Last updated on July 27, 2025 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.
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.
The group lantern release was an inspiring event—in fact, it tops the charts as one of the most beautiful festivals I’ve attended. Thailand is my adopted home, and I’ve also traveled around Thailand a good deal too (I’ve extensively backpacked all over Southeast Asia for that matter).
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. While the large Mae Jo release may no longer run regularly, you’ll find smaller community lantern releases at temples such as Wat Lok Moli, Wat Phan Tao, and others across the Old City. You can also join locals in releasing lanterns along the Ping River on the night of the full moon.
- Make your own krathong. In the days before the full moon, locals and visitors alike craft floating offerings from banana leaves, flowers, and candles. You can buy kits at markets or join a community workshop.
- Release a krathong on the Ping River. On the evening of Loy Krathong, head to the riverbanks. Light your candle, make a wish, and send it floating downstream.
- Watch the citywide parades and fireworks. Parades wind through Tha Pae Gate and the Old City with floats, dancers, and live music.
- Celebrate with respect: This is a sacred holiday for many Thais. Dress modestly, behave mindfully, and observe local customs.
🗓️ 2025 Loy Krathong & Yi Peng Dates (Chiang Mai)
Loy Krathong and Yi Peng in Chiang Mai fall on November 5–6, 2025, with the full-moon evening of November 6 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 this tourism site, or local listings.
- ✨ Yi Peng Festival (lantern release): November 5–6, 2025 (Wednesday–Thursday)
🌿 Loy Krathong (water lanterns): November 6, 2025 (Thursday)
Quick Guide: Loy Krathong in Chiang Mai
- 📅 When: November (date varies based on lunar calendar)
- 🪷 Main traditions: Floating krathongs on the river + lantern release events
- 🏞️ Where to go: Temples like Wat Lok Moli & Wat Phan Tao (lanterns), Ping River (krathongs), Tha Pae Gate (parades)
- 🎭 Expect: Parades, fireworks, music, markets
- 🙏 Cultural tip: Dress modestly and act respectfully
Onward Travel
Having spent years backpacking Southeast Asia across many trips, here’s how you should plan your time in the following locations.
Thailand » Chiang Mai | Digital Nomad Costs | Elephant Tourism | Loy Krathong | Songkran | Bo Sang | Transportation, Explained | Fun Facts
Vietnam » Hoi An | Eating Vegetarian
Laos » Luang Prabang | Gibbon Experience | Mekong River | Kuang Si Waterfalls | Pak Ou Caves | Vang Vieng
Cambodia » Angkor Wat | Apsara Dancing
Myanmar » Bagan | Inle Lake | Yangon | Hpa-An | Eating Vegetarian | Spirituality | Burmese Hospitality
How delightful are the night photos! What kind of camera did you use? If I understand correctly, it was NOT a phone! Because 7 years ago, when this post was written, the phones still did not have such good cameras as now =) Probably, Canon PowerShot S-series?
Definitely not an iPhone, and I don’t think even today a smartphone could capture the night photos too well. I use a micro four-thirds camera, the Lumix GX7 (/lumix-micro-four-thirds-review/) :)
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The lantern release looked amazing, its really great to view spirituality blended with creativity. Beautiful glance of Thailand you have shared with us here.
Thanks for posting such an edifying article…. Pretty impressive photography in low light….
Thank you Vishnu! It’s hit or miss in low light with my camera, but a few great ones came out. Cheers and happy New Year :)
Thanks Nic! It was a really incredible experience to be a part of :)
What a delightful adventure! Thanks for sharing Shannon. Nic Freeman
Beautiful photos of the event! We hope to be there next year to see, feel, smell and experience all of it!
It’s so beautiful and will no doubt captivate your little ones to see the lanterns go up at once! :)
Great photos, Shannon! I’m sorry to have missed it this year. :(
Thanks Kevin! It was so beautiful to be a part of it :)
Wow its a beautiful story and a Great traditional festival so beautiful
Lovely post and beautiful pics
Absolutely fantastic pics
Your writing and photos made me tear up a little bit too, especially imagining how Anna must have felt to be part of something so incredible. I’ve spent a little bit of time browsing through your blog today and I’m adding to to my list of regulars.
