

Imagine being born in Thailand but having no national identity. Imagine going to a Thai school, with Thai friends, eating Thai food but not being recognised as Thai. Imagine your application to be a person with rights and civil liberties just left on the desk of a provincial officer for twenty years, collecting dust. Imagine the lives of over 100,000 highlanders living in Thailand – a home that still sees them as a threat to national security.

More From Citylife

World Songkran Tha Pae Chiang Mai 2026 returns for third year with 130 metre water tunnel

Sun 12th Apr

Chiang Mai Municipality has announced the third edition of “World Songkran Tha Pae Chiang Mai 2026,” to be held along Tha Pae Road and Tha Pae Gate, with the event positioned as part of ongoing efforts to raise the profile of the Thai new year festival on the international stage while sustaining tourism and economic activity in the city’s historic centre. The headline attraction this year is a 130 … Continued

“Ton Kwen: Roots Rewired” Transforms Historic Lanna Heritage into Contemporary Comic Art Landmark

Sun 12th Apr

Chiang Mai welcomes a bold new cultural highlight as the 168-year-old Wat Ton Kwen is reinterpreted into a striking comic art installation, “Ton Kwen: Roots Rewired,” standing over six metres tall. Inspired by the temple’s iconic viharn, the work reimagines traditional Lanna architecture through contemporary line art by Chompoonuch Chomphurat. Presented at Central Chiang Mai Airport in collaborati … Continued

Netflix Lights Up Chiang Mai’s Songkran at Tha Phae Gate

Sun 12th Apr

Songkran, Netflix is bringing entertainment to the heart of Chiang Mai, transforming Tha Phae Gate into a lively hub of water festivities and star appearances. Running from 11–15 April 2026, the “Songkran: Enjoy Thai Content to the Fullest on Netflix” activation features a vibrant booth and parade around the city moat, alongside appearances by Nattawin Wattanagitiphat, Chakelyn Muench, Arak Amorns … Continued

MAYA Hosts Major Songkran Festival, Aiming for Global Recognition

Sun 12th Apr

MAYA Lifestyle Shopping Center, in collaboration with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Chang Phueak Municipality, and private partners, has launched the “SF and SINGHA LIFE Present SINGHA SUMMER CLUB SONGKRAN FESTIVAL 2026” — one of Chiang Mai’s largest Songkran concert celebrations. Held at MAYA Square from April 11–15, the festival brings together top Thai artists including INDIGO, GETSUNOVA, … Continued

Chiang Mai’s moat comes alive ahead of Songkran

Sun 12th Apr

Residents and tourists have begun gathering along Chiang Mai’s moat to splash water and beat the heat, even before the festival’s official start — and crowds are expected to swell further this evening. Although today, 12th April, marks Wan Long Fai, the lead-in day to Songkran — or the Chiang Mai New Year, Pee Mai Mueang Chiang Mai 2026 — large numbers of people have already taken to the streets w … Continued

Monday 13th Songkran schedule

Sun 12th Apr

Songkran 2026 activities in Chiang Mai city, 13th April Processions 1. 8am — The Mae Ying Riding Bicycles with Parasols procession departs from Buddhasatarn and concludes at Tha Pae Gate. 2. 2.09pm — The Phra Buddha Sihing and Sacred Buddha Images procession forms at Nawarat Bridge and proceeds along Tha Pae Road to Ratchadamnoen Road.   Water celebrations 1. 8.30–10am — Opening ceremony of “Sard … Continued

Anantara Chiang Mai Resort Unveils The Mae On – Mae Ping Atelier Afternoon Tea, a Celebration of Northern Terroir, Cacao Craftsmanship and Creative Expression

Sun 12th Apr

Anantara Chiang Mai Resort introduces The Mae On – Mae Ping Atelier Afternoon Tea, a refined culinary journey crafted in collaboration with Skugga Estate, celebrating single-origin cacao grown in Mae On, located approximately 40 minutes east of Chiang Mai city. Rooted in the timeless British afternoon tea ritual, the experience draws inspiration from the resort’s heritage as the former British Con … Continued

Chiang Mai bus terminal sees Songkran crowds arriving 

Sat 11th Apr

Chiang Mai’s Bus Arcade Bus Terminal began seeing increased foot traffic on the afternoon of 10th April, as the Songkran festival approaches. Travellers heading home for the holiday mingled with tourists arriving to join the celebrations, though the terminal remained far from overwhelmed. Passengers with luggage were seen queuing at ticket counters and waiting to board coaches, but the atmosphere … Continued

Over 100 firefighters and two helicopters deployed as wildfire breaks out 500 metres from Doi Suthep temple

Sat 11th Apr

Five separate wildfires broke out within Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, with flames advancing towards the front of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and the octagonal pavilion to the east — a meditation retreat used by foreign practitioners. The Conservation Area Administration Office Region 16 mounted an urgent response, mobilising more than 100 personnel drawn from the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park unit, P … Continued

Jing Jai Central Creative District refreshes its Atsadathon Road space

Sat 11th Apr

Jing Jai Central Creative District has unveiled a refreshed layout at its Atsadathon Road site, just outside the city centre, reorganising the space into three distinct zones. Jing Jai Village retains its Lanna-influenced architecture set within mature greenery, with dining, leisure and dedicated areas for artists to exhibit and create. The long-running Style Walls feature continues to draw visiti … Continued

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