Updated September 2026
The lantern festival in Chiang Mai includes several different experiences: lantern-decorated temples, candle lighting, street processions, floating krathongs and separately organised sky-lantern events outside the city. Your first decision is which of those you want to spend an evening doing.
For 2026, Loy Krathong falls on Tuesday, November 24. Major commercial lantern events are advertising November 24 and 25. Their ticket dates are specific to those events; the city’s ceremonies and parade have their own programme.
I would plan at least one evening in Chiang Mai itself, even if a mass release is the main reason for the trip. That leaves time for the temple lights, food and river celebrations that a journey to a private venue can otherwise displace.
Yi Peng and Loy Krathong: what you will see
Yi Peng, also written Yee Peng, is a northern Thai Lanna festival associated with the full moon of the second month in the Lanna lunar calendar. It includes merit-making, listening to Buddhist teachings, lighting small clay lamps and displaying lanterns at homes and temples.
Loy Krathong takes place on the full moon of the twelfth month in the Thai lunar calendar. Participants float small decorated offerings on water, often expressing gratitude to the water goddess Mae Khongkha and wishes to leave misfortune behind. In Chiang Mai, the celebrations coincide.
A khom loi is a sky lantern lifted by heated air. A krathong is the small float placed on water. Hanging lanterns and the clay lamps called phang prathip are further parts of the festival. Seeing the city’s lights does not depend on launching something into the sky.
Which dates should you book for in 2026?
Keep November 24 in mind for the lunar festival, then match any ticket purchase to its named venue and chosen date. Chiang Mai CAD Khomloy Sky Lantern Festival and Chiang Mai Voyage of Light both advertise events on November 24 and 25, 2026.
A ticket for one evening should not be assumed to admit you on both dates. Likewise, a commercial event’s schedule does not tell you the time or route of the municipal parade. Confirm the latter through the current Chiang Mai Municipality or Tourism Authority of Thailand programme before fixing your evenings.
If I wanted a ticketed release and the city celebrations, I would look first at arriving on November 23, spending November 24 in town and attending a booked event on November 25. That is a planning choice, subject to the city programme and ticket availability. Leaving on November 26 gives more breathing room than an early departure after a late transfer.
Avoid arriving on the afternoon of your booked event. Transfers can leave hours before the lantern release, and a delayed flight or train could make you miss the meeting time.
Enjoying the festival in the city
Public street celebrations and viewing decorated temples do not require a general “Yi Peng festival ticket.” Individual workshops, dinners, organised activities or special viewing areas may have their own charges. You can build a full evening around walking and observing, with food and any optional activity as separate expenses.
The Old City and Tha Phae area
The Old City, Three Kings Monument area and Tha Phae Gate are useful places to orient a festival walk. Look for the current programme’s ceremony and procession locations rather than trying to cover every landmark in one evening.
I would choose one temple visit and one public event, leaving time between them. Keep temple entrances clear, dress with shoulders and knees covered and follow the instructions around lamps and religious activities. Photographs of past ceremonies, including well-known scenes at Wat Phan Tao, do not guarantee that the same arrangement will be repeated.
The Ping River
Riverside celebrations focus on Loy Krathong. Use an organised access point where staff or volunteers direct people to the water. The areas around Nawarat Bridge and farther along the river can become crowded, so agree on a meeting place and a route back before separating from companions.
Choose a stable, designated place to float a krathong. Do not climb down a steep bank, lean over a crowded bridge or enter the river to recover one. If access looks uncomfortable, watching from a safer position is a perfectly good way to take part.
The parade
The large decorated-float procession is a separate event worth planning around if you enjoy music, costumes and craftsmanship. Check its confirmed date, route and road closures. Pick a viewing position with room to leave, and allow extra time to reach it on foot.
A paid release outside Chiang Mai can occupy the same evening as a city event you want to see. I would decide that trade-off before buying a non-refundable ticket.
Sky lanterns: do not treat city streets as launch sites
Chiang Mai’s airport and flight paths make sky-lantern releases subject to restrictions. Provincial measures have prohibited releases in the city district and other aviation-sensitive areas, while permitted events operate within approved locations and times.
Do not launch a lantern from Tha Phae Gate, Nawarat Bridge, the Iron Bridge or an Old City street on the assumption that festival crowds make it allowed. A vendor selling lanterns or a photograph of an earlier release is not permission.
