Colorful Indonesian Umbrellas Adorn Chiang Mai, FESPIN XIII Officially Launched

A sister festival collaboration between the Indonesian Umbrella Festival, WPAP Community, and Sankhampaeng Culture Center was held at the 41st Bo Sang Umbrella Festival, marking the official launch of the 13th Indonesian Umbrella Festival (FESPIN) – Catra Padi 2026.

Colorful umbrellas featuring Indonesian graphic art designs enlivened the 41st Bo Sang Umbrella Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Through this sister festival collaboration, the Indonesian Umbrella Festival (FESPIN), together with the WPAP Community and Sankhampaeng Culture Center, presented a series of events titled WPAP Umbrella Show & Exhibition on January 16-18, 2026, which also marked the official launch of the Indonesian Umbrella Festival (FESPIN) XIII – Catra Padi 2026.

This collaboration serves as a culture exchange between Indonesia and Thailand through the art of umbrellas and contemporary graphic art. At Thailand's oldest umbrella festival, FESPIN presents Wedha's Pop Art Portrait (WPAP), an iconic Indonesian graphic art style incorporated into umbrella artworks and showcased through a parade and open exhibition for international audiences.

The inauguration was marked by the WPAP Umbrella Parade held on January 16, 2026, at the Bo Sang Intersection area. The parade featured artists, communities, and young people carrying WPAP umbrellas as symbols of creativity, cultural dialogue, and cross-border friendship. On this occasion, the Indonesian Umbrella Festival vandel was also presented to the Governor of Chiang Mai at the opening of the festival, as a symbol of strengthening cultural networks between Indonesia and Thailand.

During the three days of the event, the exhibition was complemented by the Indonesian Umbrella Festival Photography Exhibition, which displayed documentation of the journey, values, and people behind the FESPIN event. In addition, the public was also invited to participate in the Batik Patchwork Umbrella Workshop and WPAP Umbrella Street Fashion, held on January 17-18, 2026, combining elements of tradition, sustainability, and contemporary artistic expression.

This collaboration not only becomes an international stage for Indonesian umbrella art, but also affirms the Indonesian Umbrella Festival's position as an accessible, collaborative, and sustainable cultural platform. The launch of FESPIN XIII – Catra Padi 2026 in Chiang Mai is the first step towards holding the festival in Indonesia, driven by a spirit of cultural exchange and expanding global networks.

Through this sister festival, the umbrellas are presented as an art medium and a storyteller, uniting tradition, creativity, and international relations in one cultural celebration.

By , Alisa Noory