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The Elegant Flower Festival

Next to Songkran in April and Loy Krathong in November, the Flower Festival (3rd – 5th February) is perhaps one of the most spectacular annual Chiang Mai events and definitely not to be missed.

Over thirty years ago, Chiang Mai City was facing tremendous changes in the name of modernization. Some of the people were concerned that this would eventually ’uglify’ Chiang Mai, and since the Northern Capital has long been known as the ‘Rose of the North’, they tried restoring Chiang Mai’s centuries-old charm by planting flowers, orchids, shrubs and blossoming trees throughout the city. Then in 1977, Chiang Mai Provincial Administration office in cooperation with other public and private organizations including the Chiang Mai City Municipality and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, joined hands to organize the 1st Chiang Mai Flower Week, from 6th – 12th February. In 1978 this was redated and changed to the Flower Festival, and the period reduced to 3 days. In effect the festival has been held ever since on the first Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of February each year.

This year, the provincial authority, as the responsible agency for making all this happen, confirms that they will maintain the 30- year-long tradition as fully as possible, with only minor adjustments. Consequently, from 8 o’clock on Feb. 4th the main procession of gloriously-decorated floats will open the festival by parading from the Nawarat Bridge over the Ping River to Buakhaat Park at the south-west corner of the city moat, where the inauguration of the festival will officially and with all due pomp take place.

This is a joyful parade full of creative, extraordinary - if not out of this world - use of flowers to decorate the floats by many public and private organizations from all around Chiang Mai and beyond. The Tourism Authority of Thailand Northern Region 1, for example, will also take part this year by offering two cars decorated in the form of elegant Royal Barges to mark its worldwide campaign for 2006 - Thailand Grand Invitation: designed to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of His Majesty’s Accession to the Throne. Well, it’s a rare chance to see a barge floating on the streets of Chiang Mai, isn’t it? But will it get the TAT Office prizes for the most creative or beautiful decorated entries? We’ll have to wait and see.

Another highlight of this outstanding event is the beauty pageant contests, for Ms Flower Bloom and Ms International Flower Bloom. As the titles suggest, the first is for Thai entrants and the second for farangs. It’s said that the Ms Flower Bloom ladies will not be wearing traditional costumes this year but are urged to create their costumes from ‘flowers’ instead. On the other hand, the participant Eves in the International Flower Bloom Beauty Contest will be seen in traditional Lanna costume. Innovative or what? This will be something you don’t want to miss, and you can see it at Buakhaat Park on Friday 3rd.

But this is only mentioning the main events. Also not to be missed are floral exhibitions and decorations on the streets, a local products fair, and flower photos and painting contests. Most of the major activities are held at Buakhaat Park, though the traditional market known as gaat mua will take place outside the Governor’s Residence at the Nawarat Bridge.

Altogether, an occasion not to be missed. And you don’t have to go to San Francisco to wear flowers in your hair, remember.