Last year’s festival. Photo: Kajornlert Hoksoonheng
From Jan 17-21, the Thailand Tourism Festival, the country’s largest domestic tourism fair, will take place at Lumpini Park from noon-10pm.
According to Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn, the five-day festival will boost domestic tourism, especially in the 55 provinces where the government has offered a tourism-tax rebate of 15,000 baht for accommodation, travel and food.
The annual event will present five villages through models of cultural landmarks and examples of cultural events from the five major regions of Thailand.
The North Zone will feature Lanna culture, a northern-style temple, royal projects, a botanical garden from Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden in Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim district, and the Kad Muan Jai food market.
The Central Village will boast traditional-style houses, temple fair, likay (musical folk drama), a floating market and traditional arts.
The Northeastern Village will showcase festivals such as Lai Rua Fai, a yearly illuminated boat procession to mark the end of Buddhist lent in Nakhon Phanom. There will also be local Isan food and travel routes to distinctive destinations, such as dinosaur-fossil sites and ruins of Khmer sanctuaries.
Tropical fruits will be the highlight of the East Village while the South Zone will feature handicrafts, food, street art and a photo exhibition of the three southernmost provinces.
Also, there will be the sale of famous street food in Bangkok, the Discover Thailand daily parade, concerts and traditional and contemporary performances.
Admission is free. Call the TAT Contact Centre at 1672.
Flora fair in Nakhon Pathom
From Jan 17-21, the Flora Fair will take place at Suvarnabhumi Orchid Garden in Kamphaeng Saen district, Nakhon Pathom province.
Visitors will be able to see flower floats; witness the contests of dendrobium, vanda, cattleya, oncidium and hybrid orchids; see and buy orchids; and learn about how to grow orchids from professional planters.
Contact the TAT Suphan Buri Office, which also oversees tourism marketing in Nakhon Pathom, via www.tatsuphan.net or at 035-525-867.
Parasol fair in Chiang Mai
From Jan 19-21, the Bo Sang Umbrella and San Kamphaeng Handicrafts Festival will be held at Bo Sang Village, Thailand’s most famous production source of saa (mulberry bark) paper umbrellas, in San Kamphaeng district, Chiang Mai.
During the three-day event, streets will be illuminated by lantern and hundreds of umbrellas will be hung from rafters and beams of houses and shops. Local villagers will compete to design and paint umbrellas. There will be concerts and a food fair.
A highlight will be the Bo Sang Beauty Pageant Bike Parade featuring beautiful women holding an umbrella in one hand and riding a bicycle.
Legend has it that a monk travelled to Myanmar, where he saw saa paper umbrellas that offered protection against sunlight and rain. He returned with the production technique and introduced the umbrella to elders of Bo Sang village who added their artistic skills to create a colourful yet practical umbrella. A handicraft co-operative was established in 1941. Today, Bo Sang umbrellas are made of various materials, including saa paper, silk and cotton fabrics.
Call the TAT Contact Centre at 1672.
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Bo Sang Umbrellas Festival.
