Bo Sang Umbrella Village

Bo Sang is the umbrella village of Chiang Mai, about 9 km east of the city on the San Kamphaeng handicraft road. It’s famous for handmade parasols of sa (mulberry) paper, stretched over bamboo frames and hand-painted with the floral designs the village is known for. You can watch the whole craft for free at the Umbrella Making Centre (open roughly 08:30–17:00), and if you come in mid-January the quiet village erupts into one of the north’s most colourful festivals.

What to see

At the workshops you can follow every stage — splitting and assembling the bamboo ribs, stretching the paper or fabric over the frame, and the hand-painting that gives each umbrella its pattern. Most workshops welcome visitors and sell directly, and the painters will decorate a phone case, bag or your own item in a few minutes for a small fee. Shops along the road stock umbrellas from tabletop size to garden parasols, alongside other Northern Thai handicrafts.

Insider Tip: Have a painter decorate something you’ll actually use — a phone case or a tote — rather than buying a parasol that’s awkward to fly home. It’s cheap, quick, and a better souvenir than a mass-made one.

The Umbrella Festival

Around the third weekend of January (16–18 January in 2026), Bo Sang holds the Bo Sang Umbrella & San Kamphaeng Handicrafts Festival. The main street becomes a tunnel of hanging parasols and lanterns, artisans demonstrate their work, and the signature “beauty on a bicycle” parade sees women in Lanna dress cycle through carrying umbrellas. It’s worth timing a Chiang Mai trip around if you can.

Watch out: On an ordinary day this is a working craft village, not a theme park — it’s low-key, and the main draw is the workshops rather than a big attraction. Ask before photographing artisans at work.

The San Kamphaeng hot springs are further along the same road for an easy add-on.

Bo Sang Umbrella Village is at Ton Pao, San Kamphaeng District, Chiang Mai 50130. View on Google Maps.