Calendar / Yi Peng Lantern Festival
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Witness / Attend in Chiang Mai
Yi Peng Lantern Festival
Nov 24, 2026ExpectedYi Peng Lantern Festival 2026
No organizer, no ticket office. This is a living tradition, and the way in is simply to be there; guides get you inside it.
Dates & details verified against: Official city source ↗
Why go
Loi Krathong and Yi Peng fall on the same full-moon night in November, and Chiang Mai is where they combine into the single most photographed festival scene in Thailand: thousands of glowing paper lanterns released skyward at once while the river fills with candlelit krathong floats drifting past temple walls. Bangkok and other cities mark Loi Krathong too, but the mass sky-lantern release is a distinctly Lanna, northern-Thai tradition, and Chiang Mai runs the largest organized version of it anywhere. Ticketed mass-release events now handle the crowds and airspace logistics that used to make this chaotic, so you can experience the full spectacle without needing years of local connections to get a good spot.
When it runs
The festival follows the lunar calendar and falls on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, typically mid-to-late November.
- Nov 24, 2026ExpectedYi Peng Lantern Festival 2026
Dates read confirmed where the organizer has published them, and expected where we've projected the recurrence. Always verify with the organizer before booking.
These dates aren't confirmed yet.
Nov 24, 2026 is our best read from the pattern, not an announcement. Leave your email and we'll message you the day the real dates land. One email, that's the whole deal.
What to expect
The festival follows the lunar calendar and falls on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, typically mid-to-late November. November sits at the start of Chiang Mai's cool, dry season, so evenings are comfortable and rain is unlikely. Ticketed mass-release events sell out; the free public floating and smaller neighborhood lantern releases happen throughout the city regardless.
Getting there & around
Fly into Chiang Mai International (CNX). Ticketed mass sky-lantern release events are held at dedicated grounds outside the old city and typically include transport, a lantern, dinner, and a fixed release time; book at least a month ahead as the festival week is Chiang Mai's highest-demand period of the year. The free river krathong-floating and smaller temple-organized lantern releases need no ticket and happen across the city on the same nights.
Where it happens
Chiang Mai, Thailand.
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