They happen together in the North — here's how they differ and how to experience both. In 2026, Yi Peng falls on November 24–25 and Loy Krathong on November 25.
In Chiang Mai the two festivals overlap so completely that most visitors leave believing they saw one event.
They are different traditions, with different objects, different origins and different rules. Knowing which is which changes what you plan for.
Loy Krathong: the one on the water
Loy Krathong is national. On the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, people float a small decorated vessel — the krathong — on a river, canal or pond, usually with a candle, incense and a coin, as an act of thanks to the water and of letting go of the past year.
It happens everywhere in Thailand. Bangkok, Sukhothai, every provincial town with water in it. Sukhothai's version, with the ruins floodlit and the ponds full, is arguably the most beautiful in the country and a fraction as crowded as Chiang Mai's.
Traditional krathong are built on a slice of banana trunk with folded banana leaf and flowers. Bread-based ones dissolve. Foam ones do not, which is why many municipalities now ban foam outright and why the stall selling you one is not necessarily selling you the right one.
Yi Peng: the one in the sky
Yi Peng is Lanna — northern Thailand, centred on Chiang Mai — and falls on the full moon of the second month of the Lanna calendar, which lands at the same time as Loy Krathong. Its signature object is the khom loi, the paper lantern lifted by hot air.
Houses and temples in the north also hang khom fai lanterns and build decorated gateway arches, and the temple fairs run for several nights. The lanterns are the famous part but they are one element of a much broader festival, and the decorated arches are the part visitors walk straight past.
The difference, in one table
| Loy Krathong | Yi Peng | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | All of Thailand | Northern Thailand (Lanna) |
| The object | Krathong, floated on water | Khom loi, released into the air |
| Calendar | Full moon, 12th lunar month | Full moon, 2nd Lanna month — the same night |
| Regulated? | Foam krathong banned in many areas | Heavily — licensed zones and announced release windows only |
| Free to take part? | Yes, a krathong costs 50–100 baht | The famous mass releases are ticketed; local releases are free but restricted |
For 2026, both fall in the 24–25 November window in Chiang Mai. Confirm the provincial announcement before booking anything.
The lantern reality check
Mass lantern releases are not a free-for-all. Chiang Mai releases are regulated because the lanterns interfere with flight paths, and there is a flight-safety corridor of roughly 15 km around the airport where release is prohibited outright. Several districts have been designated red zones in past years.
The large synchronised releases most people have seen photographs of are ticketed private events held outside the city. They sell out months ahead and run to several thousand baht per person.
Releasing a lantern outside permitted times and areas is an offence, and the reported penalties are severe enough that we are not going to quote a single figure — the sources disagree on which statute applies. Check the current year's announcement before you plan anything around it. The full Yi Peng picture has more on how that works in practice.
How to experience both properly
Do the water side in the evening at the Ping river or a temple pond, where families float krathong without any of the tourist pricing. Then walk the old city for the lantern decorations, the parades along Tha Phae, and the temple fairs.
The honest recommendation, which will annoy people who came for the lantern photograph: the water side is the better half. It is free, it is what most Thai people are actually doing, and nobody is queuing for it.
If Chiang Mai is not fixed in your plan, Sukhothai at Loy Krathong is the alternative worth considering seriously — the historical park stays open late, the ponds are full, and the whole thing runs at about a third of the intensity.
Dates and booking
Both festivals follow lunar calendars, so the dates move every year and are usually confirmed only a few months ahead. Do not book flights against a guessed date.
Chiang Mai accommodation sells out and roughly doubles in price for this week. Three to four months ahead is not early. Expect road closures around Tha Phae and the moat on the main nights, and plan to walk.
The two lunar months before Loy Krathong have festivals of their own: Sart Duan Sip in Nakhon Si Thammarat in the tenth month, and the naga fireballs at Nong Khai on Ok Phansa, 26 October in 2026.
Know before you go
| 2026 dates | 24–25 November 2026 in Chiang Mai, both festivals on the same full moon |
|---|---|
| Loy Krathong | Nationwide. Float a krathong — 50–100 baht from a stall. Use banana trunk or bread, not foam |
| Yi Peng | Northern Thailand only. Sky lanterns, released only in licensed zones during announced windows |
| Free options | Ping riverbank, temple ponds, Wat Phan Tao's courtyard, the Tha Phae parades |
| Accommodation | Book 3–4 months ahead. Prices roughly double for the week |
| Alternative | Sukhothai at Loy Krathong — floodlit ruins, full ponds, a fraction of the crowd |
| Official sources | Tourism Authority of Thailand newsroom · Chiang Mai International Airport |
Dates are confirmed by provincial announcement only a few months ahead. Lantern restrictions are reissued annually and penalties are reported inconsistently across sources — check the current year's order rather than any published figure, including ours. Checked September 2026.
