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Thailand’s festival scene has been on overdrive. Bigger crowds. Bigger noise. Bigger schedules. The kind of weekends that are fun, but also require a recovery period.
Marshmallow Restival is built for the opposite mood. A three-day ‘restival’ (yes, restival) designed around slowing down without dropping out. It takes place January 30-February 1 at Abonzo Yama Mitsu, a hilltop cafe about 10km from Chiang Rai city centre, with a setting that already does half the calming for you.
The idea is a new kind of reset, where rest is the point rather than the reward at the end. As the organisers put it, ‘Marshmallow Restival comes with the concept of the Art of Rest, introducing a new resting experience - not stopping, just pausing.’
The anti-burnout festival
Post-Covid, events came roaring back with a vengeance. New festivals landed every month, the crowds got bigger, the queues got longer, and a fun weekend away started to feel like a full-body workout. Marshmallow Restival is the intended antidote: a festival that still delivers music and atmosphere, but without leaving you depleted.
The event is organised by Meaning Maker, a new Bangkok-based creative collective of filmmakers, artists, curators and story crafters dedicated to ‘crafting meaning and curating memories’. They describe the post-Covid boom in festivals as something people needed, but also something that came at a cost. ‘After the pandemic, people eagerly needed interaction at concerts, festivals, events and exhibitions.’ But the comeback came with chaos attached. ‘Those seemed to consume much of our energy with the amount of people and loud sound.’
Instead, Marshmallow leans into a slower pace. Rest isn’t treated as downtime, but the main event. ‘Marshmallow is not a festival or a retreat, but a soul rhythm of intentional rest where you can spark joy and contemplation in a much needed era.’
Music, crafts and soft chaos
Don’t confuse ‘rest’ with boring. Marshmallow still brings the goods. The music lineup includes Friday, P.O.P and ETC., along with Marshmallow Symphony Orchestra and local bands. It’s a feel-good mix for sure.
But this isn’t a festival that expects you to camp at one stage all day. The schedule is meant for wandering. Float between sets. Take breaks without feeling like you’re missing the point. That’s the point.
Workshops and tastings run throughout the weekend, including coffee cupping, tea cupping, wine tasting and cocktail mixology. There are hands-on creative sessions too, like postcard writing in calligraphy plus photo activities if you want to document the weekend in a slower, more intentional way.
One of the nicest touches is the ‘bookshop on the hill’ curated by Passport Bookshop, because nothing says nervous system repair like browsing titles with a view. There’s also a workshop called ‘scent of rest’, which tells you everything you need to know about the vibe: soft and sensory.
Time to head North
Marshmallow Restival is for anyone who wants a weekend that doesn’t leave them wrecked. Less rushing. Less noise. Just a smooth, gentle rhythm, in a setting that does what cities can’t.
1-day pass from B1,990, VIP pass (for 4) B12,490. Reserve via Ticketmelon. Marshmallow Restival. Abonzo Yama Mitsu, Chiang Rai. January 30-February 1.