In 2025, no lantern was allowed to rise over the old city

Lanna lanterns come in several kinds: khom kwaen hung at gates and temples, hand-carried khom thuea shaped like rabbit ears or lotus petals, khom phad that turn in the heat of the candle, and khom loy that rise into the sky. On the third night, temples, houses and streets are lit with small clay lamps called phang prateep. The Thailand Foundation describes them as a way of thanking everything that protects and supports a household.

In 2025 Chiang Mai's Lanna light festival ran from 3 to 6 November, with the full moon on the 5th. On the 3rd, tens of thousands of clay lamps were lit along the moat and more than 500 dancers processed from Tha Phae Gate along Ratchadamnoen and Phra Pokklao roads to the Three Kings Monument. Chiang Mai Municipality's grand Yi Peng parade started at 6 pm on the 6th.

Sky-lantern rules tightened in 2025. The province declared a no-release zone covering all of Mueang Chiang Mai and Hang Dong districts and parts of Saraphi, San Sai, Mae Rim and San Pa Tong, 39 subdistricts in all, with the old city entirely inside it. What the old city could still light were lanterns that stay put: khom kwaen hung at doorways and temples, hand-held khom thuea, and the clay lamps along the moat.