Every year on the first Friday, Saturday and Sunday of February, in the beautiful city of Thailand, Chiang Mai (called the rose of the north), the most beautiful flower festival (Chiang Mai Flower Festival) is held, the end of which we managed to catch. But even just a walk along the evening streets of the city, originally decorated with magnificent flowers, made a very strong impression..
I'll make a reservation right away, the most interesting thing in the flower festival (parade) we simply slept through ignorance and due to a lack of understanding of specific Thai English. We clarified in advance when it will be, but did not understand that it turns out that it passes in the morning, and not in the evening.
Therefore, we headed straight to Suan Buak Hart Park. We walked along the canal along the western side of the square, and suddenly the street suddenly turned into a teeming and pushing mass of people, and at the edges suddenly various stands with plants and extraordinary flowers of Thailand. Whether they were for sale, or simply were put on display to a crowded viewer, we did not understand. A lot of orchids, different colors, sizes and shapes! Hairy cacti smiled, hooked on miniature bonsai trees of various species and species. Well this is how old each of them is? I walked as if enchanted through this kingdom of colors, greenery and variety of forms!
Orchids at the Thailand Flower Festival
Sale of flowers at the festival
Shaggy hairy cactus
Bansai at the Thailand Flower Festival
Green counters at the festival of flowers
Green counters at the festival of flowers
Of course, the state of a real ram in the herd hindered my admiration a little, because there were so many people that sometimes the stream carried me away from the flower I liked even before I had time to admire it enough.
Yes, even from time to time there was a rather funny combination of smells, on one side of the street - flowers, and on the other - food. Opposite the greenery on display stretched an endless row of eedalens, offering all the goodies of Thailand, from fruits to ready-made meals and rolls. So, carried away by the flow of people forward, at least we were not afraid to stay hungry..
Making cane juice
Edalni at the Thailand Flower Festival
Suan Buak Hart itself was teeming with various food stalls and was no less crowded than the canal. And Thais were sitting on the grass on special rugs, which some enterprising businessmen had come up with to rent for 20 baht. Having pushed our way to the stage, we realized that we had already missed almost everything interesting. Judging by the sign, there was a competition «Miss flowers».
Carpets for hire in the park
Specially equipped places for photos
Thais love to be photographed so much!
Flower Festival of Thailand, in the park
We decided to leave the park back to the canal, and then a surprise awaited us: a string of huge machines, elegantly and skillfully decorated with various flowers, and sometimes vegetables and fruits, which were the main attraction of the flower festival parade in Chiang Mai in the morning..
Flower Festival of Thailand, parade carts
Flower Festival of Thailand, parade carts
Flower Festival of Thailand, flower mosaic
Flower Festival of Thailand, flower figures
Flower Festival of Thailand, flower figures
And this spectacle, I must say indescribable! In the course of simple tactile studies of these carts, it was revealed that the main relief of the car is made of foam plastic, into which various flowers are stuck with toothpicks one by one, making up in their many whole mosaic compositions of various subjects.
Chiang Mai Flower Festival, flower figures
Chiang Mai Flower Festival, Flower Mosaic
Chiang Mai Flower Festival, Flower Lantern
Flower Figure at Chiang Mai Flower Festival
Flower Cart, Chiang Mai Flower Festival
Flower Buddha, Chiang Mai Flower Festival
Chiang Mai Flower Festival
Watermelon and Melon Figures, Chiang Mai Flower Festival
Cars standing one after another are a fusion of natural fantasy of shapes and colors with the human fantasy of mosaic art! And this combination is amazing! I looked and only gasped, well, how beautiful the flowers of Thailand are, and how original they can be used. Although, of course, it was also very sad, because you understand that when the flower festival is over, all the withered decorations will be thrown somewhere in the trash.
Chiang Mai Flower Festival
Flower Cart at Chiang Mai Flower Festival
Flower cart from the inside
Flower cart from the inside
Speaking of garbage, we came back when the festival of flowers in Thailand was completely over and people gradually dispersed to their homes, and we wandered along an almost deserted street littered with mountains of garbage! And on the one hand, I am glad that it is mainly dumped in piles and packages, and tomorrow it will definitely be removed, but on the other hand, its quantity and composition (plastic and bags, bags and plastic) is very depressing..
Garbage after the Chiang Mai Flower Festival
But the spectacle of mountains of garbage could not overshadow the impressions of the outlandish flowers of Thailand and picturesquely decorated cars seen. They say they are run by no less colorful Thai beauties, so if we find ourselves in Chiang Mai next February, we will definitely wake up on time and get to this colorful parade of the flower festival.
Chiang Mai Flower Festival
Chiang Mai Flower Festival
Chiang Mai Flower Festival
Useful information about the flower festival in Thailand:
If you don’t want to clap at the parade at the flower festival in Chiang Mai just like we do, you should know that it starts early in the morning at 8 o'clock (and sometimes they write that at 9 o'clock, they overslept, so we don’t know ourselves).
Chiang Mai Flower Parade Route: it lines up in the east of the city on Charoen Muang Road (all the way from the railway station to the Nawarat Bridge) and begins its procession along Tha Pae Road to the square (Tha Pae Gate), turns left and moves around the canal to Suan Buak Haad Park in the southwest corner of the square.
If you are going to visit Chiang Mai and are looking for accommodation, I remind you that we have review of 22 guesthouses in Chiang Mai. If you want to search for accommodation on your own in the area of this beach, it is most convenient to do this on RoomGuru (service for searching and comparing prices for hotels in different booking systems)
During its leisurely movement, the flower festival parade stops many times to give an opportunity to see all the beauties and take great photos.
