Loy Krathong and Yi Peng 2026: Where to Be and How to Plan It

The short answer

Loy Krathong 2026 is expected on the night of the full moon, Tuesday 24 November 2026. Thai festival dates follow the lunar calendar, and local events usually run for two or three evenings around the peak night. The date is the part to double-check: confirm it with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and your city's official festival announcement before you pay for anything non-refundable.

Which city should you choose? Go to Chiang Mai if you want the full spectacle and can accept crowds, closed roads and a long evening on your feet. Choose Bangkok if you want an easier festival with a river at its centre and no need to chase tickets. Whichever you pick, book flights now and choose hotel rooms with free cancellation, because the best-placed rooms in Chiang Mai fill early and prices around the full moon rise.

Loy Krathong and Yi Peng are not the same thing

Most visitors mix these up, and the difference decides what you book.

Loy Krathong is a nationwide festival held on the full-moon night of the twelfth lunar month. People float a krathong, a small raft traditionally made from a banana-trunk slice, folded banana leaf and flowers, with a candle and incense. It is an offering to the water spirits and a way of letting go of grudges and bad luck. It is public. You can join in at a riverbank, a pond, a moat or a hotel pool across the country, and no ticket is needed.

Yi Peng is a Lanna festival from northern Thailand, centred on Chiang Mai. It falls on the same full moon, but it is a separate tradition: the release of khom loi, rice-paper lanterns carried up by hot air, as merit-making. In Chiang Mai, the festival also brings hanging lanterns, lit temples and processions through the Old City. The large mass lantern releases are often organised, ticketed events held away from the centre. Some people are fine with that. Others expect a spontaneous scene and are disappointed.

Chiang Mai on the festival night: what it is really like

The good part is real. The Old City is a square of moat and old walls, and for these evenings its temples, gates and bridges are hung with lanterns. Krathong are floated from the moat banks and along the Ping River, candles drift away on dark water, and the smell of incense and fried street food hangs in the air. It is lovely when you are standing in it.

The unflattering part is just as real:

• Crowds. The city fills with Thai visitors and international travellers. Riverside spots and the area around Tha Phae Gate can be shoulder-to-shoulder after dark.
• Traffic and closures. Roads around the Old City and river close or slow to a crawl. Getting a taxi or ride-hailing car at the wrong moment can be hard, so plan to walk and stay close.
• Rules on lanterns. Authorities regulate where and when lanterns can be released, partly because of the airport and partly because of fire risk. Do not assume you can launch one from your hotel's rooftop.
• Litter and noise. Fireworks and firecrackers go off for several nights, and spent lanterns come down in fields and trees afterwards.

Spotting a staged package

Some 'lantern festival' packages are staged for tourists. They sell a private or semi-private lantern release in a field, often with a set dinner, at a time that does not match the actual festival. The photographs are beautiful, but the experience is a show.

That is not automatically bad. It can be a reasonable choice if you know what you are buying. Ask these questions:

• Does it run on the real full-moon night, or on any evening of the week?
• Is it the ticketed Yi Peng event, or a tourist-only release?
• How long is the transfer, and how long do you spend there?
• Is anything included that you would otherwise do for free, such as floating a krathong?

If the seller cannot answer clearly, treat it as a staged show and decide on that basis.

A better way to build the Chiang Mai days

The festival is an evening event, so use the daytime for slower things. Two options are worth considering, both easiest on the days before or after the peak night.

A morning in the Old City temples

The temples are the setting for the festival, so seeing them calm and by daylight gives the lantern-lit version context. The Chiang Mai Old City Temples Walk with a Local Guide takes about three hours on foot. It is a shared small-group tour of up to 15 guests. You meet your guide at the entrance to Wat Chedi Luang, whose great 14th-to-15th-century stupa remains massive even in its partly ruined state. You then move to the dark teak hall of Wat Phan Tao and finish at Wat Phra Singh with its mosaic-covered sanctuary. The guide covers the history of the Lanna kingdom and how Buddhism shapes daily life.

Know before you book: temple entrance fees are paid in cash and are not included, and hotel pickup is not included either, but the Old City is walkable. These are working temples, so cover your shoulders and knees. Our guide to Thailand temple etiquette and dress code explains the rest. On the festival days, expect decorations going up and the area getting busier through the afternoon. I would do the walk in the morning and rest before the evening.

