When is Loy Krathong 2026?
Loy Krathong 2026 is on Tuesday 24 November 2026. It falls on the full moon of the twelfth Thai lunar month, so the date moves each year.
The night is what matters. You stand at the water as the moon rises, and thousands of small candles drift across the river.
Around the main night, the festival runs for days. Bangkok's main city sites open from 17 to 29 November 2026. Sukhothai's festival runs from 15 to 24 November, and Chiang Mai's Yi Peng from 23 to 25 November.
Loy Krathong 2027 is expected on Saturday 13 November 2027, by the Thai lunar calendar; the official date is confirmed closer to the time. Our 2027 events calendar lists the other big dates.
Loy Krathong is not a public holiday. Banks, offices and shops stay open, so your day is free for the city. Our Thailand public holidays guide shows the days that do close.
What does Loy Krathong mean, and why is it celebrated?
Loy Krathong means "to float a krathong". In Thai, "loy" is to float, and a krathong is a small raft of banana leaf with a candle, flowers and incense.
Thais float a krathong to thank Phra Mae Khongkha, the goddess of water. They also ask her forgiveness for polluting the rivers during the year.
Above all, the night is about letting go. The krathong carries away bad luck, anger and old mistakes. As the candle drifts off, you make a quiet wish for the year ahead.
The festival comes at the end of the rainy season, when rivers and canals are full. Many Thais tie it to Sukhothai, the old capital, and to the legend of Nang Noppamas. For some, the candlelight is also a mark of respect to the Buddha.
The mood is gentle and joyful, not solemn. Couples float one krathong together, and families bring children to the water's edge.
What do people do during Loy Krathong, and how do you float a krathong?
People buy or make a krathong in the afternoon. After dark they light it at a river, canal or lake, make a wish and set it on the water. Temples, parks and hotels add fairs, music and dance.
- Choose a natural krathong: banana leaf, banana trunk or bread. Fish eat bread, and leaves break down. Never buy foam.
- Add something of your own: many Thais add a coin or a strand of hair. It is a sign of letting part of yourself go.
- Find safe steps or a pier: keep children close, and let a staff member hold the rail on busy piers.
- Light the candle and three incense sticks: hold the krathong with both hands and make your wish.
- Set it down gently: push it softly away from the edge. Never throw it, and never reach far over the water.
Krathong stalls fill the streets from the afternoon. Many hotels also run a krathong-making class, which is the calm way to start the evening. Loy Krathong is not one of Thailand's alcohol-ban days, so hotel bars and restaurants serve as normal.
Where is the best place to celebrate Loy Krathong?
Our call: Bangkok for the river, Chiang Mai for lanterns, and Sukhothai for history. Phuket and Koh Samui give you a quiet beach night. Here is how they compare.
- Bangkok, Chao Phraya River: the grandest river night, best from a boat · best on 24 November after 19:00 · one evening is enough
- Chiang Mai, Ping River and Yi Peng: krathongs plus sky lanterns at permitted events · 23 to 25 November · plan three nights
- Sukhothai Historical Park: shows among the ruins of the old capital · 15 to 24 November · one or two nights
- Phuket: krathongs on resort lawns, lagoons and beaches · 24 November · one evening inside a longer beach stay
- Koh Samui: small beach and resort celebrations · 24 November · one evening inside a longer stay
Sukhothai holds the most historic festival. In 2026 it runs from 15 to 24 November at Sukhothai Historical Park. Shows start at 19:00 each night, with an extra show at 20:30 on 24 November. The Thai government's Sukhothai festival page lists the dates and times (checked November 2026).
Sukhothai has few luxury hotels, so we keep it to one or two nights. We book the seats, a private car and a guide for the ruins by day. Our Sukhothai guide covers the old capital.
In Phuket and Koh Samui, people float krathongs from beaches and hotel lagoons, often at high tide. Choose a resort with its own celebration and a calm beach. Our Phuket guide and Koh Samui guide help you choose the coast.
Loy Krathong in Bangkok: the river night
Bangkok's finest Loy Krathong is on the Chao Phraya River. You float your krathong from a boat or a hotel pier while lit temples pass. The crowds stay on land, and you move freely on the water.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has named five main city sites for 2026. Wat Saket and Rama VIII Bridge run from 17 to 29 November. Phra Sumen Fort and two Prem Prachakorn Canal sites run from 23 to 25 November.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand also runs Vijit Chao Phraya from 13 November to 13 December 2026. Light shows line the river between Rama III and Rama VIII bridges, so the river is lit on Loy Krathong night too.
The two big riverside malls, ICONSIAM and Asiatique, hold their own riverside celebrations most years. Lumphini Park's lake is the classic place to float in the city centre. Our ICONSIAM guide explains how to arrive by boat.
Stay on the water if you can. Our guides to riverside hotels in Bangkok and the best hotels in Bangkok compare Mandarin Oriental, The Peninsula, Capella Bangkok and Four Seasons. Our Charoen Krung riverside guide covers the area around them.
