Loy Krathong

What is Loy Krathong?

Loy Krathong is Thailand's festival of lights: on the full moon of the twelfth Thai month, people float small candle boats on the water and make a wish.

"Loy" means to float. A "krathong" is a small boat made of banana leaves and flowers, with a candle and incense on top.

On the full moon, Thais light the candle, make a wish and put the krathong on the water. It lets go of the bad luck from the past year.

Every river, lake and canal in the country fills with tiny lights. Bangkok's Chao Phraya River is the biggest show of all.

Couples float one together, so some people call it Thailand's Valentine's Day. Friends do it together too.

It's one of the biggest evenings on our Thailand party calendar, and you'll find it with the other key dates in Thailand public holidays.

For your group, it's the perfect start to a big evening. The city glows, everyone is happy, and the party carries on long after the candles.

It's also the start of the best weather: the rain is done, the air is warm, and the beaches are calling for the days after. Add a beach to the trip while you're here.

Where it comes from

Loy Krathong's history is part legend, part record: Thai folklore places its start in the Sukhothai kingdom in the 14th century, while historians date the best-known story much later.

The legend says a court lady of Sukhothai, Nang Noppamas, made the first krathong, folding banana leaves into a lotus with a candle and incense. That tale comes from a poem of the early Bangkok period, and before World War II the festival was mostly a Bangkok custom; it grew into the national celebration Thais know today after the war.

Its meaning is older than any of that. The krathong is a thank-you to the water goddess, Phra Mae Khongkha, for a year of water, and an apology for polluting it. Letting it float away also lets go of the past year's bad luck.

Sukhothai still holds one of the most beautiful celebrations, among the temple ruins of Sukhothai Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many towns crown a "Nang Noppamas" in a beauty contest the same week.

The date, and the best hours

Loy Krathong 2026 is on Tuesday 24 November, the night of the full moon. It falls on the full moon of the twelfth month of the Thai calendar, so the date moves every year.

In Chiang Mai, the lantern festival, called Yi Peng, runs from 23 to 25 November, Chiang Mai Municipality announced on 24 September 2026. Sky lanterns go up only at permitted sites and set times, and the big releases are ticketed.

Loy Krathong isn't a public holiday. Banks, shops, bars and clubs are open as normal.

One thing to know: the official riverside sites get packed early, with little room to move.

In Bangkok, the city opens 110 public places to float a krathong and runs five main sites from 17 to 29 November 2026, among them the Golden Mount at Wat Saket, Rama VIII Bridge and Phra Sumen Fort, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced (checked November 2026).

That's one more reason your own boat is the easy answer. Your drinks are on board, and nobody tells you where to stand.

Loy Krathong 2027 is expected on Saturday 13 November, though some calendars give 14 November, so check before you book.

The best time on the water is from sunset to about 10pm. That's when the river is fullest and the lights are brightest.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand publishes the full programme closer to the date. Book the boat now, and we send you the times when they're out.

Loy Krathong in short

The dates and times that matter for the evening.

• Loy Krathong 2026: Tuesday 24 November, the full moon night. Loy Krathong 2027: Saturday 13 November (expected; some calendars say 14 November).
• Yi Peng in Chiang Mai: 23 to 25 November, with ticketed lantern releases on set nights.
• Best time on the Chao Phraya: sunset to about 10pm.
• Bangkok to Chiang Mai: about an hour by plane.
• When to book: Chiang Mai hotels and lantern tickets, your river boat and your VIP section, all now.

Plan it with Tanner, and the boat is yours for the 24th.

Checked November 2026.

Your own boat on the Chao Phraya

The riverbanks are packed from about 6pm, shoulder to shoulder, with a long wait to get close to the water.

Your group skips all of it. You step onto your own boat, the drinks are already cold, and the river is yours.

You float your krathongs straight off the side. You watch the whole city light up, glass in hand.

Here's how a great Loy Krathong evening in Bangkok runs:

6pm: your cars pick the group up at the hotel and drop you right at your boat.

6.30pm: you're on the river. Dinner and drinks on board, music on, the sun going down.

