12 ways to do Valentine’s differently in Chiang Mai

Jing Jai Market turns Valentine’s into a multi-day playground that shifts from afternoon shopping to open-air cinema. The Valentine Sweet Nights programme on February 12-13 brings outdoor screenings, live painting and hands-on workshops for making photo frames, keyrings, collage cards and ceramic jewellery, with stalls full of handmade gifts for last-minute romantics. Films roll from 6pm with Frozen and Encanto on the first night, followed by Tangled and Anyone But You on the second.

Running alongside is the Rose Garden market – this one’s from February 12-15 – filling the other half of the market with growers and floral showcases built around a dedicated rose farm zone. Browse blooms from Jira Rose Nursery, Little Forest, Family Rose Garden and CNX Rose Garden, buy a stem or two for your loved one and sign them up to a talk session or workshop so they can make their own next year.

Feb 12-15. Jing Jai Market. Valentine Sweet Nights, 4pm-10pm. Rose Garden market 10am-7pm (6.30am-3pm on the weekend)

Inside Nimman Mai? Design Hotel, Lobbyist is a brand new speakeasy-style bar that puts tarot at the centre of its special Valentine’s nights. The experience combines a personal love reading for 2026, a signature cocktail and two ritual pours, served before and after the cards.

If you’ve not been yet, the Lobbyist is a winner for those more intimate moments, following a subtle story of Silk Road storytelling.The evenings are capped at 25 readings to keep the room small and intimate, closer to a guided encounter than a party. 

Feb 13-14. B790 early bird, B1,190 regular. Lobbyist Bar, Nimman Mai? Design Hotel. 8pm-late

Kalm Village hosts the Chiang Mai chapter of CHALANT with an evening built around live performance and Hmong textile collaboration. Tokyo-born Ainu Japanese artist Elle Shimada presents Lullaby for the River in My Body alongside Thai-Australian violinist Kim Suree Williamson, with traditional Thai dancer Nui Power Yoga joining the stage.

The programme draws on the Kalm Village textile archives and new works created with artisans from Hmong village Pha Chang Noi in Phayao, directed by lead artist Daorueng Sae Yang. Art film projections shot at Phayao lake by Pordee Studio frame the night, which begins with a short talk before the performance moves into a more open, communal rhythm.

Feb 14. Free. Kalm Village. 6.30pm onwards

The infamous Museum of Broken Relationships proposes a radical idea for the February season – write to the one person who still replies to your texts at 2am, aka  yourself. 

The campaign turns the gallery into a slow, slightly sentimental post office where visitors pick up a postcard, unload a few honest thoughts and trust the museum to mail it back one year later when today’s drama has hopefully aged into wisdom.

The package includes museum entry and a postcard with mailing service, with extra cards available for anyone who has more than one personality to negotiate with. It is less roses-and-teddy-bears and more gentle self-intervention, surrounded by exhibits that prove heartbreak can be strangely entertaining from a safe distance.

Feb 14-28. B200 per person. Museum of Broken Relationships. 10am-10pm

Look Inside Bar turns Valentine’s into a neighbourhood game night with a sense of humour. The afternoon starts gently with coffee and acoustic sets, then drifts into cocktails, DJs and a series of activities that feel half school fair, half first-date experiment.

The Secret Match puzzle pairs strangers at random, a blindfolded piñata invites questionable life choices and the messy love corner provides canvases for anyone who believes feelings are best expressed with paint on a plaster tray. There is also ‘Cupid’s Shot’ – an anonymous drink delivery service for those too shy to make the first move and a trivia round where newly formed teams (or couples, here’s hoping) can win small bragging rights for B20 a head.

Feb 14. Free. Look Inside Bar. 2pm-midnight

Sometimes, Valentine’s day expectations get the better of us all and a dinner is the only thing that’ll make your loved one happy. Luckily, you can double down at Palette (the exquisite restaurant at 137 Pillars House) for a long, unhurried meal built for conversation rather than quick courses. The menu opens with a trio of toasted baguette topped with Parma ham, fig and strawberry with cream cheese and honey, followed by a silky prawn bisque and a rose and lychee sorbet to reset the palate.

Mains offer a choice between roasted Angus beef with seasonal vegetables, 12-hour potato and red wine jus, or pan-roasted snow fish brightened with lemon and capers. And, to keep things ‘different’ enough for this list, they bring a small piece of theatre to the table with a chocolate dome melted tableside to reveal hidden heart-shaped chocolates. If that doesn’t sweeten the deal, what could? 

