The Chiang Mai Flower Festival is one of northern Thailand’s most celebrated annual events, transforming the city into a vibrant display of colour, fragrance, and creativity.
Held each year in early February, the festival marks the peak of the cool season when flowers across the region are in full bloom, making Chiang Mai especially picturesque.
Chiang Mai Flower Festival 2027 Dates & Parade Route Info
The heart of the festival is the flower parade, which features elaborately decorated floats covered in fresh orchids, roses, chrysanthemums, and tropical blooms. These moving works of art travel through the city streets, accompanied by traditional Lanna dancers, marching bands, and performers in colourful regional costumes. The parade is a major highlight for visitors and photographers, offering a lively blend of culture and horticultural artistry.A central gathering point for the festival is Suan Buak Hat Park, where expansive floral displays, landscaped gardens, and competition exhibits are set up. Here, local growers showcase rare plants, bonsai trees, and ornamental arrangements, many competing for awards judged on creativity and cultivation skill. The park becomes a relaxed, family-friendly space where visitors can stroll among flower beds, take photos, and enjoy the festive atmosphere throughout the weekend.
Beyond the flowers themselves, the Chiang Mai Flower Festival celebrates the region’s strong connection to agriculture and craftsmanship. Cultural performances, folk music, and dance are held alongside the displays, highlighting northern Thailand’s traditions.
Local food stalls and small markets add to the experience, offering northern Thai dishes, snacks, and floral souvenirs such as potted plants and handmade crafts.
The festival also features the Flower Festival Queen contest, a popular event that adds glamour and pageantry. Contestants represent local districts and communities, wearing elegant attire inspired by floral themes and Lanna heritage. This element reflects the community pride woven throughout the celebrations.
The Chiang Mai Flower Festival is ideal for travellers seeking a seasonal, culturally rich event that showcases the city at its most beautiful. With its mix of art, nature, and tradition, the festival offers a refreshing contrast to temple visits and night markets.
Easily accessible and welcoming to all ages, it remains a highlight of Chiang Mai’s cultural calendar and a memorable way to experience the charm of northern Thailand in bloom.
Chiang Mai Flower Festival Event Schedule
The Chiang Mai Flower Festival typically runs over three days, from Friday to Sunday, offering a full weekend of colour, culture, and community celebrations across Chiang Mai. While exact timings can vary each year, the overall structure of the festival remains largely consistent.
Friday – Opening Day
The festival officially begins on Friday morning with opening ceremonies, setting the tone for the weekend ahead.
From early in the day, visitors can start exploring the extensive floral displays and themed exhibitions throughout Suan Buak Hat Park.
As the day unfolds, the park hosts a variety of local music and dance performances, along with smaller competitions in flower arrangement, gardening skills, and ornamental plant design.
Friday is often the calmest day, making it ideal for unhurried exploration and photography.
Saturday – Parade Day
Saturday is the most anticipated day of the festival, highlighted by the grand flower parade, which usually begins in the morning. Lavishly decorated floats covered in thousands of fresh flowers travel through key city streets, including Tha Pae Road, accompanied by marching bands, traditional dancers, drummers, and community groups.
After judging, the winning floats are announced. Many of the floats are then parked near Nawarat Bridge, allowing visitors to view them up close for the rest of the day.
Sunday – Closing Day
The final day continues with floral exhibitions and plant sales at Suan Buak Hat Park, alongside ongoing cultural performances and family-friendly activities.
Sunday offers a more relaxed atmosphere, perfect for browsing stalls, enjoying performances, and revisiting favourite displays.
The festival gradually winds down in the evening with informal closing activities.
Workshops, Seminars, and Side Events
Throughout the festival, a range of workshops and seminars are often held, catering to both casual visitors and gardening enthusiasts. These may include floral arrangement workshops showcasing traditional Thai and contemporary styles, gardening seminars focused on sustainable and organic practices, and landscape design sessions led by local professionals.
Photography workshops are sometimes offered to help visitors capture the vibrant displays, while environmental education talks highlight biodiversity, conservation, and eco-friendly plant care.
Sessions on plant health and natural pest management are also common.
Combined with handicraft markets, food stalls serving Thai cuisine, and hands-on activities, the Chiang Mai Flower Festival offers something for everyone, from dedicated horticulturalists to families seeking a colourful cultural outing.
The Flower Festival Grounds at Suan Buak Haad Public Park
The main exhibition site for the Chiang Mai Flower Festival is Suan Buak Haad Public Park, also known locally as Nong Buak Haad. The park is easy to locate at the southwest corner of the Old City, just inside the moat.
Throughout most of the year, it’s a peaceful green space with shaded walking paths and a small bridge crossing a central pond. During the festival, however, the park is completely transformed.
For three days, Suan Buak Haad becomes a breathtaking tapestry of floral and agricultural artistry. Carefully designed displays showcase both traditional and experimental arrangements, creating a vivid explosion of colour, texture, and creativity.
February marks the end of the cool season and the height of blooming for many local flower varieties, including a wide selection of Chiang Mai–grown orchids. The festive spirit isn’t limited to the park itself; many residents and shopkeepers around the city join in by decorating their homes and storefronts with flower displays.
Throughout the festival, judging panels tour the grounds to assess the exhibits and eventually select winners across multiple categories. The street adjacent to the park is closed to traffic and lined with stalls selling flowers, plants, seeds, and bulbs, making it a popular stop for gardening enthusiasts.
