The Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) is throwing a flower festival at the provincial government complex from November 27 to January 3, and it won’t cost anything to get in.
Called “Charming Chiang Mai Flower Festival”, the event is themed around the city’s 730-year history and its bid for World Heritage status. It is open daily from 7.30am to 11pm.
PAO president Pichai Lertpongadisorn said the aim is to make it a year-end fixture and to push Chiang Mai toward being a “Festival City”, a label the province has been reaching for lately.
The programme has four main parts. There is a cool-season flower garden with orchids, tulips and hydrangeas, which are not the sort of things that volunteer themselves in a Thai November, plus photo corners for anyone who needs them. After dark, a field of several hundred thousand lights will tell the story of the city. A water-screen show mixing lights, music and fireworks runs at 6.30pm, 7.30pm, 8.30pm and 9.30pm every night. And there is a food and music section called Lanna Gastronomy, with northern dishes, modern takes on them, well-known restaurants and a corner for OTOP and community products.
Maj Gen Yuttana Kaenchan, chief of Chiang Mai Provincial Police, said officers will work with other agencies on safety, traffic and help for Thai and foreign visitors. Anyone who has tried to park near the government complex on a busy weekend may want to take note of the traffic part.
