Yi Peng vs. Loy Krathong: Deciphering Thailand’s Two Lantern Festivals

Every November, two festivals collide on the Thai calendar in a way that confuses first-time visitors badly. Search for either one and you’ll find photos of glowing sky lanterns drifting over a dark river — but those images don’t tell you which festival you’re actually looking at, where to go, or what the difference even matters. In 2026, with Thailand‘s tourism numbers continuing to climb and both events drawing record international attendance, understanding what you’re booking yourself into is more important than ever.

What Each Festival Actually Is

Loy Krathong and Yi Peng are two distinct festivals with different origins, different spiritual meanings, and different visual experiences. They happen to overlap on the calendar, which is why they’re constantly lumped together — but they are not the same thing.

Loy Krathong is a nationwide Thai festival rooted in Brahmin and Buddhist tradition. “Loy” means to float, and “krathong” refers to a small decorated vessel — traditionally made from a cross-section of banana trunk, folded banana leaves, flowers, incense sticks, and a candle. On the night of the full moon in the twelfth month of the Thai lunar calendar, Thais across the entire country carry these small boats to rivers, canals, lakes, and even the sea, light the candle, and release them onto the water. The act symbolises letting go — releasing bad luck, grudges, and the troubles of the past year. Some people include a few strands of hair or nail clippings in the krathong to make the ritual more personal.

The festival has roots going back to the Sukhothai Kingdom, possibly as far as 700 years ago, though historians debate exactly how old the tradition is. The most widely told origin story credits a royal consort named Nang Nopphamat, who supposedly created the first elaborately decorated krathong to honour the water spirits and give thanks to the river goddess. Whether or not that story is historically accurate, the spirit of gratitude for water — which sustains Thai agriculture and daily life — is genuine and still felt today.

Yi Peng is a Northern Thai festival specific to the Lanna culture of Chiang Mai and the surrounding northern region. “Yi” means two and “Peng” refers to the full moon day of the second month in the old Lanna lunar calendar, which aligns with the same full moon as Loy Krathong. The defining feature of Yi Peng is the khom loi — a sky lantern made from thin rice paper stretched over a bamboo or wire frame, with a small fuel cell at the bottom. When lit, the hot air lifts the lantern into the sky. Releasing a khom loi is believed to carry away misfortune and send prayers upward. Thousands released simultaneously produce the iconic image people associate with “Thailand’s lantern festival” — a slowly rising constellation of warm orange lights disappearing into the darkness.

Yi Peng also involves temple decorations, paper lanterns strung along streets, alms-giving ceremonies at dawn, and candlelit processions. The sky lanterns are spectacular, but they’re one element within a broader religious celebration deeply tied to Lanna Buddhist tradition.

The Calendar: When and Where They Happen in 2026

In 2026, the full moon of the twelfth Thai lunar month falls on November 2. That is the official night of Loy Krathong across Thailand. Yi Peng in Chiang Mai is celebrated over several days surrounding that same full moon, typically beginning two to three days before and continuing one or two days after.

For 2026, the main Yi Peng celebrations in Chiang Mai are expected to run from approximately October 31 through November 3, with the most intense activity — including the mass sky lantern release events — on the evening of November 1 and the night of November 2. These dates can shift slightly based on temple calendars and official announcements, so confirm closer to your trip.

Loy Krathong is celebrated everywhere in Thailand on the night of November 2, 2026. Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River, Chiang Mai’s Ping River, Sukhothai’s historic park, Ayutthaya’s ancient ruins, Ko Samui’s beaches — every waterway in the country becomes a stage for floating krathong that night.

The practical implication: if you’re in Chiang Mai on November 2, 2026, you will experience both festivals simultaneously. That night, people float krathong on the Ping River (Loy Krathong) while thousands of sky lanterns rise above the city (Yi Peng). It’s an extraordinary combination — but also when Chiang Mai hits its absolute peak crowding. Hotels in the Old City and Nimman area sell out months in advance.