7.30pm: everyone floats a krathong and makes a wish. Thousands of little lights drift past you.

9.30pm: back on land, and the cars take you to a rooftop bar with the whole city below.

Midnight: on to the club, your VIP section ready and the bottles already waiting.

A private boat on the Chao Phraya takes up to 16 of you, with the DJ and the bar on top. The price depends on the boat; Tanner quotes to your plan. For the cars: a luxury van for up to 4 from ฿6,500 for 10 hours, or a party van for up to 10.

Taxis near the river are hard to find after dark on this date, so your cars wait all evening and nobody loses the energy on the pavement.

The best boats go first, so put yours on hold today.

Chiang Mai and the lanterns: worth the flight?

The famous photo of thousands of lanterns in the sky is Yi Peng, in Chiang Mai. Bangkok is all about the water.

Photo: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, edited

Chiang Mai is about an hour by plane from Bangkok. It's a very different evening, so pick the one that fits your group.

Yi Peng is the festival of Lanna, the old northern kingdom, and it falls on the same full moon as Loy Krathong. Where the rest of Thailand floats its wishes on the water, the north sends them up: paper lanterns called khom loi, released to carry the bad luck away.

In Chiang Mai, the city hangs coloured paper lanterns over its lanes and temples, and the free places to watch are Wat Phan Tao, the Three Kings Monument and the Ping River. Krathongs still float on the Ping, so in Chiang Mai you see both festivals on the same evenings.

Want the lantern moment? Do Chiang Mai for two days, then fly back to Bangkok for the weekend party.

Here are the rules that catch people out:

You can't release your own sky lantern in the city: every lantern or firework release needs a district permit, and lanterns go up only in permitted areas outside the city, Chiang Mai Province says (checked November 2026).

The mass lantern releases are ticketed events outside the city. Tickets go fast, so ask Tanner to check what's left for your date.

Flights in and out of Chiang Mai are often retimed on the festival nights to keep the sky clear. Check your flight before you book anything else.

Hotels in Chiang Mai's old city fill up weeks before. Late bookers end up far from the action.

Float, don't launch: in Bangkok, the krathong on the water is the whole tradition. Ask Tanner whether Chiang Mai is worth the flight for your group.

The river or the Full Moon?

In 2026, Loy Krathong and the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan fall on the same night, Tuesday 24 November. The group has to choose.

Tanner's pick: take the river. Bangkok on Loy Krathong is a once-a-year scene, and November is Phangan's wettest month.

Want both? Do the river on the 24th, then the Full Moon Party on 24 December, when the Gulf has had a month to dry out.

Sukhothai's light and sound shows

Sukhothai, where the legend begins, holds its festival among the temple ruins from 15 to 24 November 2026, with light-and-sound shows from 7pm and reserved seats at ฿500, ฿900 and ฿1,200, the Thai government's event listing says (checked November 2026).

It's one of the most beautiful Loy Krathong celebrations in the country, and calmer than Bangkok. See Sukhothai and Bangkok to Sukhothai.

Insider tip: book the hotel by the historical park, not in the new town, so you walk back after the show.

After the lights: where the party goes

Loy Krathong itself is a calm, happy moment. Thais are quiet when they float their krathong, so keep it respectful by the water and at temples.

After the candles, it's a normal big evening out in Bangkok. And a normal big evening out in Bangkok is very good.

Choose where you end up.

Licensed entertainment venues in Bangkok and licensed venues inside hotels may open until 4am; ordinary bars and restaurants close earlier, usually by 2am. In Bangkok, the licensed clubs are in Silom, RCA and Ratchada.

Not every club has the late licence, so we check yours the week you land.

After the river, most groups head to a club with their own VIP section, a host at the door and bottles on ice.

Three simple rules for the water:

Buy an eco krathong made of bread or banana leaf. Skip the foam ones.

Keep the candle and incense away from other people's clothes and hair.

Leave the sky lanterns to Chiang Mai.

Plan the evening with Tanner: the boat, the cars and the club, in one plan.