Thanks a bunch to the author of this guest post who is a leading Bangkok florist who also parses the days contributing to a popular travel guide.He has been attending these festivals annually for the last six years.
For the last 25 years, Bangkok has been host to a yearly flower show, the likes of which are more often found in great European cities. The Bangkok Flower Carnival reached its peak last year on its 25th anniversary, when the show (dubbed the ‘Silver Jubilee Carnival) celebrated not only 25 years of successful shows, but also raising over 50 million baht for various charities. This amazing show is held annually in the Nai Lert park and around the grounds of the Swissotel.
History
The show was originally started all those years ago, by Thanpuying Lusakadi Sampatisiri who was the founder of the original Hilton hotel in Bangkok. Since those days, the hotel has changed hands but the show has lived on and grown from strength to strength. Mr Sampatisiri started the show as a way of raising money to help the poor people of Bangkok. Since that first show, the profits have gone to all sorts of good causes – providing everything from medical care for sick children to funding for environmental groups protecting mangrove forests on the coastline.
Silver Jubilee
The show itself has got bigger and bigger every year, and the Silver Jubilee show of 2011 was the biggest yet, with an estimated one million flowers! This 25th anniversary marked a landmark in cultural history, with the concept of giving the public a chance to plant trees. A foundation was handing out free tree saplings so that every visitor could take them home and plant a tree in their own garden. Even more significant was that these saplings were handed out in the historic heritage house in the Nai Lert park, a house which has never before been open to the public.
This wonderful event was only part of the offerings on display. Intricate, exotic flower displays covered the park, the grounds of the hotel and even the interior of the hotel!! There was a stunning underwater display right in the centre of the lobby and explosions of colour to be seen everywhere. Vendors were selling different flowers from across the world and there were even market stalls selling everything from traditional Thai clothing to traditional Thai vegetables!
Some of the other highlights from 2011 were flower arrangement competitions, including a spectacular miniature garden contest, some other more unusual competitions (the most striking of which was a “dog and owner matching fashion contest!), as well as amazing displays of nature from aquariums to animal shows.
As if that wasn’t enough there was all sorts of cultural displays on offer as well, showcasing everything from fortune tellers to musical talent.
Finally, being Thailand, there was an abundance of food on offer, with delicious local varieties being eaten alongside exotic foreign foods from around the world
2012 Show
This year’s show should be even bigger than the last and visitors will be treated to a wonderful show of international proportions. Expect all the treats of the Silver Jubilee show, plus many more new ones to add to the delights. Flower lovers and
