{"schema_version":"v1","type":"trip_article","slug":"loy-krathong-2026","locale":"en","canonical_url":"https://www.voucherdata.asia/en/trips/loy-krathong-2026","updated_at":"2026-10-13T15:00:00+00:00","headline":"Loy Krathong 2026: full moon on 24 November (est.) in Bangkok, Chiang Mai or Sukhothai","one_sentence_summary":"Loy Krathong 2026 is expected on Tuesday 24 November. Bangkok opened 33 city parks in 2025, Sukhothai Historical Park runs its festival on 15–24 November and Chiang Mai marks Yi Peng.","facts":[{"label":"Date","value":"Tuesday 24 November 2026 (estimated), the full moon of the twelfth Thai lunar month, subject to the Thai government announcement. The Thai calendar puts 2027 on Saturday 13 November.","source":"https://www.sanook.com/campus/910912/","sourceLabel":"sanook.com"},{"label":"Bangkok","value":"In 2025 the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) opened 33 parks in 21 districts until midnight. Foam krathongs, sky lanterns, fireworks, firecrackers and alcohol sales were banned inside.","source":"https://www.nationthailand.com/life/art-culture/40057138","sourceLabel":"nationthailand.com"},{"label":"Sukhothai","value":"The 2026 festival at Sukhothai Historical Park runs 15–24 November with a light-and-sound show at 7 pm nightly and an extra show at 8.30 pm on the 24th. Seats come in three tiers, 500, 900 and 1,200 baht, on sale from 20 May.","source":"https://thailand.go.th/event-detail/loy-krathong-burning-candles-and-playing-with-fire-festival-in-sukhothai","sourceLabel":"thailand.go.th"},{"label":"Chiang Mai","value":"Loy Krathong falls on the same night as the Lanna festival of Yi Peng. In 2025 the whole of Mueang Chiang Mai district was a no-release zone for sky lanterns.","source":"https://www.thaipbs.or.th/verify/en/content/7109","sourceLabel":"thaipbs.or.th"},{"label":"Krathong","value":"The traditional base is a slice of banana trunk (or spider lily), wrapped in folded banana leaf, with three incense sticks and a candle","source":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loy_Krathong","sourceLabel":"en.wikipedia.org"},{"label":"Bangkok clean-up","value":"In 2025 the BMA collected 391,027 krathongs from 110 locations: 82.76% natural materials, 10.01% bread and 7.23% foam. The 2024 total was 514,590.","source":"https://www.pattayamail.com/thailandnews/bangkok-sees-decline-in-krathongs-collected-during-2025-loy-krathong-festival-525346","sourceLabel":"pattayamail.com"}],"city_tabs":{"bangkok":{"title":"Bangkok","bullets":["In 2025 the BMA opened 33 city parks for floating krathongs, including Lumphini, Benjakitti and Rama VIII, until midnight","Foam krathongs, sky lanterns, fireworks, firecrackers and alcohol sales are banned in the parks","Bread krathongs are discouraged in closed ponds, and the BMA promotes \"one family, one krathong\""],"source":"https://www.nationthailand.com/life/art-culture/40057138","sourceLabel":"nationthailand.com"},"sukhothai":{"title":"Sukhothai","bullets":["The festival is held in Sukhothai Historical Park, on 15–24 November in 2026","The light-and-sound show starts at 7 pm nightly and needs a ticket, with an extra 8.30 pm show on 24 November","Its name, Phao Thian Len Fai, means lighting candles and playing with fire"],"source":"https://thailand.go.th/event-detail/loy-krathong-burning-candles-and-playing-with-fire-festival-in-sukhothai","sourceLabel":"thailand.go.th"},"chiang_mai":{"title":"Chiang Mai","bullets":["Loy Krathong coincides with Yi Peng, and krathongs are mostly floated on the Ping River","In 2025 all of Mueang district was a no-release zone, so sky lanterns went up only at licensed events outside it","In 2025 an unlicensed release carried up to five years in prison, a fine of up to 200,000 baht, or both"],"source":"https://www.thaipbs.or.th/verify/en/content/7109","sourceLabel":"thaipbs.or.th"}},"faq":[{"q":"When is Loy Krathong 2026?","a":"It is expected on Tuesday 24 November. Loy Krathong falls on the full-moon night of the twelfth Thai lunar month, usually in November. The Thai calendar puts 2027 on Saturday 13 November.","sources":["https://www.sanook.com/campus/910912/","https://calendar.kapook.com/2570/november"]},{"q":"How do Chiang Mai, Sukhothai and Bangkok differ?","a":"Bangkok