Where to join Loy Krathong and Yi Peng Festivals in Chiang Mai this year

Tha Pae Gate and the Old City

Tha Pae Gate is the eastern gate of Chiang Mai’s Old City and is one of the top spots to celebrate Loy Krathong and Yi Peng. The official festival runs from November 14-17, with preparation ceremonies starting the day before around the old city. 

Nov 13 is when the ceremonies begin, starting with a Candle Lighting Ceremony (Tam Phang Pa Teet Song Fa Haksa Muang) at the four corners of the moat, lit in synchrony at 5pm. Next, head to the Three Kings Monument for 6pm where a dharma sermon on the merits of offering candles, followed by a candle dance performance and procession to protect the city at 7pm. Demonstration booths on candle pouring and lantern-making will also be available at the Three Kings Monument. For more information visit Chiang Mai’s Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Facebook page. 

Nov 14 sees the official start to the festivals with the official Opening Ceremony at Thapae Gate, followed by the cute and surprisingly competitive Little Miss and Mister Yi Peng contest followed by an adult beauty pageant.  

Nov 16 is when the Royal Procession (also known locally as the Big Krathong Parade) takes place, leaving Thapae Gate at 6pm, heading down Thapae road, taking a left at the Ping River and ending at the Municipality Offices just past the white roundabout stupa.

Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh and other major Old City temples will also have a number of ceremonies and merit making events that you can join both day and night. 

This year, Mitt Studio is also offering guided lantern making workshops using traditional materials and techniques. The activities will teach you about the importance of the lantern in the Yi Peng festival, allowing you to infuse your lantern with personal messages and designs, with a choice of vibrant colours and patterns. In order to ensure lanterns don’t harm the environment, the studio will use only bamboo frames and rice paper for the structures that naturally decompose when they eventually return back to earth. Nov 13-14. 10am-1pm. B650 includes one complimentary drink and all materials. Location click here.

The recently renovated Mae Kha canal has become quite a tourist attraction in recent years, making for a perfect spot to celebrate Loy Krathong this year. With the canal walkways and markets bustling with people, expect to see a number of exciting activities and events that you can get involved in.

From Nov 14-17, the beautiful Mae Kha Canal lights up in what is dubbed this year as a Festival of Light. Activities include the Mae Kha Community Walk, where you can join local guides who share information about the city’s most historic canal district; Local handicraft workshops, where you can get hands-on making ethnic products and art pieces; and the Yi Peng Light Exhibition, a breathtaking light installation that illuminates the deep cultural connection between the canal and the traditions of Loy Krathong and Yi Peng. 

At the nearby Wat Chang Khong, you can also attend Mahavessantara Jataka sermons, view the special art exhibition ‘Vessantara Visits Chiang Mai City’, and join ‘Suy Dok’ workshops making traditional Lanna flower cones.

From Nov 14-16, you can witness Royal Firework displays at Sri Khong Temple Pier (opposite side of the river to the US Consulate) every evening at around 7pm. This year, the temple will also host a Light Sound and Multimedia show that’s best enjoyed after sunset. 

Alternatively, many restaurants and hotels along the river will set up makeshift jetties where you can choose to release your very own krathong onto the river. Just be sure not to use any plastic or non-biodegradable materials.

This is the big one. The photo you see when searching Google for ‘Lantern Festival Chiang Mai’. Tickets are quite expensive, and the event often sells out quite quickly. Shuttle services for ticket holders run from Maya Lifestyle Shopping Centre which take you to the venue. 

Starting at 6.30pm, the price of a ticket includes a Lanna Thai food buffet, non-alcoholic drinks and, of course, lanterns. At around 8pm, people are ushered to the ritual area next to a big pagoda where a drum and candle ceremony takes place, ending in the synchronised launching of thousands of lanterns and fireworks. 

Nov 15, 16. 6.30pm to 9pm. Tickets B4,600-15,000 and can be purchased here.

For those who don’t want to spend lots of money to release a paper lantern alongside thousands of other tourists, fear not! You too can enjoy the atmosphere of a mass lantern releasing event for free.

Travel 25km north of Chiang Mai Old City you’ll find Doi Saket, a small suburban town that hosts its own Yi Peng lantern festival at Phra Chao Luang Lotus Lake officially named Glow of the Lanna Lantern Festival. 

Head here any evening from November 15-18 and you can buy a lantern for about B50 a piece, find a beautiful lakeside spot and release your khom loy. You can also buy traditional kratoms to release onto the lake water. Nov 15-18. 6pm to 8pm. Free.