What You See, Hear, and Feel on the Ground

The physical experience of each festival is completely different, and no photograph fully prepares you for either.

At Loy Krathong, you’re at ground level, crouched at the water’s edge. The air smells of incense, jasmine, and melting wax. Around you, families kneel together on riverbanks, whispering wishes before releasing their krathong. Children clutch small candles. The water fills slowly with a thousand tiny floating lights, the flames flickering as the banana-leaf vessels drift downstream. In Bangkok on the Chao Phraya, the atmosphere is festive and crowded, with vendors selling krathong and garlands. Along a smaller canal in the suburbs, the same night can feel intimate and genuinely moving — a family ritual you’ve been allowed to witness.

Yi Peng, when the sky lanterns rise, produces a sound you don’t expect: almost none. The crowds go quiet. You light the wax fuel cell, hold the paper lantern open as it fills with warm air, feel the gentle upward tug in your hands, and then let go. The lantern climbs slowly, joining hundreds of others already aloft. The effect is closer to meditation than spectacle. Then, as you look up and see the entire sky above Chiang Mai populated with drifting lights — some high and fading, some just rising, all moving at the same slow pace toward the mountains — the scale of it lands in a way that’s genuinely hard to describe.

How to Participate: Rituals, Customs, and Etiquette

Both festivals welcome foreign participation, but doing things properly matters, both out of respect and because it makes the experience more meaningful.

Floating a Krathong

• Buy a krathong from a riverside vendor — prices in 2026 run from about 50 to 200 THB depending on size and materials (eco-friendly options cost slightly more).
• Light the incense sticks first, then the candle. Hold the krathong in both hands.
• Before releasing it, make a silent wish or take a moment to think about what you want to let go of. This is the spiritual core of the act — not just dropping a decoration in the water.
• Place it gently on the water surface and give it a small push. Don’t throw it.
• Some Thais clip a few strands of hair and press them into the krathong before releasing it, symbolising a deeper personal release.
• Dress modestly if you’re near a temple. No need for formal clothing, but covering shoulders and knees is appropriate at temple-organised events.

Releasing a Sky Lantern

• At organised Yi Peng events, lanterns are usually provided or sold on-site.
• Two people — one holding each side of the lantern open — works best to keep the shape stable as the air heats up. Be patient; it takes 60 to 90 seconds before the lantern is ready to rise.



• Release only when there’s a clear path above you. Watch for power lines. At organised mass release events, this is managed, but at informal street releases, be aware of your surroundings.
• Never release a sky lantern near an airport, dry forested hillside, or in strong wind. This is not just courtesy — in 2026, releasing sky lanterns in prohibited zones carries fines. More on that below.
• At temple Yi Peng events, monks lead merit-making ceremonies. Observe quietly, follow the crowd’s lead, and don’t push forward with cameras during prayers.

2026 Budget Reality: Costs, Crowds, and Logistics

Both festivals have become significantly more commercialised since the early 2020s, and 2026 prices reflect that, especially in Chiang Mai.

Accommodation in Chiang Mai (per night, Nov 1–3, 2026)

• Budget: Guesthouses and hostels in the Old City, 600–1,200 THB per night — if you book by August. Most are full well before that.
• Mid-range: Boutique hotels and mid-tier guesthouses, 2,000–4,500 THB per night. Nimman Road area tends to have more availability than the Old City.
• Comfortable: Four- and five-star hotels, 6,500–15,000+ THB per night. Some properties offer Yi Peng packages that include rooftop viewing areas for the lantern release.

Festival Costs

• Krathong (river vessel): 50–200 THB, bought from vendors on the night.
• Sky lanterns (khom loi): 80–150 THB each from street vendors in Chiang Mai.



• Ticketed mass lantern release (Mae Jo University style event): 1,500–3,500 THB per person depending on the package. Some include dinner, a reserved spot, and multiple lanterns.
• Street food and drinks around festival areas: Budget 300–600 THB per person for a full evening of eating and drinking.

