The main venue for shopping in Chiang Mai, indeed all of Thailand, the night bazaar is a can’t-miss part of the Chiang Mai experience. Ground zero of this nightly commerce bomb is located at the intersection of Chang Khlan Road and Loi Khro Road but the whole thing spreads out for two blocks in either direction. Set up time is around sunset (usually about 18:00) and shopping goes on unabated until about 22:30 with a few vendors remaining open even later.

A good way to check out the whole thing is to start at Tha Phae Road and work your way south towards Loi Khro. Once you reach the end of the market, cross the street and work your way back along the other side. Don’t forget to peek down the little sois (alleyways) and arcades along the way. If you see something you like you might want to be patient-there are hundreds of vendors and an absolute flood of products for sale.

The night bazaar consists of countless stalls packed along the sidewalks and spilling out into the street. Here you can find vendors selling almost anything you can think of. The selection is simply staggering and items on offer include CDs, DVDs, clothes, shoes, Thai silk, handicrafts, purses, wallets, watches, video games, luggage, housewares, furniture, statues of aliens made from auto parts, spices, souvenirs, samurai swords, art, jewellery, silver, antiques, and a hundred other species of knick-knack and goo-gah that defy categorization. Quality varies from vendor to vendor but low prices mean you almost always get good value for your money.

The best goods on offer here are usually clothes, from hand-tailored Thai silk to the latest ‘designer’ fashions to the ubiquitous Red Bull and “Same Same But Different” t-shirts. Another big draw for visitors is the huge selection of cheap CDs and DVDs. When buying music or movies make sure you test the disc before buying. The quality of the copies is sometimes abysmally low, especially for the newest movies (i.e. ones that are still in theatres). Most CD and DVD vendors will have a player set up so you can check out the merchandise before making a purchase.

Most of the stalls sell pretty much the same things as other vendors in the bazaar (one sarong starts to look a lot like all the rest after a while) but keep a sharp eye out-you can find some really unique treasures if you look hard enough. Some vendors will have a small shop or storeroom with further wares if you don’t see what you want on display.

For a step up in the quality (and price) of goods, try out the two level, purpose-built Viang Ping Night Bazaar, near Tha Phae Road. The handicrafts here are more authentic, the clothes are more durable and the fabrics are of better quality. Although there are plenty of specialist markets and shops in Chiang Mai, the night bazaar is a great cross-section of everything the city has to offer.

Apart from shopping, both the Sunday and Saturday Walking Streets serve as a venue for all kinds of local events, from dance recitals to beauty pageants and the sois (lanes) on either side of the main road feature stages and performance spaces, while the intersections act as informal venues for all kinds of street performers-musicians, puppeteers and even soccer virtuosos. As you stroll down the jam-packed streets, you will get a full exposure to a wealth of traditional and modern Chiang Mai culture all in one visit.

In some ways this is the best part of the Flower Festival. The Flower Festival Parade starts on Saturday morning. The parade lines up along Charoen Muang Road, all the way up from the Nawarat Bridge to the train station. At 8am the parade begins to move. After passing the viewing stand the parade moves up Tha Pae Road to Tha Pae Gate and then turns left and follows the moat round to Suan Buak Haad. The parade moves very slowly, and stops frequently, so there is plenty of opportunity to take photographs of the gaily decorated floats, pretty girls, and colorful hill tribe people in their costumes. At these stops dancers in traditional costumes perform Thai dances. Those taking part in the parade hand out roses to the spectators lining the road.

Miss Chiang Mai Flower Festival

Most of the girls perched on top of the gaily decorated floats and carriages are candidates for the Miss Chiang Mai Flower Festival competition. By late afternoon the really serious part of the festival begins – choosing the Chiang Mai Flower Festival Queen. Loud rock music and a copious supply of beer help in the deliberations. The party goes on well into the evening until the Flower Festival Queen is chosen. The atmosphere here is relaxed and cheerful, and at this time of the year the nights are still cool and breezy, making for a very pleasant ambience.

             Throughout  90 days, Royal  Park  Rajapruek  will arrange  and  decorate garden with  beautiful  temperate  flowers  and  various  plants  from  the  Royal  Project  Foundation  which  are  spectacular  such  as  Tulip, Lily, Carnation, Begonia, Petunia, Blue  Hawaii, Dalia, Geranium, Hydrangea etc. These flowers  were  selected  from  special species  and  cultivated  on  high  mountain  of  Royal Project  where  has  cold  weather  for  growing perfect  flowers.  There  also have  promoting  tourism  activity  including   the Music  in  the  Garden  from  famous  singers  such  as  Dome-The  Star  8/ Hut-The Star 8/ Note-The Star 7 / Amp Saowaluck / Sumet and Pung / Lula / Koh Saxman / Ton – Kacha AF8 / Mai Muang, etc. Visitors can enjoy the Hill tribe cultural show, local musical show, students and communities show.  Furthermore, Royal  Park  Rajapruek  prepared  the special  activities  in  holiday  such  as  Christmas  celebration,  will have  Santa Claus  parade  hand  out  gifts  to  children, Countdown to  New Year  2013, Angel  and  Cupid  contest in  Valentine’s day, Silk  Fashion  show  and  Gala  Dinner, Lion  dance  in  Chinese  New Year  and Photo  contest,  etc.

The Entrance Fees are as the following: Thai Adult 50 Baht, Thai Children 25 Baht, Foreigner Adult 100 Baht, Foreigner Children 50 Baht, and Senior 60 years old or more, Government official, Students, College student 25 Baht, Tour Group of 40 persons or more 25 Baht and Royal Park Rajapruek Member Card 400 Baht for unlimited usage.

More  information  please  contact  053-114110-5  or update  the  activity  schedule  through 3 months at www.royalparkrajapruek.org

During the cool season, temperature ranges between 14°C and 25°C. How cold it is exactly depends on where you are, in the countryside temperature can get as low as 10°C, early morning and nights in the city will range about 15°C.

During the hot season, temperatures stay between 25°C and 40°C.

Raining season sees the temperatures hovering over 30°C. Heavy downpours and small drizzles can be expected throughout the day.

The best month to visit Chiang Mai will be February, when the weather is almost perfect.