Loy Krathong 2026

'Loy' means to float, and a krathong is the vessel you float. The festival thanks Phra Mae Khongkha, the goddess of the waters (the Ganges in Hindu belief, the source of the name), and asks forgiveness for using and polluting the water through the year. In the Buddhist reading, setting the krathong adrift means letting go of anger, grudges and bad luck, which is why some people tuck a strand of hair or a nail clipping into theirs. Buddhist tradition also connects the offerings to the Buddha's relics, to the monk Upagupta, and, as a popular belief has it, to a footprint the Buddha left on the bank of a river in India.

On the night, families and couples go to the water after dark, light the candle and incense, make a wish and lower the krathong onto the water. Couples who float one together are said to stay together. Temples hold ceremonies, towns stage parades, and beauty contests crown a Nang Noppamas, the festival's legendary first queen.

Thai tradition traces Loy Krathong to Sukhothai, the first Thai kingdom, in the 13th century, where Nang Noppamas, a consort of the king, is said to have made the first lotus-shaped krathong. That story comes from a text called Tamrap Thao Si Chulalak, which Prince Damrong, the founder of Thai history writing, dated to the reign of King Rama III in the 1830s and 1840s, and historians Pasuk Phongpaichit and Chris Baker describe it as a literary fiction of the Bangkok period. Floating offerings on water are far older than that, and the festival in its modern, national form took shape in the 20th century. None of that makes Sukhothai any less magical on the night.

Stalls sell krathongs near every river, canal and park on the day, from about ฿20 for a simple banana-leaf one to a few hundred baht for elaborate designs; buy a natural one rather than foam. Temples and hotels often run krathong-making sessions in the days before, and it's easy to make your own in 15–30 minutes.

To make one, cut a slice of banana trunk about 3–5 cm thick for the base. Fold strips of banana leaf into small double triangles and pin a ring of them around the edge with toothpicks or pins, then add a second, offset ring above it. Pin flowers, usually marigolds and orchids, across the top. Stand a candle and three incense sticks in the center. If you like, add a strand of hair or a nail clipping for letting go. Bangkok's governor has asked people not to add coins, since children dive into rivers to retrieve them, which is how some of the festival's drownings happen.

Bangkok celebrates on the full-moon night itself. In 2025 the Bangkok River Festival ran over the three nights around it on nine piers along the Chao Phraya, including Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Wat Rakhang, Tha Maharaj, Asiatique and SookSiam at ICONSIAM, with krathongs floated into closed basins rather than the open river. Hotels and cruise operators sell Loy Krathong dinner cruises with the riverbanks lit up, which is the easy way to see the river side of the festival. The 2026 river program hadn't been announced when this was written.

The city's parks are the calmer option. In 2025 Bangkok kept 33 parks open until midnight for the festival, including Lumphini, Benjakitti, Chatuchak and Santichaiprakarn, and set out more than a hundred official floating points across the city. Park rules banned foam krathongs, sky lanterns, fireworks, firecrackers and alcohol sales, discouraged bread krathongs and asked for one krathong per family. Lumphini and Benjakitti are both a short walk from the MRT, which beats a taxi on the night.

Sukhothai's festival is the one to travel for after Chiang Mai. In 2026 it runs from 15 to 24 November in the historical park, with candles and lamps among the ruins, krathongs on the temple ponds and a light-and-sound show nightly at 19:00, plus an extra 20:30 show on the full-moon night. Show tickets are ฿500, ฿900 and ฿1,200, sold through the festival's LINE account (@ST2026). Rooms in New Sukhothai and near the park are limited, so book early.

Ayutthaya, an easy trip from Bangkok, held its 2025 festival around Wat Phra Ram in the historical park over five nights. In Tak, on the Ping river in the west, the Krathong Sai festival floats long chains of small coconut-shell krathongs that drift downstream as lines of light; its 2026 dates hadn't been announced. Amphawa in Samut Songkhram celebrates with banana-trunk krathongs at its temples and riverside park, which pairs well with the floating night market. In Phuket the main gathering is at Saphan Hin park in Phuket Town.

In Chiang Mai the same full moon is Yi Peng, the northern lantern festival, and the city celebrates on 23–25 November 2026 with candles around the moat, krathongs on the Ping at Nawarat Bridge and a grand procession on the 25th. The famous mass lantern releases are ticketed events outside the city, because releasing lanterns in Chiang Mai is banned. The Chiang Mai lantern festival guide has the night-by-night plan, the tickets and the rules. On Koh Phangan, the Full Moon Party falls on the same night.

The festival is gentle, but the crowds and the water need some care. Thailand's police warn every year about fireworks, firecrackers and lanterns in crowds, floating from crowded or unsafe banks, drinking and driving, and krathongs that harm the river. Riverbank steps get slippery, so float from a pier or official point rather than leaning out over the water, and keep children close. Drownings around the festival are a real risk; health ministry figures counted about a dozen a year between 2017 and 2021, often linked to alcohol or to children diving for coins. Agree a meeting point with your group, keep your phone and wallet zipped away in the crowds, and cover your shoulders and knees at temple ceremonies.