A continuous twenty-four-hour wholesale flower market on the bank of the Chao Phraya River in the historic Phra Nakhon district of central Bangkok, Pak Khlong Talat is one of the largest single flower markets in South-East Asia and the principal wholesale flower distribution hub for the entire Thai central region. The market has been operating in various forms on the same general site continuously for more than two hundred years and provides the principal supply of fresh-cut flowers to florists, hotels, temples and private buyers across the wider Bangkok metropolitan area. The market takes its Thai name from the older small canal or khlong that originally ran from the Chao Phraya River through the centre of the district to the wider canal network of the eastern districts. The original market began as a small floating market on the canal during the late eighteenth century, with traders arriving on small flat-bottomed Thai boats from the surrounding agricultural districts to sell fresh produce, fish and the various standard rural products. The canal was progressively filled in during the early twentieth century, with the market transitioning to its current land-based arrangement around 1961. The current market specialises principally in fresh-cut flowers and ornamental plants. The principal categories include locally grown Thai roses, the famous Thai marigolds used in the various Thai Buddhist temple offerings and traditional wedding garlands, the wide selection of orchid species grown in the northern Chiang Mai and Lampang districts of Thailand, the various tropical and temperate lily varieties imported from Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, and a substantial selection of cut tropical foliage from the various plant nurseries of the wider central Thai region. The market operates on a continuous twenty-four-hour cycle, with the busiest hours typically running between two and six in the morning when most of the principal wholesale transactions are completed. The arrival of fresh stock from the various provincial farms and the international airport runs from around midnight through to around four in the morning, with the wholesale florists arriving to purchase the days requirements between three and seven in the morning before transporting the goods back to their various retail shops across the wider city. A substantial parallel retail section operates from around six in the morning until around six in the evening for the general public. The retail section includes around four hundred small individual stalls covering both fresh-cut flowers for personal use and the various traditional Thai religious flower offerings including the famous jasmine garlands, the marigold offerings and the various lotus arrangements used in the standard Buddhist temple worship. The market is one of the principal sources of fresh flowers for tourists wishing to make offerings at the various central Bangkok temples.

Type: Market / Mall

Address: Chak Phet Road, Bangkok, Thailand