Yi Peng and Loy Krathong in Chiang Mai 2026

Who is going

What actually happens

Two things happen on the same nights. Krathong, small floats of banana leaf, flowers and a candle, are set on the water, which in Chiang Mai means the Ping River. Khom loi, the paper sky lanterns, are the Yi Peng part, and they are the picture everybody has seen.

That sea of lanterns is not a free event in the middle of town. It comes from ticketed releases held outside the city. In town, the free celebration gathers around Tha Phae Gate, the Three Kings Monument, Nawarat Bridge and along the Ping River, where people float their krathong.

Lantern rules change every year

Releasing a lantern is not a free for all. In 2025 the province allowed releases only from 7 pm to 1 am on the two festival nights and only in approved zones, and it named red zones where releases were banned outright, with Mueang Chiang Mai, the city district itself, among them. The penalty quoted was up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 200,000 baht.

The 2026 rules had not been announced when this page was checked. Until they are, do not plan on releasing a lantern from a guesthouse roof in the old city. Floating a krathong on the river is the older tradition and the part you can join anywhere along the water.

Flights on the festival nights

Lanterns and aircraft do not mix. In 2025 Chiang Mai airport stopped all flights by 7 pm on the two festival nights, and 161 flights were cancelled or moved. The 2026 schedule had not been announced when this page was checked. If you fly in or out around 24 November, pick a daytime flight and expect it to be changed.

After the festival: high season

The festival opens Chiang Mai's cool season, roughly November to February, when the city is at its busiest with travelers and remote workers. That makes late November an easy time to find people for a trip up to Pai, a cooking class or a day in the mountains.

The season to avoid is the burning season. From around February to April smoke from crop burning hangs over the north, and in early 2026 PM2.5 readings above 300 micrograms per cubic meter were recorded in some districts.

Why go with company

The ticketed releases are out of town and end late. Shared transport back, somebody to keep your place by Tha Phae Gate, somebody who went last year and knows which package was worth it: that is what the people on this page are for. Add your dates and you are matched with anyone else in Chiang Mai between 22 and 26 November.

Questions people ask

When is Yi Peng 2026?

The full moon night is Tuesday 24 November 2026. Celebrations in Chiang Mai run around it. The official 2026 program had not been published as of 1 October 2026.

Can I release a lantern in the old city?

In 2025 the city district, Mueang Chiang Mai, was a red zone where releases were banned, and releases elsewhere were limited to approved zones from 7 pm to 1 am. Check the 2026 rules when they are announced.

How do I find people to go with?

Add your Chiang Mai dates on this page, or leave your email for a match alert. When anybody posts dates that overlap yours, you hear about it.

Questions about Chiang Mai

• RuinMyTrip asks: for Yi Peng, is the ticketed release out of town worth it over the free ones in the old city? The guides put the festival… · @ruinmytrip (RuinMyTrip team)

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