Transport

Getting into central Chiang Mai on the night of November 2 by car or songthaew is slow. The city’s Night Bazaar area and the Old City become essentially pedestrian zones from early evening. Factor in 30 to 60 minutes of extra travel time. From Bangkok, the overnight train to Chiang Mai (book via the State Railway of Thailand app) is a practical and popular option — book at least six weeks ahead. Domestic flights on November 1 and 2 between Bangkok and Chiang Mai fill quickly and prices surge; expect 2,500–5,000 THB one-way on those peak dates.

Yi Peng in Chiang Mai: The Sky Lantern Experience Up Close

Chiang Mai during Yi Peng is one of the most sensory-dense environments you’ll encounter anywhere in Southeast Asia. The Old City — a square moat-ringed district packed with temples — is the heart of it. From late afternoon on the main night, the streets begin filling. Vendors line every road selling lanterns, garlands, and street food. By 8 PM, looking down any street toward the moat, you can see dozens of lanterns already climbing above the rooftops.

The Ping River waterfront — from Nawarat Bridge down to Iron Bridge — is where the Loy Krathong element of the night is concentrated. Both sides of the river are thick with people, candlelight, and the sweet smoke of incense. This is where the two festivals visually merge: you’re floating a krathong on the dark water while the sky above the river fills with rising khom loi. It is, without exaggeration, one of the most visually striking things you can experience in Thailand.

Yi Peng in Chiang Mai runs on a temple-by-temple schedule that locals know intuitively. Wat Phra Singh, Wat Chedi Luang, and Wat Suan Dok all host ceremonies in the days before and on the night of the full moon. At these temples, merit-making comes first — monks lead chants, people make offerings, and the sky lantern release follows the prayers. Attending a temple ceremony rather than a commercial event gives the whole experience a different weight.

One practical note for 2026: Chiang Mai’s new light rail project (the Chiang Mai Monorail, Phase 1) was still under construction as of mid-2025 and is not expected to be operational in time for the November 2026 festival. Getting around the city during Yi Peng still means walking, bicycle, or accepting that songthaews will be slow and expensive on festival nights.

Loy Krathong Across Thailand: Regional Variations Beyond Chiang Mai

Because Loy Krathong is a national festival, its character shifts dramatically depending on where you observe it. Chiang Mai gets the attention, but several other locations offer experiences that are less crowded and, in some cases, more visually spectacular.

Sukhothai

Sukhothai’s Loy Krathong celebration — held within the UNESCO-listed Sukhothai Historical Park — is widely considered the most authentic and beautiful in Thailand. The festival here is called Loy Krathong Sai Fai Sukhothai and spans several days around the full moon. The ancient ruins of Sukhothai, lit from within and reflected in the park’s large ponds, form the backdrop as hundreds of krathong float on the water. The atmosphere is calmer and more ceremonial than Chiang Mai. No sky lanterns here — this is purely the water-floating tradition in its most photogenic setting. Getting to Sukhothai from Bangkok requires a bus or car (about six hours) — there’s no direct train or flight, so planning matters.

Bangkok

Bangkok’s Loy Krathong centres on the Chao Phraya River and major parks like Lumphini and Benjasiri. The scale is enormous — millions of residents join in across the city. Asiatique The Riverfront and the area around Saphan Taksin BTS station become focal points for the riverfront celebrations, but every canal (khlong) in the city participates. If you’re in Bangkok, you don’t need to go anywhere specific — you’ll find people floating krathong within walking distance wherever you are in the city that night.

Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya, the former capital with its ruined temples surrounded by three rivers, offers a hauntingly beautiful Loy Krathong setting. The ruins of Wat Chai Watthanaram lit at night while krathong drift past on the wide Chao Phraya is a combination that rewards the extra two-hour journey from Bangkok.

Coastal and Island Celebrations

On Ko Samui, Ko Phangan, and Phuket, Loy Krathong takes on a beach character. Krathong are released into the sea rather than rivers, and the fire shows and beach parties that follow make the southern island versions feel more like nightlife than religious ceremony. Both versions are valid — they’re just serving different things.