floats krathongs in city parks and on the Chao Phraya, with foam and sky lanterns banned in the parks. Sukhothai runs a ten-day festival in its historical park with a ticketed show. Chiang Mai marks Yi Peng the same night, with Lanna lanterns and parades, and sky lanterns only at licensed events.","sources":["https://www.nationthailand.com/life/art-culture/40057138","https://thailand.go.th/event-detail/loy-krathong-burning-candles-and-playing-with-fire-festival-in-sukhothai","https://www.thaipbs.or.th/verify/en/content/7109"]},{"q":"Where do you buy a krathong, and which kind?","a":"Stalls by the river and at park gates sell them, or you can make one from banana trunk and banana leaves. Foam krathongs are banned in Bangkok's city parks, and bread ones are discouraged in closed ponds because leftover food pollutes the water.","sources":["https://www.nationthailand.com/life/art-culture/40057138"]},{"q":"What about sky lanterns in Chiang Mai?","a":"In 2025 the whole of Mueang Chiang Mai district was a no-release zone, and lanterns could go up only at licensed events outside it. An unlicensed release carried up to five years in prison or a 200,000-baht fine.","sources":["https://www.thaipbs.or.th/verify/en/content/7109"]},{"q":"What does floating a krathong mean?","a":"The usual explanation is thanks to the water goddess Phra Mae Khongkha, and an apology for polluting the water. The best-known origin story credits Nang Noppamas, a Sukhothai royal consort, with the first krathong, but historians think the tale was written in the early 19th century, in the Bangkok period.","sources":["https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loy_Krathong"]},{"q":"Do you need a ticket for the Sukhothai show?","a":"Yes. Seats for the light-and-sound show at Sukhothai Historical Park come in three tiers. Sales for 2026 opened on 20 May, and the 2025 seats were sold through Thai Ticket Major.","sources":["https://thailand.go.th/event-detail/loy-krathong-burning-candles-and-playing-with-fire-festival-in-sukhothai","https://www.thaiticketmajor.com/performance/gaan-sadaeng-sang-siang-ngaan-loi-gra-tong-pao-tiian-len-fai-jang-wat-su-koh-tai-2568.html"]}],"sources":["https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loy_Krathong","https://www.sanook.com/campus/910912/","https://calendar.kapook.com/2570/november","https://www.nationthailand.com/life/art-culture/40057138","https://www.pattayamail.com/thailandnews/bangkok-sees-decline-in-krathongs-collected-during-2025-loy-krathong-festival-525346","https://thailand.go.th/event-detail/loy-krathong-burning-candles-and-playing-with-fire-festival-in-sukhothai","https://thailand.prd.go.th/en/content/category/detail/id/2078/iid/435123","https://www.thaipbs.or.th/verify/en/content/7109","https://thailandfoundation.or.th/518234-v2/","https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/574","https://www.thaiticketmajor.com/performance/gaan-sadaeng-sang-siang-ngaan-loi-gra-tong-pao-tiian-len-fai-jang-wat-su-koh-tai-2568.html"],"key_takeaways":[{"text":"Loy Krathong is the full-moon night of the twelfth Thai month: it should fall on Tuesday 24 November 2026 and Saturday 13 November 2027.","date":"2026-11-24","scope":"festival","source_url":"https://www.sanook.com/campus/910912/","source_label":"sanook.com"},{"text":"In 2025 Bangkok opened 33 city parks until midnight and banned foam krathongs, sky lanterns, fireworks and alcohol sales inside them.","date":"2026-11-24","scope":"festival","source_url":"https://www.nationthailand.com/life/art-culture/40057138","source_label":"nationthailand.com"},{"text":"Sukhothai Historical Park holds its festival on 15–24 November 2026, with a ticketed light-and-sound show every night at 7 pm.","date":"2026-11-24","scope":"festival","source_url":"https://thailand.go.th/event-detail/loy-krathong-burning-candles-and-playing-with-fire-festival-in-sukhothai","source_label":"thailand.go.th"}],"reading_outline":[{"id":"executive-summary","label":"Summary"},{"id":"facts","label":"Key facts"},{"id":"city-routes","label":"Places and routes"},{"id":"faq","label":"FAQ"},{"id":"planning","label":"Trip planning"}],"topic":{"chain":["trips","thailand-festivals","loy-krathong","loy-krathong-2026"]},"status":"published","hero_image":{"src":"/hero/loy-krathong-2026.webp","alt":"Loy