Blooming Sunflower Festival and Chiang Rai Flower Festival

 

Buatong Ban or Blooming Mexican Sunflower Festival is held in November, affording people the opportunity to see the sunflower fields, waterfalls and mist at Ban Hua Mae Kham, Amphoe Mae Fa Luang. There are also hilltribe performances.

                                

     Sunflowers have become a popular seasonal attraction in Lop Buri Province, lying 154 kilometers north of Bangkok. Each year, a large number of tourists, especially flower lovers, travel to this province to view vast fields of sunflowers in full bloom

Originally, Thai people grew sunflowers as decorative plants. Later, they extracted oil from sunflower seeds, which have also become a favorite snack for many. Today, the sunflower is regarded as a cash crop in Lop Buri. This crop is also grown in abundance in the nearby province of Saraburi. It can be grown in all climatic conditions. According to the Lop Buri Agriculture Office, sunflowers now cover 300,000 rai, or 12,000 acres, of farmland in Lop Buri

Chiang Rai Flower Festival
Chiang Mai Flower Festival 2nd - 4th February 2010- tbc (usually the first weekend in February)

Chiang Rai flower festival is held during the end of December to January every year. There are flower processions, flower gardens, Miss Thinn Thai Ngarm Contest and also the fair of agricultural products and the variety of flowers.

Chiang Saen, Mae Chan, and Doi Mae Salong are three substantially different places. Chiang Saen’s culture has been influenced by its collection of Buddhist scriptures and temples. It was once the provincial capital. Mae Chan’s name lies in its silver and tribal handicrafts. Once officially unrecognized by the Thai government, Doi Mae Salong is a Chinese KMT (Kuomintang) area renowned for its natural beauty and unique Yunnanese culture. Besides the Chinese 93rd Infantry of the Kuomintang, several other ethnic minorities have settled down in the region including the Tai Yai, Tai Lue, Tai Khoen and Tai Yuan

Chiang Mai is famous for having some truly beautiful flowers. Most bloom early in the year from January to February. Colorful flowers like African marigold, globe amaranth, orchids, Ban Chun, chrysanthemum, celosia, and assorted roses like Fa Mui and thin Uang Dok Lek. This is regarded as the most beautiful period of Chiang Mai.