Environmental Controversies and 2026 Rule Changes

This topic has been debated within Thailand for years, and by 2026 the rules around both festivals have become more formal and more enforced than they were in 2023 or 2024.

Sky lanterns and aviation: The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) maintains strict no-fly zones for khom loi around all Thai airports. Releasing sky lanterns within a 5-kilometre radius of any airport is illegal and carries fines of up to 40,000 THB per incident. In 2024 and 2025, enforcement increased significantly after several near-misses at Chiang Mai International Airport. In 2026, Chiang Mai city has designated official release zones away from the flight path. These zones are marked on the TAT’s official festival map, which is updated each October.

Biodegradable krathong: Bangkok and Chiang Mai municipalities have actively promoted — and in some central festival zones, now required — the use of eco-friendly krathong. Traditional banana trunk krathong are fully biodegradable and have always been the environmentally sound choice. The problem is Styrofoam-based krathong, which were cheap and popular for decades. By 2026, Styrofoam krathong are officially banned from sale in designated festival areas in most major cities, and the ban is actually being enforced at vendor level. If you buy a krathong on the night, look for banana trunk, bread (yes — bread krathong are a recent eco-innovation that fish eat after the festival), or natural fibre construction.

River cleanup: Both Chiang Mai and Bangkok operate extensive next-morning river cleanup operations. These have improved steadily — the Ping River in Chiang Mai reported cleaner post-festival water quality in 2024 than in any previous recorded year, largely due to the shift away from Styrofoam. If you want to go further, several local environmental NGOs organise volunteer cleanup crews on the morning of November 3 in Chiang Mai. Joining takes about two hours and gives a completely different perspective on the festival’s footprint.

Sky lantern materials: There’s ongoing pressure from environmental groups to replace the wire frames in traditional khom loi with fully biodegradable bamboo-and-paper construction. Several Chiang Mai manufacturers had shifted to this model by 2025. At organised events in 2026, biodegradable lanterns are standard. Street vendors are less consistent — if this matters to you, ask before you buy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Yi Peng and Loy Krathong the same festival?

No — they are two separate festivals that happen to share the same full moon night. Loy Krathong is a nationwide Thai tradition focused on floating decorated vessels on water. Yi Peng is a Northern Thai Lanna celebration famous for releasing sky lanterns. In Chiang Mai, both happen simultaneously on the same night, which is why they’re so often confused.

Is Chiang Mai the only place to see sky lanterns during Yi Peng?

Chiang Mai is the centre of Yi Peng and the only place where the sky lantern release happens at a truly massive, city-wide scale. Some northern towns like Lamphun and Chiang Rai hold smaller Yi Peng ceremonies. Outside the north, sky lantern releases are not a traditional part of Loy Krathong, though some organised events elsewhere may include them.

Can tourists participate in the lantern release, or is it only for Thais?

Both festivals actively welcome foreign participation. Releasing a krathong or a sky lantern is open to anyone. For temple-based Yi Peng ceremonies, behave with the same quiet respect you would in any Thai temple — observe the rituals, follow the crowd’s lead, and don’t push forward during prayers or chanting.

What’s the best festival to attend if I can only be in Thailand for one of them?

That depends on what you’re looking for. If you want the sky lantern spectacle — the image most people have in their heads — go to Chiang Mai for Yi Peng. If you want a quieter, more historically rooted experience, Sukhothai’s Loy Krathong inside the ancient ruins is genuinely special. Both are worthwhile; neither will disappoint.

How far in advance should I book accommodation for Chiang Mai’s Yi Peng in 2026?

At minimum, four to five months ahead — so by June or July 2026 at the latest. Quality guesthouses and mid-range hotels in the Old City and Nimman area consistently sell out by September. Budget accommodation sells out even faster. Waiting until October means paying significantly inflated prices for whatever remains available.

📷 Featured image by Farida Tania on Unsplash.