Loy Krathong 2026: the date, where to go, and how to float a krathong

Loy Krathong 2026 is on Tuesday 24 November, the full moon of the 12th Thai lunar month. After dark, people float decorated baskets called krathongs on rivers, canals and park lakes. In Chiang Mai it runs alongside Yi Peng, the lantern festival, on 24 and 25 November, and the mass sky lantern releases are ticketed events outside the city.

We checked everything below on 21 October 2026, against the sources linked in each section. Some 2026 programs weren't out yet. Where that's so, we give what happened in 2025.

When is Loy Krathong 2026?

Loy Krathong falls on Tuesday 24 November 2026. It's held on the full moon of the 12th Thai lunar month, so the date moves every year, usually within November. In 2025 it was 5 November.

Some travel sites and AI summaries say the 25th. Thai calendars say the 24th. Thai PBS's 2026 calendar marks Tuesday 24 November as the 15th waxing day of the 12th month, Loy Krathong day. Chiang Mai's lantern nights are set for the 24th and 25th, and events already on sale use the 24th, such as Shangri-La Bangkok's riverside evening.

What is Loy Krathong, and how is Yi Peng different?

A krathong is a small float: traditionally a slice of banana trunk wrapped in banana leaves, with flowers, a candle and three incense sticks. Loy means to float. Many Thais float one to thank Phra Mae Khongkha, the goddess of water, and to let go of anger and bad luck, as Wikipedia sums it up.

Yi Peng is the northern Thai (Lanna) festival on the same full moon, and its symbol is the khom loi, a paper lantern sent up into the sky. Chiang Mai celebrates both at once.

You'll hear that it all began with Nang Noppamas, a lady at the Sukhothai court 700 years ago. Nice story. Historians think it was probably written in the early 1800s.

Where can you float a krathong in Bangkok?

You have three choices in Bangkok: the Chao Phraya riverside, the lakes in public parks, or a riverside hotel's own evening. The river is the classic picture and the most crowded. The parks are calmer and much easier to leave.

The river. In 2025 the Bangkok River Festival ran at nine piers from Wat Pho to ICONSIAM, including Wat Arun, Tha Maharaj and Asiatique. The 2026 list wasn't out on 21 October. Expect the same stretch of river, packed once it's dark.

Park lakes. In 2025 the city opened 33 public parks until midnight, among them Lumphini, Benjakitti, Benchasiri, Chatuchak and Rot Fai (Time Out has the full list). The rules: no sky lanterns, fireworks, firecrackers or alcohol sales, no foam krathongs, and one krathong per family. Bread was discouraged too, since a park pond is closed water. Lumphini sits by the MRT at Lumphini and Si Lom, and Benjakitti by Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.

Hotels. Riverside hotels sell dinner with a krathong and a view, like the Shangri-La evening above. Easy with small children, and you pay for it.

Where should you go in Chiang Mai for Loy Krathong and Yi Peng?

Chiang Mai's free festival is in the old city and on the Ping River. Candles line the moat, Tha Phae Gate has the stages, people float krathongs from the riverbanks, and giant krathongs parade down Tha Phae Road. The mass sky lantern releases are separate, ticketed events outside the city.

This year's festival runs 23 to 25 November, with the grand procession of giant krathongs on Wednesday the 25th, the night after Loy Krathong. Some travel sites say 24 to 26; the city's own dates are the ones above. In 2025 it followed the same pattern, 4 to 6 November around Tha Phae Gate and the Mae Kha canal, with 31 giant krathongs in the procession. The full 2026 program, with stage times and road closures, wasn't out on 21 October.

To float your own, go to the Ping around Nawarat Bridge. Visit Thailand Today suggests arriving by about 5pm on the 24th, and warns the steps get slippery. The Night Bazaar is a short walk away, so dinner fits in too: our Chiang Mai night markets post has the hours.

Can you release a sky lantern in Chiang Mai?

Not in the city, and not without a permit anywhere. On 20 October 2026 the province set this year's rules, Chiang Mai News reported. Sky lanterns and fireworks are allowed only on 24 and 25 November, from 7pm to 1am, at approved spots, by people who applied through the Bampen (บำเพ็ญ) app. Smoke lanterns are allowed only on the 24th, from 10am to noon. The area around the airport is a no-release zone.

In 2025 the banned zones covered parts of six districts, the city district included, and the penalty went up to five years in prison, a 200,000 baht fine, or both (Thai PBS Verify). Street vendors will still sell you a lantern. Lighting it in the old city is the expensive part.

Which Yi Peng 2026 lantern releases are free, and which need tickets?

Yi Peng 2026 falls on 24 and 25 November. The free mass release at Mae Jo that made it famous no longer runs, and the sky full of lanterns in the photos now comes from ticketed events outside town. Two are on sale for both nights:

• CAD Khomloy in Mae On, east of the city: 4,900 to 15,900 baht on its ticket site, with transfer from town, a Lanna buffet, two lanterns and a krathong. Release at about 8:15pm.
• Sky of Wishes in San Pa Tong, south-west of the city: 3,900 to 14,900 baht, three lanterns each, gates at 3pm.

Tickets for both are non-refundable, and the 24th sells out first. Several sites call themselves the official CAD seller, so compare the same tier and night before you pay. The moat candles, the stages and the procession in town are all free.

Will Yi Peng affect flights to Chiang Mai?

