Chiang Mai’s Warorot Market Transforms for Chinese New Year Festival

Chiang mai: The Chinese New Year festival in Chiang Mai has transformed the area around Warorot Market into a vibrant Chinatown for the year 2026. The event features beautifully decorated auspicious arches in traditional Chinese style, drawing large numbers of Thai and foreign tourists. According to Thai News Agency, Chiang Mai Municipality is organizing the event to preserve Chinese-Thai culture, promote tourism, and stimulate the city's economy. This year's event, themed the Year of the Golden Horse, will take place from February 17th to 18th in the Lao Choo Alley area, Chang Moi Road, and Wichayanon Road. The festivities commenced with a grand lion dance parade, which moved from Tha Pae Gate to the event stage, marking the official opening of the Chiang Mai Chinatown Chinese New Year Festival. The event includes a memorial booth honoring Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, and a booth offering worship at the shrine of Caishen, the God of Wealth, where blessed gold leaf is distributed for good fo rtune. Highlights of the event include cultural performances such as dragon pole climbing, fire-breathing pole climbing, and lion dance on plum blossom poles. The festival also features the Mr. and Miss Chinatown Chiang Mai 2026 pageant, and a Chinese-Thai cooking competition showcasing the flavors of both cultures. The area has been transformed into Chiang Mai's Chinatown with a display of auspicious horses and a brightly lit yellow lantern tunnel, named "Auspicious Sky-Passing Lanterns for Chinese New Year" and "Moon Lanterns of Faith for Chinese New Year," providing ample photo opportunities for tourists. Many Chiang Mai residents of Chinese descent, along with Thai and foreign tourists, are seen taking pictures, with young women and children dressed in red dresses, cheongsams, and contemporary Chinese attire. Numerous food stalls offering a variety of Thai and Chinese cuisine are available for tourists to enjoy. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Chiang Mai office anticipates at least 200,000 Thai and foreign tourists will visit, generating over 1.2 billion baht in revenue during the five-day period from February 14-18. They expect continued brisk activity from Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year until the end of the month, particularly from Chinese tourists. Statistics from Chiang Mai Airport indicate an increase of over 180 special and charter flights from China and Taiwan throughout February, reflecting renewed confidence among Chinese tourists and contributing to the growth of northern Thailand's tourism economy.