For a 2026 event, ask the organiser about the current authorisation for that location and follow the staff’s release instructions. Weather or safety conditions can change the programme. A timetable on a ticketing page is not a guarantee that a launch will proceed.
Leave personal lanterns and fireworks out of your city plans. Hanging lanterns, clay lamps, workshops and krathong activities provide other ways to participate within the arrangements made by the community.
Comparing paid events
A ticketed event usually combines a managed gathering, food, entertainment and a planned mass release. Its value depends on the complete evening, including transport and the journey home. A more expensive seat does not automatically make it a better choice for your priorities.
Chiang Mai CAD Khomloy Sky Lantern Festival advertises November 24 and 25 at the CAD Cultural Center Lanna in Mae On district. As of September 2026, published standard prices begin at 4,900 baht, with higher categories costing more. Check the final offer, chosen date and transfer arrangement before paying.
For the published CAD shuttle arrangements, several ticket categories use Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre, while Elite and Platinum use the Maya area. Agent transfers and self-drive bookings can differ. Use the pickup point written on your own ticket.
Chiang Mai Voyage of Light advertises the same dates at Chiang Mai Valley of Light in Doi Saket, at Wat Phra That Doi Ku. Its published Standard ticket is 5,900 baht, including return air-conditioned transport, food and cultural activities. Its higher categories change seating and other inclusions. This is a different venue and booking from CAD.
These are examples for comparing arrangements, rather than a ranking of every available event. Confirm the venue’s full name and map pin. “Chiang Mai lantern festival” is too broad a description to establish where a ticket will take you.
Questions to settle before paying
- Transport: where and when do you check in, which vehicle is included, and where will you be dropped off afterwards?
- Admission: does each person have the correct dated ticket, and what are the rules for children, seats and identification?
- Food and facilities: can dietary needs be met, and are toilets, seating and access suitable for your group?
- Cancellation: what happens if you cancel, arrive late or the programme changes because of weather or restrictions?
- Equipment: which cameras, bags and personal items are allowed, and is any photography permit needed?
Refund terms can differ between sellers of the same event. Some offers are non-refundable; others have dated partial-refund windows. Save the conditions that apply to the booking you actually purchase, together with the receipt and ticket.
Be cautious with a website’s use of “official.” Establish whether it belongs to the organiser or an authorised seller, and make sure the payment and confirmation identify the same event. A sales page does not represent the municipal festival as a whole.
What about the famous Mae Jo release?
Many widely shared photographs come from earlier gatherings near Mae Jo University. They have encouraged the idea that there is one permanent festival field where everyone can arrive and release a lantern.
I would only travel to a Mae Jo-area event with a current confirmation giving the organiser, date, exact venue and admission arrangements. Old accounts of free entry and historical dates are not a booking plan for 2026. The university’s name alone does not identify your event.
Where to stay and how to get back
For evenings in town, accommodation inside or near the eastern side of the Old City makes walking practical. A riverside property can suit Loy Krathong, but check the exact access route and whether festival road closures affect vehicle pickups.
For an out-of-town event, compare the hotel with the actual transfer point. A room near Maya will not solve a booking that departs from the exhibition centre. Check the return drop-off too; it may be a public meeting point rather than your hotel.
I would reserve flights or trains, accommodation and any paid event together once the dates and conditions make sense. Choose flexible arrangements where possible. Keep the next morning light, since traffic and the end-of-event queue can make the return later than expected.
Within the busiest areas, walking can be easier than trying to arrange a vehicle at the edge of a crowd. For a hired driver, agree on a pickup point beyond road closures. Allow extra time for the airport journey and follow any airline schedule updates.
During the evening
Bring comfortable closed shoes, water, a light layer, a charged phone and a power bank. Download your ticket and meeting-point details so they are available without a data connection. Take any identification the organiser requires and keep it secure.
At a managed release, let staff demonstrate the process and help if needed. Keep children away from fuel and open flames. If you want photographs, have another adult handle the lantern rather than trying to do both at once.
A lantern made from natural materials still comes back down somewhere. For a krathong, use the materials allowed at the site, avoid foam and plastic decorations, and consider sharing one within your group. Observing, making a donation or joining a craft activity can be just as meaningful without adding another object to the river or landscape.
For photographs, take a few test shots before the main activity, keep the flash off during ceremonies and avoid blocking other people’s view. Leave room to lower the camera: a festival evening includes the chanting, conversations and work of the people hosting it, as well as the moment the lights rise.