Probably. In 2025 the airport moved its last departure to 7pm to keep planes clear of the lanterns. By 31 October, 65 flights were cancelled and 96 rescheduled, and 44 extra flights were added after the festival, Khaosod English reported. No 2026 changes were announced by 21 October. Avoid evening flights on 24 and 25 November, and check with your airline that week.

Is Sukhothai worth it for Loy Krathong?

If you want the old-fashioned version, yes. Sukhothai holds its festival among the ruins of Sukhothai Historical Park from 15 to 24 November 2026. The light-and-sound show starts at 7pm, with an extra show at 8:30pm on the 24th, and tickets are 500, 900 or 1,200 baht (Thailand.go.th). Visit Thailand Today says they sell through the festival's LINE account, @ST2026. It's far from Bangkok, so make it a trip of its own.

Where to go for Loy Krathong 2026, city by city

The Phuket spots are from Phuket 101 and the Pattaya rules from Pattaya Mail. Both cities post their 2026 plans nearer the date.

How do you float a krathong, step by step?

1. Get a krathong. Stalls near piers and park gates sell them on the day. Pick banana trunk if you can.
2. Check what's on it: a candle, three incense sticks and flowers. Some people add a small coin, or a snip of hair or fingernail, to let go of bad luck.
3. Go to the floating spot. Use the steps or platform set up for it, and nowhere else.
4. Light the candle and incense at the water's edge, back to the breeze.
5. Make a wish, or say thanks to the water. Nobody rushes this part.
6. Set it down gently and give it a small push. Don't throw it, and don't wade in if it tips.

At a temple pier like Wat Arun, cover your shoulders and knees. Our post on Thai etiquette has the rest.

Which krathong is best: banana trunk, bread or foam?

Banana trunk and leaves. They're natural and they rot. Bread breaks up in a few days and fish eat it, fine on a river but bad for a park pond. Foam doesn't break down, and Bangkok's parks banned it in 2025.

After the 2025 festival, Bangkok collected 391,027 krathongs from 110 spots: 82.76% natural, 10.01% bread and 7.23% foam, Pattaya Mail reported. That's about 24% fewer than the 514,590 of 2024.

Or share one. Two people floating one krathong together is completely normal.

Is Loy Krathong safe?

Mostly, yes. The risks are the usual ones for a big night out:

• Piers. If a floating pier looks overloaded, wait on land for the crowd to thin.
• Fireworks. Bangkok tightened its controls on fireworks, firecrackers and sky lanterns in 2025, but you'll still hear firecrackers in the streets. Give anyone with a lighter some room.
• Meeting up. Phone signal struggles in a dense crowd, so agree a meeting point first.
• Emergencies. Save the Tourist Police on 1155 and 1669 for a medical emergency.

How do you get home after Loy Krathong?

Plan it before you go. Loy Krathong isn't a public holiday, so the 24th is a normal Tuesday with normal train hours, and everyone leaves the water at once.

In Bangkok, the MRT usually stops at midnight, as Khaosod English noted when it ran late for New Year's Eve, and the BTS closes about the same time. Grab fares rise when more people are booking than there are drivers nearby, as Grab explains. That's every riverside pier at 10pm on Loy Krathong. Walk ten minutes from the river before you book, or take the train a few stops first.

In Chiang Mai there's no metro. The procession fills Tha Phae Road and the old city's traffic crawls, Grab cars included. Stay within walking distance of Tha Phae Gate or the river if you can, or walk a few streets out before you book.

Who do Thais celebrate Loy Krathong with?

Family and friends. Parents bring the kids to the park, groups of friends meet at a pier, and lots of people float a krathong together. That's why the night can feel a bit flat on your own.

If you're in Thailand alone that week, a Thai friend from Rent Thai Friend can come along to your plan, whether it's a park lake in Bangkok or the riverbank in Chiang Mai. They know the custom, can sort out a krathong at the stall, and can phone the Grab driver in Thai when the car can't find you. Browse friends in Bangkok or Chiang Mai; each sets an hourly rate in credits, explained on our pricing page. New accounts are approved first, usually within a few hours, so sign up a few days before the 24th.

Questions people ask

Is Loy Krathong 2026 on 24 or 25 November?

Tuesday 24 November. Thai lunar calendars put the full moon of the 12th month on the 24th, and events in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Sukhothai are set for that night. Chiang Mai's festival carries on into the 25th.

What time does Loy Krathong start?

Floating starts after sunset, just before 6pm in late November, and goes on late. Bangkok's parks stayed open until midnight in 2025. In Chiang Mai, lanterns are allowed from 7pm, and the CAD release is at about 8:15pm.

Is Loy Krathong a public holiday in Thailand?

No. Offices, shops, banks and trains keep their normal hours, and most people celebrate after work.

Do you need a ticket to see the lanterns in Chiang Mai?

For a mass release, yes. CAD Khomloy in Mae On and Sky of Wishes in San Pa Tong both sell tickets for 24 and 25 November 2026, from 3,900 baht. The candles, stages, procession and krathong floating in the city are free.

What is the difference between Loy Krathong and Yi Peng?

Loy Krathong is the national festival of floating krathongs on water. Yi Peng is the northern Thai festival on the same full moon, known for sky lanterns. Chiang Mai celebrates both together, and in 2026 its lantern nights are 24 and 25 November.