Bo Sang Umbrella Festival, Thailand

Every third week in January, the Bo Sang Umbrella Festival brightens up the streets of this village 6 km from Chiang Mai with its colourful paper creations. The festivities start Friday night and go through to Sunday, with a parade, beauty pageant, market stalls, live music, games for the kids, and lots of photo ops. You’ll find plenty of artists painting the umbrellas and talented woman putting them together from scratch. You can even try your hand at painting a small umbrella for a couple bucks.

I got there mid-afternoon on Saturday. There wasn’t a whole lot going on yet. I had missed the morning beauty pageant where women rode bikes, holding their umbrellas, shading them from the sun. There was also a photo competition and cultural performances. I arrived as the vendors were setting up the market, so I wandered, checked out the official umbrella making studio, and planned which vendors I would eat from, one of my favourite activities!

Late afternoon the crowds started rolling in. A few curious farangs showed up, but it was largely a Thai crowd. This was the first market I’d been two that had a number of activities for kids. There was a section that was essentially a country fair for kids, with games, balloons and traditional snacks. Families were out in full force and it was wonderful to be a part of. People were relaxed and having fun, filling the air with mellow excitement.

My favourite area was the artists’ square. Several Thai artists painted umbrellas, posters and canvases, again bringing full into the light the captivating talent of the younger Thai generation. I’ve been astounded throughout all of Thailand with the work that is being produced. The mix of modern and traditional stylings and methods is producing some fabulous art around the country.

I stayed in the market until a few minutes to 7:00 pm. It was clear that things were just picking up, and I was told the party continued until 10:00 or 11:00 pm. If not for the possibility of missing my bus, I would have stayed later, checking out the cultural performances and enjoying the atmosphere.

To reach Bo Sang, I caught a local songthaew from Chinatown in Chiang Mai for 20 Baht. I had looked into getting a driver to take me and wait while I looked around, but I thought I could better spend 600 Baht. If you want to go this route, it’s easy to find someone willing to take you. Ask at your hotel or pop into one of the hundreds of independent travel agents dotting the city. If not, do Iike I did.

You will need to take a white songthaew, not one of the red ones. You ask the driver if he is going to Bo Sang until you find one that is. I got lucky on my first request. I also had the name of the festival in Thai on my phone, as not all the drivers speak English very well. Again, I got lucky with a driver that did. He dropped me off at the front gate of the festival, told me where to wait for the return bus (across the street), and that the last bus was at 7:00 pm-ish. Extremely helpful and friendly. Getting home was a bit more of an ordeal, but I was able to catch a songthaew back to the city for 30 Baht, then another 20 to take me to Tha Phea Gate. Pricing is somewhat random in Thailand!

Bo Sang Umbrella Festival Information

Where: Bo Sang, Thailand, 6 km east of Chiang Mai
How to Get There: flag a white songthaew, hire a driver, take a bus from the main bus terminal
Cost: nothing, but you’ll want to eat at the numerous food stalls
When: Friday-Sunday, third weekend in January