What's on in Chiang Rai, Thailand through the year

Peak crowds — Cool, dry season, Sea of mist at Phu Chi Fa

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Cool, dry season (1 Nov – 15 Feb (usually)), Sea of mist at Phu Chi Fa (1 Nov – 15 Feb (usually)), Wild Himalayan cherry (20 Dec – 15 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — Cool, dry season, Sea of mist at Phu Chi Fa

• Hazard

  Burning season

  1 Feb – 20 Apr · usuallySmoke season

  Field and forest fires in the valleys and across the border put Chiang Rai near the top of the world's air-quality charts most Marches. The hill viewpoints stop being viewpoints. Source ↗

Still on: Cool, dry season (1 Nov – 15 Feb (usually)), Sea of mist at Phu Chi Fa (1 Nov – 15 Feb (usually)), Wild Himalayan cherry (20 Dec – 15 Feb (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Burning season (1 Feb – 20 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Songkran, Long summer break in Thailand

• Festival

  Songkran

  13–15 AprWater-festival New YearCrowdedClosures

  Water in the streets around the clock tower for three days, and the northern habit of extending it either side. Buses and hotels are the hard part, not the party. Source ↗

Still on: Burning season (1 Feb – 20 Apr (usually))

Busy — Long summer break in Thailand, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in May.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in June.

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in July.

Quiet — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in August.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Busy — October semester break in Thailand, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Peak crowds — Cool, dry season, Sea of mist at Phu Chi Fa

• Season

  Cool, dry season

  1 Nov – 15 Feb · usuallyCrowded

  The one stretch worth planning around: clear mornings on the hill roads, cold enough at Doi Mae Salong for a jacket at dawn, and the province at its busiest.

• Nature

  Sea of mist at Phu Chi Fa

  1 Nov – 15 Feb · usuallyFog seasonCrowded

  Cloud fills the valley below the ridge overnight and burns off by nine, so the walk up is done in the dark. Weekends the viewpoint is shoulder to shoulder before sunrise. Source ↗

• Festival

  Loi Krathong

  5–30 Nov · usuallyMajor festival

  Floats onto the Kok river on the twelfth full moon; smaller than the Chiang Mai version and easier to be in the middle of. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Cool, dry season, Sea of mist at Phu Chi Fa

• Nature

  Wild Himalayan cherry

  20 Dec – 15 Feb · usuallyCherry blossom

  Thai sakura along the ridges at Doi Mae Salong and above Mae Fah Luang, pink for a fortnight somewhere in the window. The exact week moves with how cold December was. Source ↗

Still on: Cool, dry season (1 Nov – 15 Feb (usually)), Sea of mist at Phu Chi Fa (1 Nov – 15 Feb (usually))