Boon Rawd Farm Festival

[mistephenso]

Anyone looking for something to do over the next few days...!?

Well, Boon Rawd Farm are having a festival (of sorts) at Singha Park in Chiang Rai. Looks like there is quite a lot going on there (hot air balloons (although I'm not sure if people can ride in them), fairground rides and food-stalls) and it is on from the 13th - 17th Of November, from 11am to 10pm.

There are more details here if you can read Thai - if not, I'm sure the other half can help you out (assuming they are Thai )?

Friends of ours went last year (this year is the second year it is running) and said it was good fun! I'll be there on Saturday with the wife and daughter in tow, so keep an eye out for an exceptionally good looking 'farang' if you want to say hello!

Cheers,

M

P.S. And no, I have absolutely NO connection with Boon Rawd Farm or the Singha Corporation whatsoever - just passing on information that people may find helpful!?

[jdinasia]

If anyone needs something specific translated from this let me know.

[villagefarang]

I have to be in town today so may stop by to see how things are going.

Farm Festival on the Hill, Singha Park, Nov 13-17

The five-day festival includes a farm tour (from 10am-4pm), beer garden surrounded by hills, concert in a tea field, loy krathong celebration, market selling fresh produce and international restaurants. Concert tickets are available at the door. Don't miss Singha Mountain Bike Thailand Open 2013 on Nov 16th

Singha Park, Boon Rawd Farm, 99 Moo 1, Ban Mae Korn, Chiang Rai

Worth a visit anytime but even better when they put on an event.

[villagefarang]

If you haven't been there, Singha Park is a lovely place.

[villagefarang]

We are having a late lunch at their new restaurant and it's really nice here.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Thomaspaul]

How about tel;ling us how to get there from Thoeng

[villagefarang]

How about tel;ling us how to get there from Thoeng

It is on the map but one of the easier ways to get there would be to drive to the White Temple and turn right. At the end of that road you will be on the Old Chiang Mai Road where you will turn right, heading back into town. Rai Boon Rawd is on the left a few kilometers down the road and believe me, you will not miss it with all the cars and guards directing traffic.

[villagefarang]

Just a couple of quick photos from today.

[villagefarang]

I forgot to mention the fields of flowers.

[villagefarang]

There are also the beautiful curving lines of the tea plantation.

[toybits]

Edited November 16, 2013 by toybits

[villagefarang]

Check out Rai Boon Rawd FaceBook page for photos of the concerts, bike race and all the action.

[bobbyd1]

They also had Thailand's first 7k and 14k Obstacle fun run on the 17th. Great time had by all

[villagefarang]

Here is a little more information about Boon Rawd Farm from another thread in this forum.

Not exactly a community event but another good writeup in the Nation about Chiang Rai that doesn’t include drugs or murder. The article is copied below.

Singha plans agro-tourist site in Chiang Rai
Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn
The Nation
January 21, 2013 1:00 am
Singha Corporation will spend over Bt200 million this year in turning its 8,000-rai Boon Rawd Farm in Chiang Rai, which boasts extensive barley, tea and fruit plantations, into a tourist attraction and estate with 20 poolside villas worth Bt100 million.

At the end of last year the farm's name was changed to Singha Park to highlight the area as a new agro-tourism destination with a farm tour that is seeing 300-400 visitors a day in the trial stage. Attendance is expected to rise to about 1,000 by the next high season from November-February.
The 120-seat Phupirom restaurant will move into a nearby location within the farm and be expanded to 300 seats, while the old restaurant area will undergo a major facelift as a teahouse.
About a 30-minute drive from downtown Chiang Rai on Den Ha-Dong Mada Road, Singha Park is hard to miss thanks to the giant lion sculpture that guards its entrance. Established in 1983, the park grounds cover four districts of Chiang Rai and are home to a 2,600-rai rubber tree plantation, 600-rai tea plantation, 50-rai jujube orchard and 30-rai barley field. There are also gardens for strawberries, star fruit, mushrooms and salad vegetables.
Ittikorn Banjobdee, manager of the managing director's office, said last week that Singha tried to raise barley as a fermentable ingredient for its beer, but due to the short winter and unpredictable weather, the quality and quantity weren't satisfactory.
"What we produce now is used for malted drinks and health foods. The highest output of the farm today is oolong tea. Set up around 2003, our tea factory is the largest in Southeast Asia and can make about 15 tonnes of Chinese oolong Jin Xuan (oolong 12) tea a month and it all goes to Taiwan and China," he said.
The company is starting to penetrate the Middle East and European markets for its oolong tea.
"We are also planning to set up an agricultural educational centre at our farm to give visitors enriched knowledge about tea," he said
The company was promoting the agricultural industry at its park by commercialising fresh and processed fruits produced by the farm, such as jujubes, star fruits, mulberries and strawberries.
Last week the first 200-kilogram lot of fresh jujubes was shipped to Villa Supermarket for sale its Bangkok branches. The farm can produce about 25 tonnes of fresh jujube fruit per week.
"We have processed our fresh fruits into juices and jams and they are now selling at our farm under the Boon Rawd Farm brand. The processed products will be sold in other retail outlets in Chiang Rai and beyond," he said.
Singha Park was developed from the concept of Santi Bhirombhakdi, president of Singha Corporation, to make agriculture, nature and the community all co-exist. Santi also wants to make the farm a tourist magnet in Chiang Rai that everybody can access.
"We expect Singha Farm to increase its revenue of about Bt100 million last year up to Bt500 million-Bt600 million within three years, of which 60 per cent will come from tourism and 40 per cent from the agricultural business," he said.
Singha Farm employs about 500 workers, mostly locals from the province.

[Rotweiler]

We stopped there last Sunday. The restaurant was packed - but worth the wait. The food was very good; service excellent, prices - considering the venue - reasonable. Highly recommended (and while the posted pics are great, doesn't really do the area justice - it really is a beautiful).

[villagefarang]

Really glad to hear you liked the place as much as we do. Here is a picture of the restaurant for others to see.

[A1Str8]

I have been to that farm it's really beautiful and the restaurant on top is great.

[Rotweiler]

Popped over there again today (visitors from Canada) - it really is a nice spot.

One thing I should add - considering it is Singha's property, the beer prices are very desent descent decent ... reasonable. :-)

[Spaniel]

Wife and I will be driving to Chiang Rai next week and would like to see the farm. We will be driving north on route 1. How do we locate the farm?

[villagefarang]

It is located on the 1211 known as the old Chiang Mai Road. If you are coming from Chiang Mai you can turn on to the 1211 from the 118 or continue on to the White Temple on Highway 1 and turn left there. If you take the White Temple route you will need to turn right when you get to the 1211.

If you prefer maps I have it marked on my map of Chiang Rai. It is listed under "sites".

[Spaniel]

It is located on the 1211 known as the old Chiang Mai Road. If you are coming from Chiang Mai you can turn on to the 1211 from the 118 or continue on to the White Temple on Highway 1 and turn left there. If you take the White Temple route you will need to turn right when you get to the 1211.

If you prefer maps I have it marked on my map of Chiang Rai. It is listed under "sites".

Ok, I see route 1211 on my map. So it's located south of Chiang Rai city. We will be traveling north up route 1.