Krathong 2026: full moon on 24 November (est.) in Bangkok, Chiang Mai or Sukhothai"},"editorial":{"tagline":"Bangkok collected 391,027 krathongs the day after Loy Krathong 2025","paragraphs":["A traditional krathong is built on a slice of banana trunk, wrapped in folded banana leaf and fitted with three incense sticks and a candle. These small rafts go into rivers, canals and park ponds on the full-moon night of the twelfth Thai lunar month.","The usual explanation is thanks to the water goddess Phra Mae Khongkha, and an apology for dirtying the water. The most familiar origin story says Nang Noppamas, a Sukhothai royal consort, made the first krathong. Historians point out that the tale was probably written in the early 19th century and that there is no evidence she existed. What Sukhothai does have on record is Ramkhamhaeng Inscription No. 1, which calls Phao Thian Len Fai, the lighting of candles and playing with fire, the city's greatest celebration.","In Bangkok the krathongs go into city parks and the river. In 2025 the city opened 33 parks in 21 districts until midnight and banned foam krathongs, sky lanterns, fireworks, firecrackers and alcohol sales inside them. The next day the BMA counted 391,027 krathongs collected from 110 locations, 82.76% of them made from natural materials and 7.23% from foam.","Sukhothai Historical Park stretches the theme over ten days, ending on the full-moon night in 2026, with a light-and-sound show each night. Chiang Mai marks the same night as Yi Peng, and since 2025 the whole of Mueang district has been closed to sky lanterns. Sukhothai holds its festival among the ruins of the old capital, the city whose Inscription No. 1 named the lighting of candles and playing with fire as its greatest celebration."]},"guide":{"lede":"The rules differ by city: Bangkok's parks are free and open until midnight, Sukhothai's show needs a ticket, and since 2025 all of Mueang Chiang Mai has been closed to sky lanterns.","sections":[{"heading":"Date: Tuesday 24 November 2026 (est.)","body":"Loy Krathong follows the **full moon of the twelfth Thai lunar month**, which usually lands in November. **In 2026 it is expected on Tuesday 24 November.** The Thai calendar puts 2027 on **Saturday 13 November**.\n\nEvents run longer than one night in some places. Sukhothai Historical Park's festival lasts ten days, and Chiang Mai's Yi Peng is expected on 24–25 November."},{"heading":"Choosing between the three","body":"**Bangkok**: float a krathong in a city park pond or on the Chao Phraya. The parks are free and open until midnight, which suits a single evening fitted around a city trip.\n\n**Sukhothai**: a ten-day festival in the historical park, a ticketed show at night and the ruins to explore by day.\n\n**Chiang Mai**: the same night is Yi Peng, with Lanna paper lanterns, clay lamps and parades in the old city. Sky lanterns go up only at licensed events outside the no-release zone."},{"heading":"Bangkok: rules in the city parks","body":"In 2025 the BMA opened 33 parks in 21 districts for Loy Krathong, including Lumphini, Benjakitti, Chatuchak and Rama VIII, at their usual opening times and until midnight.\n\nFoam krathongs are banned inside, as are sky lanterns, fireworks, firecrackers and alcohol sales, and offenders face legal action. If you can't go out, the city's online krathong site greener.bangkok.go.th was open from 5 am to midnight on the day."},{"heading":"Sukhothai: the historical park festival and tickets","body":"The 2026 festival (Loy Krathong Phao Thian Len Fai) is held in Sukhothai Historical Park on **15–24 November**. The light-and-sound show starts at 7 pm nightly, with an extra show at 8.30 pm on 24 November. The thailand.go.th listing gives three seat tiers of 500, 900 and 1,200 baht. Sales for 2026 opened on 20 May. In 2025 the seats were sold through Thai Ticket Major, with Sukhothai Province and a local social enterprise as organisers.\n\nThe 2025 programme included krathong and hanging-lantern contests, the light-and-sound show, candle lighting, fireworks, khon masked dance and a traditional market."