Are you coming for 2024 Loy Krathong, and Yee Peng Lantern Festivals? This 2024, the festivals will be celebrated from 14th to 17th November.

Read: 2024 Loy Krathong & Yee Peng Festival: 10 Places To Celebrate In Chiang Mai.

Read also: 5 Places for Mass Sky Lantern Release Events in Chiang Mai 2024.

The Loy Krathong and Yee Peng Lantern Festivals are probably the most charming festivals celebrated in the Kingdom of Thailand.

This is the time you will see twinkling lights wandering downriver, hanging from trees, buildings, and temples, and soaring high in the night sky.

Loy Krathong is a festival celebrated annually throughout Thailand on the full moon day of the 12th month of traditional Thai calendar.

While in Chiang Mai, Loy Krathong coincides with the Lanna (Northern Thai) festival of Yee Peng which falls on the full moon day of the 2nd month of traditional Lanna calendar. Yee Peng is mostly about lanterns hence the name The Lantern Festival, also known as The Festival of Lights.

In the western calendar of 2018, Chiang Mai will be celebrating Loy Krathong and Yee Peng Lantern Festivals from 20 to 23 November 2018.

Expectantly the city of Chiang Mai will be receiving hundreds of thousands of local and foreign tourists coming for this much anticipated annual festivals. The city will be absurdly packed and hotel rooms get snapped quickly by tourists.

It would be wise to plan your vacation trip ahead and book the necessary experience you want to have in advance. This is because the air ticket will be most expensive during the festival season, and without advance reservation, a train ticket to Chiang Mai might be difficult to get.

This article will tell you when and where you could go for the most lights, fun and joyful festivals celebration in the area of Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The best place to celebrate Loy Krathong and Yee Peng Lantern Festivals is around the city of Chiang Mai itself, and it is absolutely FREE.

Every year the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will announce an official schedule of activities for the celebration of Loy Krathong and Yee Peng in Chiang Mai, usually 1 month before the actual date.

Read The 2018 Official Events Schedule For Chiang Mai Loy Krathong and Yee Peng Festivals.

The entire festival of Loy Krathong and Yee Peng take place over three days, though there will be events scattered over five or six days.

The programmes include traditional dance show, the official “Yee Peng Parade” around the Old City, live music, pageant contest, fireworks display, respective ritual ceremonies etc.

The most happening place in Chiang Mai is around the river bank of Ping River. The area of Nawarat Bridge and the Iron Bridge are the best spots to watch the celebrations.

This is where the locals and tourists gather to release Krathong down the river and lanterns into the sky. If you like the crowd and party atmosphere this is the place to come.

You can purchase Krathong and lanterns from the vendors here, each cost between 30 to 100 Bahts depending on their sizes and designs.

As part of the festivals, there are plenty of other activities happening all over Chiang Mai. In the heart of the old city is where most of the activities take place. At Three Kings Monument, hundreds of dancers of all ages will be performing Lanna Traditional Dance at the opening ceremony of the festival.

If you don’t like the crowd a temple might be a better place for the spiritual factor and probably a little more organized. The surrounding gardens of Wat Phan Tao and the neighbouring Wat Chedi Luang will be decorated with hundreds of lanterns and lights for their outdoor ceremonies.

Tourists can also release lanterns at temples with big garden ground such as Wat Lok Moli and Wat Suan Dok.

Another popular place to release lantern is Tha Phae Gate, which is at the eastern side of the old city.

Tha Phae Gate is one of the most famous landmarks in Chiang Mai and the spacious public square is the site of many cultural activities and festivals celebration.

The area around the gate will be decorated and probably with a stage set up as this is where the Yee Peng Parade begins. This is definitely one of the best spots to feel the great vibes for the festivals and celebrations.

The lantern is made of thin rice paper stretched over a bamboo or wireframe which when ignited, traps the hot air from fuel cells and creates enough lift for the lantern to float up in the sky.

Please note that for air safety precautions, the date and time people allowed to release lanterns are regulated, typically from 7:00 p.m to 1:00 a.m, for two days.

