News
Yi Peng & Loy Krathong 2026: Dates, Events and What to Know
Chiang Mai's lantern festivals are approaching. Here are the 2026 dates, the main ticketed and free events, and practical tips for seeing them well.
7 Sept 2026
Events
Chiang Mai Festivals & the Annual Events Calendar
The central hub for Chiang Mai's festivals and annual events cycle — the Yi Peng and Loy Krathong lantern festivals, Songkran, and how the seasons shape the best time to visit.
In this section
What's in our Festivals coverage
The lantern festivals
Yi Peng and Loy Krathong explained, including what's ticketed, what's free, and how to see them well.
Songkran in Chiang Mai
The country's biggest water festival at its most intense, and how to enjoy it or avoid it.
The seasonal cycle
Cool, hot, green and smoke seasons — what each month is actually like and when to come.
What's on now
Our rolling News & Updates feed carries dated event coverage as it's confirmed.
The year in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai runs on a strong annual rhythm, and knowing it changes how you plan almost everything — when to visit, when to travel, when to book accommodation months ahead and when you can walk in.
This hub sets out that cycle, plus proper guides to the two festivals that define it.
Yi Peng and Loy Krathong
The lantern festivals are the reason Chiang Mai fills up in November. Loy Krathong is celebrated across Thailand: banana-leaf floats carrying candles and incense are released onto rivers and ponds as an act of letting go. Yi Peng is specifically Lanna: thousands of paper lanterns released into the night sky.
Because both fall together here, Chiang Mai gets the version of the festival everyone has seen photographs of.
Practical framing:
- The large organised mass lantern releases are ticketed, expensive and sold well in advance.
- The free celebrations along the Ping River, around Tha Phae Gate and in the Old City are what most residents actually do, and they’re excellent.
- Accommodation prices spike. Book early or stay outside the centre.
- Dates move with the lunar calendar. We publish confirmed dates in the News & Updates feed each year.
Songkran
Songkran, Thai new year in mid-April, is a three-day water festival, and Chiang Mai does it more intensely than anywhere else in the country. The moat becomes the world’s largest water fight.
It’s genuinely joyful and completely inescapable if you’re in the centre. Waterproof your phone, expect to be soaked from the moment you leave the door, and plan around it rather than through it if that’s not your thing.
Note the overlap with burning season: April is both the water festival and often the tail of the smoke. Our air quality hub covers what that means in practice.
The seasons
| Season | Months | What it’s like |
|---|---|---|
| Cool season | Nov–Feb | Dry, mild, clear. The best months, and the busiest. |
| Smoke season | Feb–Apr | Hot and hazy. See our air quality hub before booking. |
| Hot season | Apr–May | Genuinely hot. Songkran falls here. |
| Green season | Jun–Oct | Afternoon rain, lush landscape, quiet, cheapest. |
The burning season caveat is the single most important thing a first-time visitor can know: if you’re choosing between March and November, choose November.
Beyond the big festivals, the city has a steady calendar of temple fairs, markets, the weekly walking street events and a growing arts and music scene. Dated coverage of what’s coming up lives in our News & Updates feed rather than here, so that this hub stays useful year after year.
Guides
Festivals guides
Every evergreen guide we've published on festivals & events calendar in Chiang Mai.
How often
Chiang Mai Seasons: When to Visit
When to visit Chiang Mai — the cool, hot and green seasons, the burning-season caveat, and how festivals shape the best time to come.
6 min read
What to expect
Songkran in Chiang Mai Guide
A guide to Songkran in Chiang Mai — dates, the main water-fight zones around the moat, what to expect, safety and how to stay dry.
6 min read
What to expect
Yi Peng & Loy Krathong Lantern Festival Guide
A guide to Chiang Mai's Yi Peng and Loy Krathong lantern festivals — dates, where to watch, ticketed vs free events, etiquette and photography.
6 min read
News & updates
Recent coverage
Got questions?
Festivals: common questions
What is the difference between Yi Peng and Loy Krathong?
They're two festivals that fall at the same time. Loy Krathong is the national festival where decorated floats are released onto water. Yi Peng is the Lanna festival where paper lanterns are released into the sky. Chiang Mai is the main place both happen together, which is why it draws the crowds it does.
When is Yi Peng held?
It follows the lunar calendar, falling on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month — usually in November, with the exact dates shifting each year. We publish confirmed dates and event details in our News & Updates feed as they're announced.
Is Songkran in Chiang Mai worth experiencing?
If you like the idea of a citywide water fight lasting several days, it's one of the best places on earth to be. If you don't, book accommodation away from the moat and plan quiet days. There's no middle ground during Songkran in Chiang Mai.
What is the best time of year to visit Chiang Mai?
November to February — cool, dry, clear and the festival season. March and April bring both the worst air quality and the hottest weather. The green season from June to October is wet but lush, quiet and much cheaper.
Do I need tickets for the lantern release?
For the large organised mass releases, yes, and they sell out well in advance at significant cost. The free community celebrations around the Old City and the river are more atmospheric and cost nothing, which is what most residents do.
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