Festivals and Celebrations

The Chiang Mai Flower Festival sees the northern city awash with flowers, as floral sculptures are paraded through the streets. This is a three-day festival held during the first weekend in February each year, this event occurs during the period when Chiang Mai's temperate and tropical flowers are in full bloom. The festivities include floral floats, parades, traditional dancing shows and a beauty contest.

Thai New Year, Songkhran, is an all out excuse for a good-natured national water fight, a variety of religious activities, parades and a Miss Songkran beauty competition are also part of the fun. This Chiang Mai festivity takes place in mid April.

Kanchanaburi holds the River Kwai Bridge festival around November at the bridge made famous by Japanese wartime atrocities. There are many more varied parades throughout the year..

Loi Kratong or Yi Peng is held on a full-moon night in November. Thousands of people sail homemade floating banana-leaf containers decorated with flowers and candles to worship the Goddess of Water. Lanna lanterns are lit, as these are believed to help rid the locals of troubles.