The time is fast approaching for this year's Citylife Garden Fair, now in it's third year at JJ Market. What started out nine years ago as a small gathering of with about a dozen tables on the grounds of the old Citylife office on Canal Road has grown into a major charity event with shopping, food, fun, entertainment -- a great day for the entire family. It starts at 10 am and runs thru 4 pm at the JJ Hobby Market near Kam Thiang Flower Market.

Pim, the editor of Citylife just emailed me with news of many generous donations and fun activities planned all day Saturday:

"Our wonderful friends and clients in Chiang Mai have kindly donated over 380,000 baht's worth of goodies for our upcoming Citylife Garden Fair (and counting...we are waiting for confirmation of up to another 50,000 baht's worth!) You can buy tickets (20 baht) for the tombola to win prizes, there will be a silent auction throughout the day and also live auctions at 11 am, 1 and 3 pm. Prizes include: 16 return plane tickets on Bangkok Airways, hotel nights, restaurants vouchers and spas from hotels such as Dhara Dhevi, Le Meridien, Rachamankha, 137 Pillars House, Central Duang Tawan and more, jewellery, Jungle Flight and Flight of the Gibbon...well, the list goes on! Come to our fair to snap up fabulous vouchers, gifts and deals for a steal...and your money ALL goes to charity."

Well done, to Khun Pim and her gang.

I hope a good few thousand folks go to enjoy this event - as absolutely no doubt they will.

It's an awful lot of work putting something like this together.

= Chapeau!

Best wishes but miserable location ID and no directions. If i can't find it on Google maps, it ain't there for me. Sorry.

Sorry, I was in a hurry when I did the OP.

Here's from JJ Market's website, a Google map and Google Streetview images:

http://jingjaichiangmai.com/index.php?page=map

And more detail of JJ Market itself, which is actually in several sections. The Garden Fair is in the JJ Hobby Market and not totally visible from the road. You'll be able to park in all sections of JJ Market.

Edited November 19, 201411 yr by NancyL

Still on for 2moro? And what a 'tombola'?

Still on for 2moro? And what a 'tombola'?

Tombola is a raffle which originates in Southern Italy and which is mostly played in Christmas time. Prizes are often only symbolic. With the Italian massive emigration of the 19th and 20th centuries, the game was exported abroad and it took different forms and names such as Bingo.

In the UK, a tombola is a raffle in which the prizes are already assigned to winning tickets before the start (typically all the winning tickets end with the same digit). Players pay for a ticket, which they then draw out from a hat, and can instantly see whether or not they have won a prize. Tombolas are popular at events such as coffee mornings, when it is expected that not all the players will be present at the end of the event.

In some other languages such as Bulgarian or Slovak, "Tombola" is a general word meaning raffle.

Best wishes but miserable location ID and no directions. If i can't find it on Google maps, it ain't there for me. Sorry.

Nice attitude Jobin...........no one to hold your hand ?............I'm sure you will be missed.

City Life and leader Pim do great work for the community ,hope its a howling success and well done Nancy for your imput.

Still on for 2moro? And what a 'tombola'?

Tombola is a raffle which originates in Southern Italy and which is mostly played in Christmas time. Prizes are often only symbolic. With the Italian massive emigration of the 19th and 20th centuries, the game was exported abroad and it took different forms and names such as Bingo.

In the UK, a tombola is a raffle in which the prizes are already assigned to winning tickets before the start (typically all the winning tickets end with the same digit). Players pay for a ticket, which they then draw out from a hat, and can instantly see whether or not they have won a prize. Tombolas are popular at events such as coffee mornings, when it is expected that not all the players will be present at the end of the event.

In some other languages such as Bulgarian or Slovak, "Tombola" is a general word meaning raffle.

Yup, the Citylife Garden Fair is definitely "ON" for tomorrow! 10 am to 5 pm.

Thanks, Quidnunc for the description of a "tombola". I didn't know what that word meant until I was asked to organize the tombola at this fair three years ago. Think of it as an "instant win raffle". Yes, some of the prizes are smaller, like 100 baht Gift Vouchers at Promenada Mall, Absolute Hair, Pern's Restaurant, Vava Frozen Yogurt. But, some are really nice, like a 1000 baht Gift Voucher for Chez Marco and U.N. Irish Pub; a 2-hr Segway tour, afternoon tea for two at Dhara Dhevi, etc. Plus, this year a nice enhancement. Even if you don't win, you can select a small consolation prize -- yes those are more on the lines of a "symbolic prize", like a cute teddy bear keychain from Krungthai Bank. But hey, you won't leave empty handed! Kids love to play the tombola because it's instant gratification.

Adults will want to check out the many items on offer in the Silent Auction and stick around for the Live Auctions that Pim has organized. I'm not involved in organizing those this year, so I don't know all the details, but I've heard something about 16 return tickets on Bangkok Air, hotel stays at 137 Pillars, Sala Lanna, Duangtawan (great way to accommodate your visitors!) and spa vouchers galore. I just looked at the Citylife Facebook and it seems Pim is still in action bringing in more items.

All funds raised in the tombola, live auction and silent auction will go to charity.

Come early to shop the vendors -- over 160, offering everything from bargains on second hand clothing and household items to local handicrafts to high-end designer goods. A wide selection of food and drink is available. Plus, various charities and organizations will be there to publicize the activities of their groups. And there's entertainment throughout the day. This section of JJ Market is a pleasant and shady with places to sit, chat and enjoy the day.

Come early and make a day of it!

Edited November 21, 201411 yr by NancyL

Just returned.

Good fun, good music, good food. Well worth going.

Turn first left after Tesco Lotus highway, about 500 metres on the left.

What a lovely day and a lovely market. The vibe was very nice, reminding me why I chose to live here. The music no doubt helped the vibe a lot. The band I heard was pretty good. In fact, I thought it was recorded music until I spotted the band. The food and bumping into people I hadn't seen for ages were the other highlights. Thank you, organizers, for putting this all together. I can't imagine how much work it must have been to convince everyone to show up, especially the kitchens of five star hotels. Please do it again next year, or next month

re

The music no doubt helped the vibe a lot. The band I heard was pretty good

and this woman singing with them was very good

dave2