Bo Sang Umbrella and San Kamphaeng Handicrafts Festival

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Schedule : 18-20 January 2002

Venue : Ban Bo Sang, Tambon Ton Pao, Amphoe San Kamphaeng, Chiang Mai

Origin :
Ban Bo Sang is a village that makes umbrellas that are unique than other villages. Those made here are made of mulberry paper and silk. The umbrellas are brightly colored and show beautiful floral designs that are regarded as interesting local handicrafts. Foreigners call Bo Sang "the Umbrella Village." Umbrellas from Bo Sang have made Thailand famous in that they won the Best Souvenir Prize in the International Tourism Seminar held in Los Angeles, U.S.A. This clearly explains their popularity among Thais and foreigners.

Activities :
The festival is in the form of a "street fair" in which the central road of the village is used, with stores on both sides of the road, totaling around 1 kilometer from the entrance to the back of the village. Stores are decorated in the Lanna Thai style, most with the well-known umbrellas, as well as with traditional lanterns. In addition, there are contests, exhibitions, cultural performances, local entertainment, and assorted shows day and night.There is a grand procession decorated with umbrellas and local products, a variety of handicrafts for sale, northern-style Khan Tok meals, and the Miss Bo Sang pageant.

Nearby Tourist Spots :
- San Kamphaeng Hot Springs (San Kamphaeng)
	has a lovely flower garden, as well as mineral baths, accommodation, tent sites, and restaurants.
- Doi Suthep-Pui National Park (Muang)
	is the watershed of several waterways. It has verdant natural beauty and sacred and important religious and historical sites.
- Chiang Mai Cultural Center (Muang)
	is on Chiang Mai-Hang Dong road. It is the center of Lanna culture and arts. The compound has teak buildings with beautifully carved wooden doors and windows.
- Sao Inthakhin (Muang)
	is the city pillar when King Mengrai the Great built Chiang Mai in 1296.
- Villages in the Handicrafts Villages Development Project (Hang Dong)
	comprise the villages of Muang Kung and Kuan Han Kaeo that are famous for earthenware, Roi Chan that is famous for weaving lids in the Am pattern and Thawai that is renowned for making imitation antiques.

For more information, contact :
- Tambon Ton Pao Municipality.
	Tel. (053) 338048
- TAT Northern Region Office: Area 1 (Chiang Mai)
	Tel. (053) 248604, 248607, 241466, fax (053) 248605