# Yi Peng & Loy Krathong Lantern Festival Guide, Chiang Mai > A guide to Chiang Mai URL: https://chiangmaibrief.com/guide/yi-peng-loy-krathong-guide/ Last-Modified: 2026-09-07 Author: The Chiang Mai Brief ## Two festivals, one week They’re constantly conflated, and the difference is worth knowing. **Loy Krathong** is the national Thai festival. A _krathong_ — a small float of banana leaf, flowers, a candle and incense — is released onto water as an act of letting go and giving thanks. It happens across Thailand. **Yi Peng** is the Lanna northern festival, celebrated in Chiang Mai and the surrounding region. Paper lanterns, _khom loi_, are released into the night sky. Chiang Mai is where both happen together and at scale. That’s the whole reason the city fills up in November. This guide sits under our festivals and events hub [/festivals-and-events-calendar/ →](/festivals-and-events-calendar/) . ![Krathong floats with candles on the Ping River](/images/content/krathong-floats-of-banana-leaves-and-flowers-with-.webp) ## The dates The festivals follow the lunar calendar — the full moon of the twelfth lunar month — which usually places them in November. The exact dates move by up to a few weeks between years. Celebrations typically run for three to five days around the main night, with parades, temple events, riverside gatherings and market activity building through the week. Because the dates move and individual events publish their own schedules, check our News & Updates feed for the current year’s confirmed dates before booking anything. ## Ticketed versus free This is the decision that shapes your experience. ### The organised mass releases Held at venues outside the city, ticketed, and expensive. Several hundred to several thousand baht per person depending on the package. They involve a coordinated release of thousands of lanterns at a set moment, and they’re the source of most of the photographs that bring people here. If that specific image is the reason for your trip, this is how you get it. Book months ahead; they sell out. ### The free community celebrations Along the Ping River, around Tha Phae Gate, and at temples throughout the Old City. Parades, krathong releases, food stalls, music, and individual lantern releases where permitted. It costs nothing, it’s what most Chiang Mai residents do, and it’s more atmospheric in a way that’s hard to convey until you’ve experienced both. The city genuinely transforms. ![People releasing a lantern beside a temple at night](/images/content/two-people-releasing-a-paper-lantern-together-besi.webp) ## Where to be | Location | What happens | Best for | | --- | --- | --- | | Ping River banks | Krathong releases, food, crowds | The floats, the atmosphere | | Tha Phae Gate | Parades, stage events, dense crowds | Spectacle | | Old City temples | Quieter local celebrations, lantern releases | The version residents prefer | | Nawarat Bridge area | Krathongs on the water, viewing | Photography of the river | | Organised venues outside town | Ticketed mass releases | The postcard image | ## Practical advice 1. **Book accommodation early.** Prices in central Chiang Mai spike and availability disappears months ahead. 2. **Don’t drive.** Roads close, traffic gridlocks. Walk or take a songthaew to the edge and walk in. 3. **Arrive early.** The riverside is pleasant at 6pm and packed by 8pm. 4. **Buy your krathong from a local vendor**, not a hotel. It costs a fraction as much. 5. **Check what it’s made of.** Banana leaf and natural materials, not styrofoam. The river is cleaned afterwards and it matters. 6. **Respect the lantern rules.** Releases are restricted in time and place for aviation safety. Follow local guidance. 7. **Check your flights.** Airlines adjust schedules around the festival most years. ![A vendor selling handmade krathong floats from a pavement stall](/images/content/vendor-selling-handmade-krathong-floats-from-a-pav.webp) ## Etiquette and photography This is a religious and cultural festival, not a light show staged for visitors. A few things follow from that. Dress reasonably if you’re going into temple grounds — the usual shoulders and knees rule applies. Don’t climb on structures for a better shot. Ask before photographing people making offerings. Don’t obstruct someone’s release to get your own photograph. For photography: a tripod helps enormously, the riverside gives you reflections, and the moments between the mass releases are often more interesting than the releases themselves. ## If you’re already here A note for residents: the crowds tempt people to skip the whole thing. Don’t. Go to a smaller Old City temple celebration rather than the riverside crush — quieter, warmer, and much closer to what the festival actually is. For the wider annual picture, including which season to visit in, see our guide to Chiang Mai’s seasons [/guide/chiang-mai-seasons-when-to-visit/ →](/guide/chiang-mai-seasons-when-to-visit/) . Got questions? ## Common questions When are Yi Peng and Loy Krathong held? On the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, which usually falls in November. The exact dates shift each year, and celebrations run for several days around the main night. Confirmed dates and event schedules are published in our News & Updates feed as they're announced. Can I release a lantern? At sanctioned events and within permitted times and locations, yes. Sky lantern releases are regulated because of aviation and fire safety, and unrestricted releases outside those windows are prohibited. The large organised mass releases handle this within their ticketed events; community celebrations follow local rules. Are the big events free? The large organised mass lantern releases held outside the city are ticketed, expensive and sell out well in advance. The community celebrations along the Ping River, around Tha Phae Gate and at Old City temples are free and are what most residents attend. More in this area ## Related guides How often ### Chiang Mai Seasons: When to Visit When to visit Chiang Mai — the cool, hot and green seasons, the burning-season caveat, and how festivals shape the best time to come. 6 min read [Chiang Mai Seasons: When to Visit →](/guide/chiang-mai-seasons-when-to-visit/) What to expect ### Songkran in Chiang Mai Guide A guide to Songkran in Chiang Mai — dates, the main water-fight zones around the moat, what to expect, safety and how to stay dry. 6 min read [Songkran in Chiang Mai Guide →](/guide/songkran-chiang-mai-guide/)