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Chiang Mai Lantern Festival 2026: Yi Peng dates, tickets, and where to watch
The Chiang Mai Lantern Festival 2026 runs November 24–25. Here's when to go, where to watch or release lanterns ticket prices, and travel tips!
Chiang Mai’s Lantern Festival is the most popular place in Thailand to experience Yi Peng and Loy Krathong together: sky lanterns, candlelit krathongs on the Ping River, temple ceremonies, parades, and lantern displays across the Old City.
For 2026, the main confirmed ticketed sky-lantern event, the CAD Khomloy Sky Lantern Festival, is scheduled for November 24–25, 2026. If you want to join a large-scale lantern release, plan for a paid event outside central Chiang Mai. If you prefer the city atmosphere, base yourself around Tha Phae Gate, Nawarat Bridge, the Ping River, and Old City temples.
This guide covers the 2026 festival dates, ticket prices, where to watch for free, where you can legally release a lantern, and how to stay connected during the busiest nights in Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai Lantern Festival at a glance
| Item | Note |
|---|---|
| Main dates | November 24–25, 2026 |
| CAD ticket prices | 4,900–15,900 THB, depending on seating tier |
| Best free viewing spots | Tha Phae Gate, Nawarat Bridge, the Ping River, and Old City temples |
What is the Chiang Mai Lantern Festival?
Chiang Mai’s lantern festival is actually two related celebrations happening at once. Yi Peng is the northern Thai festival where you’ll see khom loi (paper sky lanterns) released into the night sky. Loy Krathong is the nationwide festival celebrated at the same time, where krathongs (small candlelit floats made from banana leaves) are set adrift on the river.
Both festivals are tied to the idea of letting go of bad luck and making space for a better year ahead. Releasing a khom loi lantern is a wish sent skyward; floating a krathong is an offering to the river and a prayer for good luck.
In Chiang Mai, the two festivals overlap almost entirely, so you’ll see both lanterns overhead and krathongs on the water on the same nights.
When is the Chiang Mai Lantern Festival in 2026?
The festival follows the full moon in November, considered in Thai Buddhism to be the most auspicious night of the year for releasing bad luck and making wishes for the future.
For 2026, the CAD Khomloy Sky Lantern Festival is scheduled for November 24–25, with event sessions running from 1:30 pm to 9:30 pm on both days. Tickets currently range from 4,900 to 15,900 THB, depending on the seating tier and package.
Loy Krathong celebrations coincide with this window nationwide, worth a quick check closer to your trip, since the exact date shifts each year with the lunar calendar. If you’re mapping this against the rest of your itinerary, see our guide on when to visit Thailand.
Where to watch the Chiang Mai Lantern Festival?
Chiang Mai’s lantern festival is one of the most memorable things to do in Thailand, and knowing where to go makes a real difference to your night.
Nawarat Bridge is the most popular viewing spot, with the Ping River reflecting the lantern light and carrying illuminated krathongs downstream. It’s scenic but crowded — arrive early if you want a clear view or good photos.
If you plan to release a lantern yourself, read the rules in the next section first, since restrictions apply within the city. From there, many people continue on to Tha Phae Gate, where the festival spills into parades, performances, and street food.
If you want to be sure you’ll see a large-scale lantern release, ticketed events at Mae Jo University and the CAD Cultural Center are your best bet. Thousands of lanterns are released together, accompanied by cultural performances and a buffet dinner. While these events are more organized and expensive than joining a local release, they also take the guesswork out of the experience.
If you’d rather skip the ticketed crowds, temples in Chiang Mai’s Old City, such as Wat Phan Tao and Wat Phra Singh, offer a quieter side of the festival, with lantern displays, blessings, and traditional ceremonies.
How to release a lantern?
First, the rule that matters most: you can’t release a sky lantern wherever you like in Chiang Mai. Releases are banned in the Old City, around Tha Phae Gate, and throughout the city centre — a restriction driven by aviation safety, since the city sits close to Chiang Mai International Airport.
The safest way to release a sky lantern is at an approved ticketed event, such as CAD Cultural Center, where the venue controls the timing, location, and safety instructions. In central Chiang Mai, plan to watch the celebrations rather than release a lantern yourself.
At approved events, lanterns are usually included with your ticket. Write your wish on the lantern, light it when the ceremony begins, and let it go with everyone else. Give yourself a moment before releasing it — most people describe that pause, and the lantern slowly lifting away, as the most memorable part of the night.
A few practical points to keep in mind:
- Avoid lanterns sold informally on the street. Releasing one outside an authorised venue can put you on the wrong side of local regulations.
- Follow the venue’s instructions on when and where to light your lantern.
- Be mindful of local customs and respect the beliefs of those around you. This is a deeply spiritual celebration for many, not just a visual spectacle.
Beyond the lanterns
The magic of the Yi Peng festival doesn’t stop at the lanterns. Chiang Mai’s Old City (the city center) transforms into a luminous festival village, complete with parades, live music, cultural performances, and, of course, an endless array of delicious Thai food.
Everywhere you look, there’s movement, color, and joy, so don’t be in a rush to leave after releasing your lantern. Tuck into some mouthwatering satay skewers or mango sticky rice and embrace the sensory overload of this iconic Thai festival!
Here are some additional tips for making the most of the Chiang Mai lantern festival 2026:
- Arrive early (before 6 pm) if you want a good spot for the mass release, which usually happens around 7 pm.
- Book your flights and hotels well in advance. The Chiang Mai lantern festival is incredibly popular, so if you wait too long to book, you might find every seat gone and the best hotels already full.
- Pack smart. When packing for your Thailand trip, bring mosquito repellent, a portable power bank, comfortable shoes, and, if you’re visiting temples, dress respectfully with clothing that covers your shoulders and knees.
- Don’t skip travel insurance. Having travel insurance for Thailand gives you peace of mind if you need to cancel your trip at the last minute, your flight gets delayed, or you run into an accident while navigating the crowded streets.
- Put the camera down every once in a while and enjoy the atmosphere. Your memories will shine brighter than any Instagram shot!
- If you’re building a longer Thailand itinerary around the festival, Chiang Mai’s other major celebration, Songkran, is worth knowing about too — it falls in April and is Thailand’s water festival.
Stay connected during the Chiang Mai lantern festival with Holafly
With thousands of people flooding into Chiang Mai for the lantern festival, the streets get crowded fast, and it’s surprisingly easy to lose your mates in the sea of lanterns.
Having reliable data makes all the difference. With a Holafly eSIM for Thailand, you get instant cellular connection with no roaming surprises, so you can find your friends, navigate the best viewing spots, and share awe-inspiring photos in real-time.
The festival ends, but your connection doesn’t have to. With Always On: 1 GB of monthly backup data, your Holafly eSIM keeps working after your plan runs out — just leave it installed and 1 GB of backup data tops up automatically, at no extra cost!
Peace of mind before you fly
Set up your eSIM before travel and get unlimited data on arrival.
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Hi, I'm Mika, a South Korean writer living in the US. I cover travel and live events, focusing on the practical stuff that makes your trip smoother, whether you're navigating a new city or heading to a major international event.I'm also the founder of Search SEOul, South Korea's leading SEO conference, bringing together search marketing experts and speakers from around the world.