Feb 14. B3,500 per couple. Palette Restaurant, 137 Pillars House Chiang Mai. 12pm-2pm and 6pm-10.30pm

If you’re a little ADHD and can’t settle for one spot, the 49th Chiang Mai Flower Festival may just be the answer. Returning with its annual burst of petals, parades and polite traffic chaos, spilling well beyond the old city walls. Suan Buak Haad in the old city becomes the heart of the weekend with elaborate floral displays, competition beds and rows of exotic temperate blooms, with stages, markets and pop-up gardens appearing across surrounding neighbourhoods.

The headline moment arrives on Saturday morning when the grand flower parade sets off from Nawarat Bridge after an official opening ceremony around 8am. Floats drift along Thapae Road to Thapae Gate before circling the moat clockwise toward the park, accompanied by marching bands, dancers and a very serious amount of chrysanthemum architecture. Best viewing is along the parade route in the morning, then at Suan Buak Haad where the floats remain on display through the weekend.

Feb 13-15. Free Nawarat Bridge, Thapae Road, Suan Buak Haad and citywide locations. Parade 8am, Feb 14

Simple Pleasures Cafe turns Valentine’s into an easygoing afternoon of live blues and home-style cooking in a rustic garden setting. The music begins with Jade before Pii Nui from Mojo Cafe takes over for the late set.

Guest chef Shan Shan cooks a South Indian menu for the day with three offerings – beef curry with rice and papadams, steamed fish with rice or a semolina pancake filled with roasted potato – served with two chutneys and lentil curry. Every plate finishes with a honey yoghurt dessert brightened with orange zest and pomegranate.

The cafe will also serve their regular menu, including signature sandwiches on Judith’s sourdough and a small line-up of homemade sweets. Bookings are open, but walk-ins are welcome.

Simple Pleasures Cafe, Choeng Doi, Doi Saket. February 14, 10am-5pm, live music 3pm-5pm

Swap roses for something more hands-on with a Valentine’s Day double bill at attika Studio Cafe & Gallery. Start the morning blending your own signature fragrance in a beginner-friendly perfume workshop, then return after lunch to try your hand at linocut printmaking – carving, inking and printing your own design. Both sessions are relaxed, creative and ideal for first-timers, whether you’re coming solo or pairing up for something a little different.

Feb 14. B690 (perfume) and B590 (lino cut), B1,200 for both. attika Studio Cafe & Gallery. 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm

The longstanding legends at Adam’s Apple are, unsparingly, going all out for Valentine’s with a full night of romance, fun, dazzling performances and enough drink specials to shake a pantyhose to. As usual, the club is packed with the biggest party animals of the city (both on and off the stage) with interactive shows that are a fit for couples, friends or singles looking for something a little more spicy. 

Feb 14. Free. Adam’s Apple Club. 9pm onwards

We all know Valentine’s can be as sad as it can be joyous. If you’re in the former camp and would rather not be surrounded by couples heavy-petting every chance they get, then Moment’s Notice has you covered with a night dedicated to heartbreak. Jazzy ballads and bittersweet melodies are on the cards, performed live by the Young Brothers – perfect for those with a preference for remorse and realisation rather than love and revelry. No regrats and all that jazz. 

Feb 14. Free. Moment’s Notice Jazz Club.

Touted as a ‘12-hour dance ritual’ starting the eve of Saturday, this Chiang Dao ‘festival’ serves up a ludicrous dose of techno, house, minimal beats, breaks and electro, delivered by eight DJs and a few live acts in the deep depths of Tiger Jungle Art Camp. The scale, setting and stamina required put it firmly in alternative-festival territory (especially for Valentine’s weekend), and an absolute night to remember for any party-head partner you may want to share it with. Sure, it’s a big commitment, but at least you get to save on booking any accommodation as you’ll not be sleeping at all. 

Feb 14. B400 early bird, B800 at the door (20+ only). Tickets here. Tiger Jungle Art Camp, Chiang Dao. Midnight-midday the following day

Marking Valentine’s weekend with something a little more reflective, The Love Pros gathers 14 artists for an intimate exhibition devoted to the many shades of love – from vulnerability and affection to desire and quiet self-awareness. Spanning painting, small-scale sculpture, mixed media and photography, the works feel personal yet universal, offering lived experiences rather than tidy conclusions. An opening night performance by Foon sets the tone for a show that’s less about perfection and more about the ongoing practice of loving – thoughtfully, honestly and without possession.

Feb 14-April 30. Free. Little Shelter Hotel. 10am-6pm (Opening reception Feb 14, 6pm)