Roads near the river slow down on festival night. Arrive and leave by boat, and keep your car at the hotel pier. Our Bangkok city guide covers the rest of your stay.
Chiang Mai: Loy Krathong meets Yi Peng
In Chiang Mai, Loy Krathong joins Yi Peng, the northern festival of lights. The city festival runs from 23 to 25 November 2026, with krathongs on the Ping River and lanterns in the sky.
Sky lanterns are allowed only on 24 and 25 November, from 19:00 to 01:00, and only with a district permit. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand set the same windows in its notice to pilots for Chiang Mai and Lamphun (checked November 2026).
Do not release a lantern in the city or from your hotel. The big mass releases are separate, ticketed events outside town. Our Yi Peng guide covers the permits, the tickets and the parade. Our Chiang Mai guide and Chiang Mai hotels guide cover the rest.
The private ways to celebrate Loy Krathong
The best Loy Krathong is the one you control: your own space at the water, a good table and no crowd at your back. These are the three ways we plan it.
A river dinner cruise. At 18:30 you board at your hotel pier. Dinner is served on deck, the lit temples pass, and you float your krathongs mid-river once the moon is up. For your group only, we book a private boat on the Chao Phraya; for a shared deck, compare the Bangkok dinner cruises.
A hotel riverside terrace. You dine at a reserved table by the water, then walk down the hotel's own steps to float your krathong. Riverside tables are the first to sell out, so we reserve as soon as you confirm dates.
A private krathong-making class. In the afternoon, a Thai teacher shows your group how to fold banana leaves and place the flowers. You leave with a krathong you made yourself, and your children love it. We arrange it at your hotel or villa.
Add a private guide and car for the temples by day, from ฿38,000 a morning, tickets extra. A luxury van with a driver costs from ฿6,500 for 10 hours, for up to 4 guests. A photographer for the night costs from ฿10,000 a day. For a large group on the river, we quote a full Chao Phraya charter.
Loy Krathong lantern rules and etiquette
Float, do not fly. Sky lanterns are a Chiang Mai tradition with strict permits, not part of Loy Krathong in Bangkok or on the islands.
- Lanterns: release one only at a permitted event in Chiang Mai, on 24 or 25 November. Near Bangkok's airports, lanterns put flights at risk, and the aviation authority restricts them there.
- Natural krathongs only: choose banana leaf or bread. Foam floats stay in the river for years.
- Temples: cover your shoulders and knees, take off your shoes inside, and keep your voice low. Our temple dress code has the details.
- Other people's krathongs: never touch or move them. For many Thais, a krathong carries a serious wish.
- Monks and older people: let them go first at the water's edge, and give them room.
- Fireworks: keep well back from anyone lighting them, and keep children at your side.
What to wear and bring for Loy Krathong
Wear light, smart clothes that cover your shoulders and knees, with flat shoes for wooden piers. November evenings are warm in Bangkok and cool in Chiang Mai.
- Bangkok and the islands: linen or cotton, a light layer for air-conditioned rooms, and flat shoes with grip.
- Chiang Mai: a light jacket for the evening, because nights in the north turn cool from November.
- Bring: a lighter, wipes for candle wax, a small closed bag and a phone with full battery.
- Leave at the hotel: large bags, high heels and anything you would hate to drop in the river.
Our Thailand in November guide covers the weather in every region. If you are still choosing dates, see the best time to visit Bangkok.
Insider tips only a Loy Krathong planner knows
Wondering what to do at Loy Krathong once the candles are lit? These are the moves our Thai team uses every November.
- Board early: be on the boat by 18:30, while there is still light. You float your krathong once the moon is up, before the piers fill.
- Book riverside tables first: hotel terraces on the river sell out before the hotel rooms do.
- Do the 24th in Bangkok, the 25th in Chiang Mai: fly north on the morning of the 25th. You get the river night and the lanterns.
- Make your krathong at the hotel: a class in the afternoon gives you a better krathong than the street stalls.
- Keep the car at the pier: roads near the river slow down after 19:00, so arrive and leave by water.
- Ask the lantern seller for the permit: we book only events that can show one.
Plan it with Tanner
Every Loy Krathong trip we plan starts with one question: river, lanterns, ruins or beach?
Example plan: Bangkok on the river, two nights. A riverside suite and a krathong class on the afternoon of 24 November. At 18:30 you board your own boat, dine on deck and float your krathongs mid-river.
Example plan: Sukhothai and Chiang Mai, four nights. Two nights in Sukhothai for the shows in the ruins. Then a private car north for the Yi Peng lanterns on the 25th.
VIP Luxury Services has planned trips in Thailand since 2008. One planner books the boat, the seats, the rooms and every transfer, for a couple or a whole company. A Thai team in every main town checks the piers and the permits.
We tell you honestly what is not worth it, and private means private. Send Tanner your dates and group size. We get back to you right away.
