Loy Krathong and Yi Peng 2026: Dates and Plans

Loy Krathong is Thailand's festival of floating lights, held on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month of the traditional Thai lunar calendar. The short answer for 2026: calendar listings put it on Tuesday 24 November 2026, but we could not find an official Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) or Chiang Mai municipality programme yet, so this guide separates what is confirmed from what is expected, and tells you how to check before you pay for anything.

We checked the TAT website on 2026-10-16. Its events list held 12 upcoming events and none was a Loy Krathong or Yi Peng 2026 event, and its latest Loy Krathong article is the 2025 one. Many travel blogs state exact 2026 Yi Peng dates (some say 23-25 November, others 24-25) without citing an official source. They disagree, which is a good reason to wait for the official announcement.

What is confirmed and what is not

Two years of official TAT material show the pattern. In 2024 TAT listed Chiang Mai's Yi Peng Festival on 14-17 November, Bangkok's Delightful Colours of the River on 13-16 November and Sukhothai's festival from 8 to 18 November. In 2025 TAT listed Sukhothai from 27 October to 5 November, the Bangkok River Festival at nine piers on 3-5 November, Maha Loi Krathong at Ayutthaya on 2-6 November and Tak's Loi Krathong Sai on 2-5 November. The 2025 article also records that programmes were toned down during the national mourning period for Queen Sirikit, which shows organisers can change plans at short notice.

If 2026 follows that pattern, expect most big events to be centred on 22-26 November. That is our inference from the lunar date, not an announcement. Do not book non-refundable travel until the municipality or TAT confirms its own dates.

Loy Krathong and Yi Peng are not the same thing

Loy Krathong means floating a small vessel, a krathong, on water and making a wish. Wikipedia describes it as a krathong traditionally made from a slice of banana trunk or spider-lily stem, with folded banana leaves, three incense sticks and a candle, sometimes with a coin as an offering to the water spirits. It is celebrated across the country at rivers, canals, lakes and ponds.

Yi Peng is the northern Lanna festival that falls on the same full moon (the second month in the Lanna calendar), traditionally a time for merit-making. Its image is the sky lantern, the khom loi. In Chiang Mai the two festivals overlap, which is why the city shows both: krathongs on the Ping River and lanterns in the sky.

Where to go

TAT's Loi Krathong articles split the festival into regional events. These are the stages that recur year after year; check the year's page for dates.

• Chiang Mai. The most famous stage for Yi Peng. The Ping River and the old city around Tha Phae Gate are the usual hubs, and the municipality runs a programme every year (14-17 November in 2024). Read our Chiang Mai 3-day plan and where to stay in Chiang Mai first, and the Chiang Mai hub for the rest.
• Sukhothai. A candle and Loi Krathong festival inside the historical park, run for about ten days in both 2024 and 2025. See the Sukhothai Historical Park guide and where to stay in Sukhothai.
• Bangkok. In 2025 the river festival used nine piers from Wat Pho and Wat Arun up to ICONSIAM. Our Wat Arun guide, Grand Palace guide and Bangkok temples and Chao Phraya cruises compared cover the riverside.
• Ayutthaya. Maha Loi Krathong at Wat Phra Ram in 2025. Plan it with the Ayutthaya day trip and where to stay in Ayutthaya.
• Smaller towns. TAT's 2025 list also named Tak (coconut-shell krathongs on the Ping), Phitsanulok, Samut Songkhram (banana-trunk krathongs in Amphawa), Lampang, Roi Et and Surat Thani.

Sky lanterns: the rules that matter

Sky lanterns are the part of Yi Peng that causes the most trouble for visitors.

• Chiang Mai airport. Wikipedia records that in 2017 the airport cancelled 78 flights over two days because of lanterns. In 2025 Khaosod English reported that the airport changed its operating hours so the last flight left by 7 pm, around the period when releases are permitted. Expect evening flight changes in 2026 and keep your flight times flexible.
• Penalties. Wikipedia lists Bangkok's ban on fireworks and sky lanterns, with up to three years in prison and/or a 60,000-baht fine. Local rules in Chiang Mai also restrict where and when lanterns may be released; ask your hotel or the organiser for the current order.
• Release only at organised sites. Private ticketed lantern events are set up by their own organisers, who set the prices and run their own booking. We list no prices because we have no verified official source for 2026.
• Krathongs. Wikipedia notes that styrofoam krathongs are increasingly banned and that natural materials are better for rivers. Bangkok collected 841,327 krathongs in 2018 after the festival. Choose banana trunk and leaves.

A simple plan for each city

For a first visit we would pick Chiang Mai if you want the lantern image and Sukhothai if you want fewer crowds. If you are building a longer trip around the date, see the 7-day itinerary and best time by region. Late November is the start of the cool dry season in the north and Bangkok, so you can expect the pleasant weather our guides describe for November to February.

Getting there and booking

Hotels in Chiang Mai and Sukhothai near the festival fill up and prices rise, but we have no verified price data, so we show none. Booking early is simply the safe course. The booking boxes on this page show a Bangkok to Chiang Mai transport search on 12Go (registered link); it is a transport route, not a festival ticket. See also Bangkok to Chiang Mai and Thailand getting around for trains, buses and flights. We have no registered link for festival tickets, lantern events or hotels near the festival, so those are your own searches on the organiser's page. Never pay for a "lantern festival ticket" outside a source you can verify.

Etiquette and safety

• Stay a few steps back from the water's edge on crowded piers and watch children.
• Keep valuables in front of you in the crowds and agree taxi fares before you go; see Thailand safety, scams and health.
• At temples, cover shoulders and knees; see temple etiquette.
• Emergency numbers: 191 police, 1669 medical, 1155 Tourist Police.

How we will update this page

We will replace the "expected" items with the official dates as soon as TAT or the Chiang Mai municipality publishes them. The checks to repeat are the TAT events list, the Chiang Mai municipality programme and the airport's operating-hours notice. Until then, treat 24 November as the lunar-calendar date only.

FAQ

Prices, schedules and entry rules change. Figures here are approximate as of 2026; always confirm on the official or operator page before you book. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.