Thanks for writing, and sharing your photos!
Thank you so much for the kind words Peg and Brian, I appreciate the support, it really was a stunningly pretty spiritual event :)
Wow, gorgeous photos! Those lanterns and flowers are absolutely stunning! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Anna, it really was one of the prettier festivals I have ever participated in :)
This was great !!
Hi Shannon , angela here .. I think I’d like to add this festival of lights to my todo list , my cousin lives in chang Mai , he teaches English there, he’s spoke of the many festivals , this looks great!
And great pics
If you have family here it should be heaps easier to check this one off the list then! There are festivals here all throughout the year, and I’ve seen a bunch, but I have to say, this stands out as a favorite :)
Amazing.. just like the movies. What kind of lens did you use for these pics?
Thank you Gerard :) I used a 20mm lens on my Panasonic micro-four-thirds camera, it doesn’t usually do low-light situations very well, but the light from the lanterns was enough to make it perform pretty well!
What a beautiful story about a traditional festival, would love to see this with my own eyes one day!
Thank you Natasha, it is worth putting on your bucket list for some day :)
I’ve always found this ritual exceptionally beautiful. I see some kind of merge between tradition and hope, shared by the people! Amazing!
That’s the perfect description Diana, it is a cross between the two and so amazing to take part of as a Westerner, without any pieces of this type of tradition in my own culture :)
I was jealous of the CM crew who got to witness this spectacle last year. And here I am finding myself green with envy once again. Beautiful photos Shannon! And what an amazing experience for Ana.
Thank you so much Laura, it’s worth putting on the bucket list for you :)
What a cool experience! Loved Ana’s post on it, too!
It really is quite neat if you ever get the chance to visit! Thanks Erik :)
Great post and the pictures were absolutely fabulous. The joy in everyone’s face at the lantern ceremony made me smile with them.
It really was something else to look around and see the identical expressions on everyone’s faces — thanks Ashley! :)
Absolutely beautiful article and what wonderful, wonderful, wonderful pictures. I am so happy that Ana got to experience this, too!
Aw, thank you Akila, it was so absolutely beautiful to take part in :)
Great article Shannon! Loved reading it. My regards to Ana :)
Cheers and thanks Hariram, it was such a beautiful experience to take part in :)
Seriously breathtaking post, I am hoping that I am lucky enough to be able to participate in something like this in 2012!
Are you planning to visit Thailand around this time?! If you do, keep me posted and I can email you some tips on where to go and the best spots to participate :)
I was just thinking about how you haven’t posted anything for a few days and was wondering how your journeys in Asia were going with Ana. It looks like you’re having fun – those lanterns are beautiful!
I was silent there for a bit, processing things over here and trying to make sure Ana and I spend time off of the computers doing things around town — the lantern festival was so beautiful and gave us lots of things to do around here! Hope you are well :)
One of the best yet!! I just had the kids finish writing their leaves for our thankful tree and this was in my inbox – simply inspiring!!!! And I LOOOOVE the photo of Angela holding the lantern with the other one of both of you and the lanterns behind. xoxo
Aw shucks, thank you Jo :) The tree project sounds wonderful, is it a tree hung on the wall?! Hugs from us both, we head to Laos tomorrow but will Skype soon! xoxo
I hope I get to witness this first hand one day–but thank you for the vicarious adventure!
It is worth coming to the North of Thailand to see, definitely :) Cheers and thanks for stopping in and commenting!
Not only is this my favorite post of yours, it also contains my favorite photos of yours! BRAVO darling!!! I’m dying to attend this festival. I think I would be in tears the whole time from the abundance of beauty.
Aww, thanks Andi, I really do appreciate that feedback, I spent a lot of time pondering how best to share it — any plans to travel through SEA sometime soon?! :)
Such a magical and beautiful blog!
Thank you, I appreciate you weighing in :)
Wow! What a beautiful post, and a special experience for you and Ana to share. It sounds so magical – thanks for sharing with us!
Thank you Jo, it truly was a beautiful experience :)