The aviation authority will also advise airlines to avoid landing and taking off from Chiang Mai International Airport during this time, which in 2017 affected over 90 flights.

The celebrations of Yee Peng Lantern Festivals outside the city of Chiang Mai is equally blissful as the events of Mass Sky Lantern Release take place, but they are NOT FREE.

The highlight of Yee Peng Lantern Festival in Chiang Mai is, of course, the event of Mass Sky Lantern Release where thousands of lanterns are released simultaneously into the night sky.

Yup, that’s the moment captured in the emotional videos and Instagram photos that make people all around the world putting Chiang Mai in their bucket list for travel destinations and experience.

There are at least 5 different Mass Sky Lantern Release events of different sizes happening around the area of Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Please note that these are ticketed private events with no historical significance and they are not part of the official events announced by The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

The 4~5 hours’ programmes normally include cultural and religious activities as well as Buddhist ceremonies like the group prayers, meditation and monk procession. And then at the command of the organizer, everyone let go of their lanterns at the same time.

Ticket prices for these events could costs buyer anywhere from $90 (standard) to $350 (VIP). And due to their popularity, some of these events are held on both 22 and 23 November albeit with the same theme and activities.

Here are the 5 different venues around Chiang Mai where you can join the Mass Sky Lantern Release activities.

1. Yee Peng Lanna International (Maejo, at Sansai District)

This is the oldest and the most popular of all Mass Sky Lantern Release events happening in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It takes place at the temple ground of Lanna Dhutanka, behind Maejo University, at Sansai District.

Due to its extreme popularity, tickets to this event must be purchased in advance and it always sold-out very quickly. And even without a ticket, the locals and tourists still love to gather at the compound outside the event area, playing with lanterns and waiting to witness that amazing moment of thousands of lanterns floating in the sky.

YEE PENG LANNA INTERNATIONAL
Date: 22 November 2018
Location: Lanna Dhutanka, behind Maejo University, Sansai District.
Capacity: 4,000 people
Ticket Price: $170 ~ $370

2. Yee Peng Doi Saket (at Doi Saket Hotspring)

Doi Saket District is a rural farming area located about 30km east of Chiang Mai city. Yee Peng Doi Saket is held annually since 2006.

YEE PENG DOI SAKET
Date: 22 November 2018
Location: Doi Saket Hot Spring
Capacity: 2,400 people
Ticket Price: $90 ~ $150

3. Northern Study Centre (at Maerim District)

Chiang Mai Sky Lantern Festivals will be held for 2 nights at Northern Study Centre,15km north of Chiang Mai city.

NORTHERN STUDY CENTRE
Date: 22 and 23 November 2018
Location: Maerim
Capacity: 4,000 people
Ticket Price: $120 ~ $180

4. Cowboy Army Riding Club (at Maerim District)

This event will be held for 2 consecutive nights at Cowboy Army Riding Club,10km north of Chiang Mai city.

COWBOY ARMY RIDING CLUB
Date: 22 and 23 November 2018
Location: Maerim
Capacity: 4,000 people
Ticket Price: $90 ~ $120

5. Wat Doi Ti (at Lamphun)

Wat Doi Ti is located at the neighbouring province of Lamphun, which is a 30 minutes driving distance from Chiang Mai. Great choice if you want to explore the countryside beyond Chiang Mai.

Wat Doi Ti & Kruba Srivijaya Monument
Date: 22 November 2018
Location: Lamphun
Capacity: 750 people
Ticket Price: $90 ~ $120

Tickets for these events can be purchased from the local tour agencies at Chiang Mai city.

Typically the ticket price should include transportation to the event venue, dinner, lanterns and probably some souvenirs.

If you have to go there by yourself make sure you organize your transportation go and BACK to Chiang Mai city. This is because when everybody is leaving at the same time, the congested traffic renders it almost impossible to get public transport.

Swap contact with your driver and prearrange a pickup time as it can be a nightmare when leaving.

The easiest way is to arrange a chartered Songthaew. This shared taxi could hold up to 10 people. First time in Thailand? Read here about Riding A Songthaew Like A Local Thai People.