Naga fireballs on the Mekong

When to go

The next fireball evening is Ok Phansa on 15 October 2027. The 2027 festival dates aren't announced yet; they run for several days around the full moon.

The Naga fireballs 2026 evening was Monday 26 October, and the table shows how the Naga fireball festival 2026 ran, as a guide to next year.

Ask Tanner to hold the room the day the dates are out.

What are the Naga fireballs?

The Naga fireballs, Bang Fai Phaya Nak in Thai, are reddish glowing orbs that rise silently from the Mekong and shoot upward, some as large as a basketball.

Locals believe the Naga, a great serpent under the river, breathes them out as an offering to the Buddha at the end of Lent.

Tanner's take: Sightings start after sunset and can run until about 11pm, so don't leave after a quiet half hour.

Ask Tanner which bank to watch from.

How many fireballs you'll see

Nong Khai logged 371 fireballs in 2024 and 287 in 2025.

The crowd changes a lot: about 141,000 people watched at Rattanawapi and Phon Phisai in 2024, and about 31,500 in 2025.

Tanner's take: Thinner crowds are good news for a group. You get a clear view of the water without fighting for the bank.

Ask Tanner for the spot with the best odds.

Where to watch

Rattanawapi gives the best odds: the Ban Tan Chum viewing point is there, and the district saw 237 of the 287 fireballs in 2025.

Phon Phisai, at the Wat Thai viewing point, is the traditional centre and holds the longest festival. Both are about 1.5 to 2 hours by car from Udon Thani. Nong Khai town hosts the main festival but sees few fireballs.

Tanner's take: Parking on the night is very hard, so arrive in the afternoon and pick one place to stay.

Ask Tanner to have the driver drop you at the bank and wait.

Are the Naga fireballs real?

The lights are real, but nobody agrees on the cause, Exoticca writes.

• The Naga: locals believe the river serpent breathes them out for the Buddha.
• Gas: the leading theory is methane and phosphine from the riverbed, catching fire at the surface.
• Tracer rounds: a 2003 Thai TV report said they were fired from the Lao bank; the claim caused outrage and was widely dismissed.

Come and judge for yourself. Ask Tanner where the locals sit.

Getting to Nong Khai

Fly from Bangkok to Udon Thani, about 1 hour 10 in the air, with Thai AirAsia, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air, Thai Vietjet or Thai Airways. Or take the overnight sleeper from Krung Thep Aphiwat, about 10 hours.

The river districts are 1.5 to 2 hours from the airport by car, so the van is the easy way. A luxury van for up to 4 costs from ฿6,500 for 10 hours with us, from Udon Thani airport to the riverbank and back, and a party van takes up to 10.

See Bangkok to Udon Thani for every way north. Ask Tanner to meet the flight with the van.

Drinks on the fireball evening

Not from a shop: Ok Phansa is a Buddhist holy day. Shops stop selling alcohol on the holy days, but licensed hotels, international airport terminals and licensed entertainment places in designated tourist areas can still serve, under the Office of the Prime Minister's notice (checked November 2026).

Read the full rules on our Thailand nightlife laws page.

Ask Tanner for a hotel with its own licensed bar for the drink after the river.

What to book first

The rooms go first. Book a riverfront hotel in Nong Khai town for the days around Ok Phansa, then the car for the airport and the river, then sleeper berths if you'd rather sleep your way north.

Ask Tanner to hold the room and the driver.

More at the end of Lent

Nong Khai's program runs over several days, with long-boat races, fire boats, processions and merit-making. In 2026, Rattanawapi lit its fire boats at 6pm on the fireball evening.

Vientiane, the Lao capital, is just across the river; see Udon Thani to Vientiane.

Ask Tanner to add a day in Vientiane with the same driver.

The best way to see it

The Naga fireball festival is a riverbank evening: food stalls, a temple fair, thousands of people and the water going quiet as the light fades.

Tanner's pick: Rattanawapi for the best odds. Phon Phisai if you want the bigger festival around you.

Insider tip: base the group in Nong Khai town for the festival nights and drive out for the river evening only.

Ask Tanner to put the room, the car and the riverbank on one plan for next October.

What to bring

Bring a mat, a torch and mosquito spray for the riverbank, and dress modestly for the temples. Keep the driver's number for the drive back to town.

See our Nong Khai guide for the rest of the town.

Ask Tanner to book dinner by the river for after the lights.

The Naga fireballs in short

• What it is: silent reddish lights, Bang Fai Phaya Nak, that rise from the Mekong on Ok Phansa, the night Lent ends.

• The next fireball evening is 15 October 2027; festival dates aren't announced yet.
• Nong Khai counted 371 in 2024 and 287 in 2025, with 237 of them at Rattanawapi.
• Sightings run from sunset to about 11pm.
• Fly to Udon Thani, then drive 1.5 to 2 hours to the river.
• Shops stop selling alcohol on Ok Phansa; licensed hotels can serve.

Checked October 2026. Plan it with Tanner.