Songkran in Chiang Mai: Places to Stay and Activities

Hello April! Hottest time of the year in Thailand, but should that stop you? No! Quite the opposite, in fact. It's the perfect time if you want to try something new, fun, and special--Songkran! Don't know what it is? Well, what it is is something superb for your Thailand holiday. Bring yourself, bring the kids. They are gonna love it.

Songkran what? You may know Songkran as the Water Festival. It's also the Thai New year which falls on 13 - 15 April every year, taking place in the hottest month in the year. To combat this, Thai people came up with a truly amazing yet simple way: water. A lot of water being thrown at each other. It's everyone's opportunity to play like kids and get away with it--of course other folks will be doing it to you too, but where's the fun if they don't? That's not all there is to Songkran and there are temple ceremonies you might want to join in, but the absolute highlight is surely the water-throwing. Rent a pickup and hop onto the back, grab a hose and water pistols, show up around the canals and go!

Okay, but where?  All of Thailand celebrate Songkran; the usual suspects like Bangkok, Pattaya and Hua Hin are some of them, but nowhere does it with the same enthusiasm as northerners. The hotspot, then, is Chiang Mai. For a start, Songkran in Chiang Mai kicks off fast. Should a weekend precede 13 - 15 April, you can expect it to begin as early as three or four days before the thirteenth and this is the case for Songkran 2011. The entire week, which is to say 8 - 15 April, is water-throwing all the time. 

Where do I stay during Songkran? When looking for Chiang Mai accommodation during Songkran, you might want to consider staying away from the concentrated activities. Around the Old City and the Night Bazaar, for example, is going to be packed throughout the day and if you don't want to get drenched while leaving or returning to your hotel, you don't want to stay around there. The ideal place to be, then, is the Chang Klan road some distance from the Night Bazaar: this four-star hotel, for instance, is as close to perfect as you can get. You can still reach the Night Bazaar and the Old City on foot (in 5 and 10 minutes respectively), there are pharmacies, a bank, and restaurants nearby, but you won't risk getting soaked 24/7. It's the best of every possible world. Book in advance, though, to ensure you get the best-value rates.

So what do I do? The entirety of Chiang Mai is fair game for Songkran fun and mischief, but the most concentrated spot is around the Old City, where the canals (no worries about dirty waters; they're cleaned just for the occasion) provide a convenient source of water. Everyone will be there and vendors will show up on the sidewalks to hawk protective plastic covers, colorful buckets, hoses and water pistols.