The festival grounds are open daily from 9:00 am to midnight throughout the event.
The Chiang Mai Flower Festival Parade
The festival’s main spectacle is its iconic street parade, held on Saturday, starting around 9:00 am.
The procession moves at a leisurely pace and pauses frequently, allowing spectators plenty of time to admire the floats. Securing a viewing spot along the city moat by around 10:00 am ensures you’ll see the parade in full.
Approximately 25 elaborate flower floats take part, each lavishly decorated with thousands of fresh flowers, petals, and plants. These are interspersed with marching bands, traditional dancers, performers, and school groups.
Many floats reflect Buddhist symbolism and classic Chiang Mai themes, including strikingly colourful elephant figures. Each float competes in an annual judging competition.
Parade Route
The parade assembles along Charoen Muang Road, stretching from the railway station to Nawarat Bridge.
It then crosses the bridge, continues along Tha Phae Road, and turns left at Tha Phae Gate to follow the moat.
The route finishes at Suan Buak Haad Public Park, where the floats remain on display after the parade concludes.
Prize Ceremony and Queen of the Festival Contest
Once the parade ends, celebrations continue at the festival grounds with a grand stage show. This includes the official prize ceremony for the flower displays and parade floats, as well as theatrical performances inspired by Buddhist stories.
While much of the program is presented in Thai, English introductions are also provided.
A major highlight is the Queen of the Chiang Mai Flower Festival contest. Many contestants are first seen atop the parade floats, before taking part in a stage performance showcasing traditional dance, elegance, and cultural pride.
Festivities continue late into the evening, with food stalls and refreshments available throughout the grounds.
Altogether, the Chiang Mai Flower Festival is the city at its most vibrant – proudly displaying its artistry, traditions, and natural beauty, and once again living up to its beloved title as the “Rose of the North.”
Will it be on the first weekend for February 2020? We would love to plan a trip next year!
Hi Viviene,
It doesn’t appear that a date has been confirmed for next year just yet.
Some other sites report that the dates are February 7 – 9, 2020, but this is just an estimation based on the timing of previous years.
I’ll add any new details when they become available.
Thanks
Michael
Hi michael,
Can you confirm the dates for this? And where will it be held next year? Is it available now? If possible please advice the accomodation that near to the festival too. Because i need to book the flight n accomodation. Tq
Hi Nadia,
I have searched the internet and Facebook and there really seems to be no official event or source on both Google and Facebook. All of the other websites similar to mine all are going off the hypothetical dates of the festival occurring on the first weekend of the year like it has done many of the previous years.
I do check these details at least once a month, and more closer to the event, so ill be sure to add any new details as they become available.
As for where the location is, the majority of the festival is held at the Nong Buak Haad Public Park at the south-west of the old city – with the parade around the moat and down Thapae Road to the Ping River.
As for accommodation, anywhere near the southern end of the old city would be best, as this will allow you to walk to the event and not have to resort to using taxis or red trucks.
Thanks
Michael
Would like suggestions for good hotel on or near flower festival parade rout?
Hi Jerry,
Looking at the route of the parade at the following link https://chiangmaibest.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Parade-route-for-Chiang-Mai-Flower-Festival-960×576.jpg, i would advise to stay near either near Tha Phae Gate or the South Gate of the old city.
Now i don’t know what your budgets or requirements are, but there isn’t much accommodation along the parade route (aside from hotels and guest houses), as the majority of the buildings along the parade route are businesses.
So most of the hotels / resorts will be within the old city or just outside the moat on the south side, or near Loi Kroh Rd / Tha Phae Rd.
I would advise using the link below to booking.com and then set your requirements and then look at their locations on the map view:
https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6776&awinaffid=254929&clickref=chiangmai–question&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booking.com%2Fdistrict%2Fth%2Fchiang-mai%2Fchiang-mai-old-town.html.
Thanks
Michael
Why it’s almost impossible to know where are the places of dances and music, during flower festival?
I don’t understand why it’s so difficult for thai tourist office to publish that kinf of informations
I am tourist, I appreciate that festival and every time the same problem of information; it’s pity !!
Hi Gerard,
Unlike western countries that you may be used to, Thailand isn’t accustomed to publishing schedules or programs for these type of events. It is best to travel to Thailand with an open mind and open schedule. I suggest that you ask at your hotel for recent updates and follow the crowds.
Best regards,
Jess
What time does the parade begin? How early should we plan to be at the parade route?
We want to watch Saturdays parade, you mention a lot of roads are closed. Where is a good place to park, so we could walk in?
Hi Christine,
If you are driving a car, I would avoid driving into the Old City at all. If you are using a scooter, you can still get in nice and close as you can pretty much park anywhere in Chiang Mai, as long as you are not blocking a driveway.
Alternatively, get an Uber from your hotel, as the driver will be able to drop you off and then collect you afterwards. Not sure which roads are closed, Chiang Mai isn’t that organised where they publish this information in advance. You just have to wing it on the day!
Have a wonderful time at the Chiang Mai Flower Festival.
Jess
When is the best time to visit Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai?
May through to September we can travel.
We like to experience the true area not just the tourist places.
Thank you.
Hi Pauline,
September is a great time to visit Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. The hot season starts to slow down in around June/July, so September will give you cool evenings whilst still being hot and sunny during the day.
Best regards,
Jess