A Little Light… Releasing Lanterns and Krathongs in Chiang Mai

Last updated on October 4, 2026 by Shannon

Loy Krathong and Yi Peng are two of Thailand’s most magical festivals—and nowhere celebrates them more beautifully than Chiang Mai. From floating krathongs down the Ping River to releasing floating lanterns into the night sky, the week-long celebration blends spirituality, gratitude, and community. Here’s what it’s like to experience it firsthand.

---

Experiencing the Lantern Release at Mae Jo

Cheerful, poppy Thai music suffused the expansive temple yard—an oddly upbeat backdrop to the swelling solemn energy in the crowd as thousands of us firmly gripped our amber lanterns.

Groups of friends shared a final moment amidst the frenzy, making urgent, unspoken wishes for the new year.

I watched in wonder as our plain, white rice paper lantern, a khom loi in Thai, filled with hot air. I looked around me and my breath caught—a sea of hopeful faces surrounded me.

We collectively waited for the signal to release our lanterns into the night.

Expressions indelibly etched on each person’s face showed hope and the lure of infinite possibilities, the promise of a clean slate. It was no doubt written clearly on my face, too.

I took those last moments to tune out the cheery music and quickly take stock of the previous year, and to look forward with my hopes for the coming year traveling with my niece.

I filled my mind with wishes, hopes, dreams, and fears and propelled each one into our group lantern. As I yearned to fill the lantern with that hope, the go-signal gently swept across the huge crowd.

On a pulse of energy, the lanterns slipped from our fingertips. Ours took one unsteady lurch before jolting upward. A cool nighttime breeze collected our orange orb and swept it into the dark sky.

As more joined ours, each illumination shifted the night sky from dense black to deep blue. The sheer number of hopes and wishes seemed to overpower the darkness.

I looked down at Ana as the blanket of lanterns floated higher. The distant pinpoints of light painted slow-moving constellations across the night sky, and I saw the light sheen of tears echoed in her eyes as well.

The release lit a spark of sweet hope for this trip with Ana. The collective energy swelled around us, filling me with enough giddy anticipation to do a little dance to the still-pumping lantern-release song.

Years ago, I joined the large lantern release near Mae Jo University. That locals event was once the most famous, but it has become increasingly rare in recent years. These days, smaller community-based lantern releases take place at various temples throughout Chiang Mai, especially during the peak evenings of the Yi Peng celebration. Temples like Wat Lok Moli and Wat Phan Tao often host smaller, more spiritual floating lantern releases, and visitors can also light and release lanterns along the Ping River.

Yi Peng and Loy Krathong coincide on the Lanna Thai calendar and the joint celebrations make for one massive maze of lantern parades and krathong ceremonies throughout the week.

In the months leading up to the full moon, most online imagery centers on the floating lantern release. For good reason—it’s stunning. But the paper lanterns are actually a more modern accent to the handmade and carefully crafted banana-leaf krathongs.

What Does Loy Krathong Mean?

At its heart, Loy Krathong is a festival of gratitude, renewal, and release. It takes place at the end of Thailand’s rainy season, a time when the rivers are full and the rice fields nourished.

The ceremonial release of these small lotus-shaped rafts serves a dual role: it’s an offering of thanks to the water goddess, and a symbolic release of grudges, bad habits, and negativity.

Loy Krathong vs. Yi Peng: What’s the Difference?

Loy Krathong is celebrated across all of Thailand and centers on floating a small krathong on water as an offering of thanks and a symbolic release of grudges. Yi Peng is specific to Chiang Mai and the old Lanna kingdom of northern Thailand, and centers on releasing paper sky lanterns rather than water offerings.

The two festivals coincide on the same full-moon dates each year, which is why in Chiang Mai you’ll see both traditions playing out side by side over the same few days—krathongs on the Ping River, lanterns in the sky above it.

Making Our Own Krathongs

Earlier that day, we joined friends for a craft party in Naomi’s sunlit apartment, the sound of motorbikes humming below. She had gathered supplies from Warorot Market: banana stem bases, fresh flowers, banana leaves, candles, incense, and sparklers.