A cooking class, in the morning or at lunch

If you want a daytime plan that is nothing to do with crowds, the Chiang Mai Thai Cooking Class with Market and Herb Garden is a calm four hours. It is also a shared small-group tour of up to 15 guests. You are collected from your hotel, visit a local market, walk through a family kitchen garden, then cook a soup, a stir-fry, a hand-pounded curry paste with a chicken and coconut curry, and mango with sticky rice, and eat it in the garden. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal versions are available, and you receive a digital recipe book.

Sessions start at 08:30, 11:00, 13:30 and 16:30. On the festival night, choose the 08:30 or 11:00 session. The 16:30 class runs about four hours, so it would swallow the evening you came for. For more on the cuisine, see our Thai food guide.

Bangkok: the river on festival night

Bangkok's Loy Krathong is a river story. The Chao Phraya is the city's main watercourse, and on the night, riverside parks, temples, hotels and malls hold their own events, with krathong sold at the water's edge. It is less theatrical than Chiang Mai, but easier to manage, and you can float a krathong without a ticket or a long transfer.

To see the river after dark, the Chao Phraya River Dinner Cruise in Bangkok with Buffet and Show runs for two hours. It is a shared small-group tour of up to 15 guests. You pass ICONSIAM, Wat Arun and the Rama VIII Bridge while eating an international buffet, with live music and a Thai dance show on board. An English-speaking Helios guide stays with you, and a vegetarian set menu can be prepared if you ask in advance.

I want to be clear about what it is. It is a dinner cruise, not a Loy Krathong event, and it does not include floating a krathong. Check-in at the pier closes at 19:50, alcohol is not included, and when the river is high the captain may change the route, so Wat Arun is not guaranteed on every sailing. Confirm availability for your exact date, because river traffic on the festival night can be heavier than usual. It suits you best if you want a seated, comfortable view of the lit-up river, rather than a place at the water's edge.

For a lighter evening on another night, the Bangkok Evening Tuk Tuk Tour with Chinatown Street Food is a three-hour shared small-group tour of up to 15 guests through old Bangkok. It stops at Loha Prasat, passes the Democracy Monument, and visits Wat Suthat and the Giant Swing. You then taste street food around Yaowarat Road and walk through the flower market. Hotel pickup and the return to your hotel are not included, and it is not suitable for children under five. For the day side of the city, our Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun guide will help.

Which city should you choose?

Planning checklist for late November

• Flights and rooms now. Choose free-cancellation rates, and stay inside or beside the Old City if you can. A 15-minute walk beats any taxi that night.
• Arrive a day or two early. A full-moon night is a bad time to arrive jet-lagged.
• Weather. Late November is the start of the cooler, drier season. Chiang Mai evenings can feel pleasantly cool, so bring a light layer. See our month-by-month guide to Thailand and the Thailand packing guide.
• Choose a biodegradable krathong. Banana trunk, leaves and flowers are right. Foam and plastic are not.
• Keep your belongings close. Crowds attract pickpockets. Our Thailand safety guide covers the usual scams.
• Add buffer days. If you are building a longer trip, our two-week Thailand itinerary shows how to fit Chiang Mai and Bangkok together, and day trips from Chiang Mai fill the quieter days.

Loy Krathong 2026 FAQ

What is the Loy Krathong 2026 date?

It is expected on the full-moon night of Tuesday 24 November 2026, with celebrations often lasting a couple of evenings around it. Because the date follows the Thai lunar calendar, confirm it with the Tourism Authority of Thailand or your city's festival announcement before booking non-refundable travel.

Is Yi Peng the same as Loy Krathong?

No. They fall on the same full moon, but Loy Krathong is a nationwide festival of floating offerings on water, open to everyone. Yi Peng is a Lanna tradition of releasing lanterns, centred on Chiang Mai, and its large releases are often ticketed events.

Do I need a ticket to see Yi Peng in Chiang Mai?

Not to enjoy the festival itself. The lit-up Old City, the moat and the river are open to everyone, and you can float a krathong without a ticket. The big organised lantern releases are the part that usually needs one. Check whether a package runs on the real full-moon night.

Is Chiang Mai too crowded on Loy Krathong?

It is very crowded around the Old City and the river in the evening, and traffic is heavy. Staying within walking distance, doing sightseeing and cooking in the morning, and arriving at the water early make it manageable.

Can I see Loy Krathong in Bangkok instead?

Yes. Riverside parks, temples and hotels hold events, and krathong are sold near the water. It is easier than Chiang Mai but less spectacular, and it does not have Yi Peng's lantern atmosphere.