What better way to spend a rainy evening in Chiang Mai than to watch a traditional Khantoke dinner show? We went to the Old Chiang Mai Cultural Center, where the very first ever Khantoke show was created in 1970. This show is all about the Lanna culture of Northern Thailand.
We took an Uber to get to the Old Chiang Mai Cultural Center, and we arrived well before the dinner show started. Being early allowed us to take some pictures of the beautiful center with its colourful lanterns and umbrellas.
Until this moment we had only visited touristic parts of Thailand, so we had no idea what to expect from the traditional Lanna dinner. I was a bit scared that the food would be too spicy for my taste, but apart from one spicy dish, the food was actually really good.Β
The food was served on a small round table with several dishes on it to share. Following the Lanna culture, we ate our dinner while sat on the floor. Despite the pillow, it did get a bit uncomfortable to sit on the floor after a while.
During our dinner, we were entertained with many different traditional Lanna dances. All the performers were dancing with a big smile on their face. I was very impressed with their beautiful and colourful costumes as well. The show felt very genuine and traditional, unlike some other dinner shows that are set up to get money out of tourists.
I would definitely recommend going to a Khantoke dinner show when in the North of Thailand. Just make sure to book your spots as it might sell out. We were able to make a reservation through our hotel reception just a few hours before the start of the show, but maybe that was just lucky.
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If you prefer to book your Khantoke Dinner experience in advance, check out Viator:Β
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