},{"heading":"Chiang Mai: the same night as Yi Peng","body":"In Chiang Mai, Loy Krathong overlaps with the Lanna festival of Yi Peng, and krathongs are mostly floated on the Ping River.\n\nIn 2025 the whole of Mueang Chiang Mai district was a no-release zone. To release a sky lantern you have to book a licensed event outside it. In 2025 licensed sites could release lanterns from 7 pm to 1 am on 5–6 November, and an unlicensed release carried up to five years in prison or a 200,000-baht fine."},{"heading":"Choosing or making a krathong","body":"A traditional krathong sits on a slice of banana trunk or spider lily, wrapped in folded banana leaf, with three incense sticks and a candle. Stalls by the water sell ready-made ones, or you can buy the materials and make your own.\n\nFoam krathongs are banned in Bangkok's city parks. Bread krathongs can be eaten by fish in a river, but in a closed park pond the leftovers pollute the water, so the city discourages them. The BMA has been promoting \"one family, one krathong\" to cut down what it collects the next day."},{"heading":"Safety by the water","body":"On the full-moon night the riverbanks, bridges and park ponds are at their busiest, the candles are open flames and the ground by the water can be slippery. With children or older relatives, pick a stretch with a railing and good lighting, keep the group back from the edge and let one person crouch down to float the krathong."},{"heading":"Side trips: Sukhothai Historical Park and old Chiang Mai","body":"**Sukhothai**: the historical park was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991 together with Si Satchanalai and Kamphaeng Phet, as the Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns. Renting a bicycle is the easy way round the ruins by day.\n\n**Chiang Mai**: Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh in the old city and Wat Phra That Doi Suthep on the mountain can fill a day or two beyond the festival night."}]},"kind":"festival","available_locales":["zh-TW","en","th","id"],"event_start_date":"2026-11-24","event_end_date":"2026-11-24","dates_estimated":true,"next_edition":{"start_date":"2027-11-13","end_date":"2027-11-13","estimated":true,"source":"https://calendar.kapook.com/2570/november"},"offers":[{"id":"bkk-mahanakhon","title":{"zh-TW":"曼谷王權 Mahanakhon SkyWalk 觀景台門票","en":"King Power Mahanakhon SkyWalk ticket, Bangkok","th":"ตั๋วคิงเพาเวอร์ มหานคร สกายวอล์ก กรุงเทพฯ","id":"Tiket King Power Mahanakhon SkyWalk, Bangkok"},"merchant":"klook","utility":"ticket","landing_url":"https://www.voucherdata.asia/go/loy-krathong-2026?o=bkk-mahanakhon&locale=en&src=data","checked_at":"2026-10-14"},{"id":"bkk-white-orchid","title":{"zh-TW":"昭披耶河白蘭花號遊船（含自助晚餐）","en":"White Orchid dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya","th":"ล่องเรือไวท์ออร์คิดแม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา พร้อมบุฟเฟต์มื้อค่ำ","id":"Pesiar makan malam White Orchid di Sungai Chao Phraya"},"merchant":"klook","utility":"experience","landing_url":"https://www.voucherdata.asia/go/loy-krathong-2026?o=bkk-white-orchid&locale=en&src=data","checked_at":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"cm-doi-suthep","title":{"zh-TW":"素帖山與帕拉寺日出半日遊","en":"Doi Suthep & Wat Pha Lat sunrise half-day","th":"ทัวร์ครึ่งวันดอยสุเทพและวัดผาลาดยามเช้า","id":"Tur setengah hari Doi Suthep & Wat Pha Lat saat matahari terbit"},"merchant":"klook","utility":"experience","landing_url":"https://www.voucherdata.asia/go/loy-krathong-2026?o=cm-doi-suthep&locale=en&src=data","checked_at":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"ayutthaya-sunset-boat","title":{"zh-TW":"大城寺廟一日遊（含日落遊船）","en":"Ayutthaya temples day tour with sunset boat","th":"ทัวร์วัดอยุธยาวันเดียว พร้อมล่องเรือชมพระอาทิตย์ตก","id":"Tur sehari kuil Ayutthaya dengan perahu senja"},"merchant":"klook","utility":"experience","landing_url":"https://www.voucherdata.asia/go/loy-krathong-2026?o=ayutthaya-sunset-boat&locale=en&src=data","checked_at":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"th-esim","title":{"zh-TW":"泰國 5G eSIM（AIS）","en":"Thailand 5G eSIM (AIS)","th":"eSIM 5G ประเทศไทย (AIS)","id":"eSIM 5G Thailand (AIS)"},"merchant":"klook","utility":"esim","landing_url":"https://www.voucherdata.asia/go/loy-krathong-2026?o=th-esim&locale=en&src=data","checked_at":"2026-10-13"}]}