For hours, we worked patiently to build and decorate each krathong—each one a small, beautiful vessel ready for release.

Releasing Krathongs on the Ping River

As the sun sank behind Doi Suthep, our group made our way to Brasserie, a cozy restaurant on the Ping River. We lingered over drinks for hours as the full moon rose and the Ping River filled with candlelit krathongs. From all corners of the city, lanterns floated skyward like fireflies.

Several hours later, the crowds swelled across the river. Our small group of four gathered our handmade krathongs and stepped down to the peaceful private dock.

We re-positioned flowers and jostled incense sticks, lit candles, and made our final wishes. Then we released them one by one.

I watched my handmade krathong join Ana’s meticulously decorated raft near the shore. We gently splashed the water until our krathongs caught the swift current and became indistinguishable from the hundreds of others—each one offering hope, atonement, and gratitude.

Reflections on Culture and Celebration

The group lantern release easily ranks as one of the most beautiful festivals I’ve attended. Thailand was my adopted home, and I’ve traveled around the country for many years—and extensively backpacked across Southeast Asia.

But there’s something uniquely magical about learning through culture. Releasing our handmade krathongs alongside Thai locals was deeply moving. Each one carried hope, forgiveness, and a wish for renewal. It felt like starting the new year with a clean heart—and sharing in a tradition that transcends language.

How to Celebrate Loy Krathong in Chiang Mai

Whether you’re visiting Chiang Mai for the first time or returning again, here’s how to join the festivities respectfully:

• Join a lantern release. The old free-for-all at Mae Jo isn’t really a thing anymore—see the ticket section below for how the big sky-lantern moment works today, or skip the crowds with a free temple or riverside release instead.
• Make or buy a krathong. Warorot Market sells everything you need—banana stem bases, flowers, candles, incense—or you can buy one pre-made from a vendor along the river if you’d rather skip the crafting.
• Head to the Ping River at dusk. This is where most of the city ends up on the night itself—find a spot along the bank, light your candle, make a wish, and send your krathong into the current.
• Catch the parades through Tha Pae Gate. Floats, dancers, and live music wind through the Old City in the days leading up to the full moon.
• Dress modestly and keep your phone down for a minute. This is a real holiday for the people lighting candles next to you, not a backdrop for content.

How to Get Lantern Release Tickets

If you want that mass sky-lantern moment—thousands of lanterns released together at one signal—it’s now a ticketed event run through CAD (Chiang Mai Arts and Design Center), the event that effectively replaced the old Mae Jo release. Tiers run roughly $130–$500 USD, depending on seating and whether dinner and transfers are included. These sell out weeks in advance, so book the moment your travel dates are firm rather than waiting until you land.

If you’d rather skip the ticket, the cost, and the crowds entirely, smaller and quieter releases still happen at temples like Wat Lok Moli and Wat Phan Tao, and plenty of locals light and release lanterns informally along the Ping River—free, no booking required, and in my experience a lot more personal.

📅 Loy Krathong & Yi Peng 2026 Dates (Chiang Mai)

Loy Krathong and Yi Peng in Chiang Mai fall on November 24–26, 2026, with the full-moon evening of November 25 as the main night for krathongs and lanterns.

Events typically span several days with krathong-making and cultural festivities in the lead-up. For updates, check Tourism Authority of Thailand, or local listings.

• ✨ Yi Peng Festival (lantern release): November 24–25, 2026 (Tuesday–Wednesday)
  🪷 Loy Krathong (water lanterns): November 25, 2026 (Wednesday)

Planning Tips: When to Book and What to Expect

• Book your flights and hotel months ahead, not weeks. This is the single busiest week of the year in Chiang Mai—flight and hotel prices climb hard as the dates approach, and city-center rooms go first. If you want to stay central and walk to the river rather than fight traffic, that’s the room that books out earliest.
• Budget extra time for traffic, especially heading out of the city. If you go to a ticketed release outside the center, the roads out get jammed in both directions. Staying in the Old City and sticking to the river and temple releases avoids most of this entirely.