Loy Krathong is a festival in Thailand that is celebrated throughout the country on the full moon of the 12th month of the traditional lunar calendar. During this time, you can get a real glimpse of Thai cultural history. Loy Krathong festival 2024 will be held on 15 November with celebrations a few days before and after the full moon.
The Loy Krathong festival is an opportunity for locals to express their respect and gratitude to the water god Phra Mae Khongkha for providing abundant water source for the people. The way of Loy Krathong celebration is slightly different in each region of Thailand but the riversides all around the country fill up with the lights from thousands of candles twinkling on the water.
Here's the list of the best places to celebrate Loy Krathong festival 2024 in Thailand.
Loy Krathong Festival in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is the most popular place for Loy Krathong Festival celebration in Thailand.
Loy Krathong and Yee Peng Lantern Festival 2024
Date: 15-16 November 2024
Chiang Mai offers an exciting and unique experience that you should definitely see at least once in a lifetime. Loy Krathong in Chiang Mai is celebrated together with the Yee Peng (also called Yi Peng) Festival which is also known as Thailand Lantern Festival. Normally, during Yee Peng Festival people light up Lanna-style hot-air lanterns (called khom loi or khom lui) and launch them into the sky.
The most popular place for locals and tourists to celebrate Loy Krathong and Yee Peng in Chiang Mai is on the riverside of the Ping River. The areas around Nawarat Bridge and the Iron Bridge are the best spots for releasing Krathongs to the river and lanterns into the sky. You will even see the houses and public places decorated with showy colored lanterns during this holiday. You can also dress up in traditional Lanna style to visit the Yi Peng Festival.
The Heaven Lantern Festival 2024
Date: 15-16 November 2024
The Heaven Lantern Festival in Chiang Mai is the place where you can discover local Thai traditions and indulge your senses with brightly-lit lanterns floating in the sky and on the water, as well as with a local Thai dinner. The Heaven Lantern 2024 festival will be taking place at Suansawan (The Garden), Mae Taeng, Chiang Mai.
At the event venue visitors will find various exciting activities, including visiting the Yi Peng (or Sky Lantern) Pavilion. Visitors are invited to engage in cultural activities, and taste delicious local food and drinks while observing the countless lanterns glimmering in the sky. Guests can immerse in the event, enjoy Thai Lanna art performances and even make their own Lanna Lantern in a fun workshop activity.
The festival also gives a chance to sample local cuisine from a retro Lanna-style food market while celebrating the famous floating lantern festival in Thailand, Loy Krathong (also known as the 'Festival of Lights'). As the evening begins, festival visitors can enjoy a tasty hour-long Khan Toke buffet dinner, accompanied by an intimate show on a small stage.
To complete the evening, in the courtyard of the event venue visitors will be mesmerized by a captivating light, sound, and ‘Spirit of Faith’ show set in the middle of the lake and will experience the beauty of the Sky Lantern release into the night sky.
For ticket price comparison, also check The Heaven Lantern Festival 2024 tickets.
Chiang Mai Heritage Sky Lanterns Festival 2024
Date: 15 November 2024
Experience this year's enchanting Yee Peng Chiang Mai Lantern Festival: A Night to Remember. Step into the heart of northern Thai culture with this captivating event that weaves tradition, culinary delights, and cultural immersion into an unforgettable night at Chiang Mai Heritage Sky Lanterns Festival 2024. Explore local crafts and learn the art of lantern making. Forge connections to age-old customs, and feast your senses at the Kae Mour Traditional Market. Eat Northern Thai dishes, snacks, and refreshing beverages (with an option for beer enthusiasts).
Dive into Lanna culture as you savor traditional music, folk dances, and cultural exhibitions that provide a window into the region's rich heritage. Watch the festival's grand performances, featuring Tai Lue Candles Dance, the Victory Drum. and Sword Fire Dance, which showcases the artistry of local traditions. As the full moon rises, embrace the spiritual side with a Monk Chanting ceremony and a mass lantern release, which transforms the night sky into a constellation of hopes and dreams.
Magical Lantern "Yee Peng" Loy Krathong Festival 2024
Date: 15 November 2024
Magical Lantern "Yee Peng" Loy Krathong Festival 2024 is the event is jointly organized by villagers, temples, and ethnic schools. The concept is to host a semi-charity tourism event, allowing students to showcase their talents. A portion of the proceeds will fund 15 scholarships for hill tribe students and provide lunch for over 100 students in the school.
Share a magical night in Chiang Mai with your family and friends and celebrate the much-awaited Yee Peng festival
Get to see thousands of sky lanterns light up the night and get a chance to release your sky lantern too. Learn about the importance of such festival by watching the Lanna cultural and art performances.
Lantern Festival 2024 at Horizon Village Chiang Mai
Date: 15-16 November 2024
Join an unforgettable celebration at Horizon Village & Resort's Loy Kratong Festival, nestled in the breathtaking beauty of Chiang Mai. This enchanting two-day event, held on the 15th and 16th of November, will immerse 1,000 guests each day in the ethereal charm of Loy Kratong, one of Thailand's most revered traditions.
Loy Krathong Festival in Sukhothai
Although Loy Krathong is celebrated across the country now, Sukhothai, the first Thai capital, is the place where this festival was first celebrated.
Sukhothai Light and Sound Show 2024
Date: 8-15 November 2024
The highlights of the Sukhothai Loy Krathong celebration Light & Sound presentations, along with a spectacular firework show, elephant duel show, Sukhothai dancing, cultural performances in front of Wat Mahathat at Sukhothai Historical Park.
The event venue at the central area of Sukhothai Historical Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, can be accessed with an admission ticket that costs from 500 THB to 1,200 THB. The show will be available every night at 19:00 with an additional performance on the last day of Loy Krathong festival celebration at 20:30.
Loy Krathong Festival in Bangkok
If you cannot make a trip to up-country of Thailand, you have many options to join one of Loy Krathong festival events held in Bangkok. There are many places in Bangkok where Loy Krathong festival celebrations will be arranged. The main spots for many locals and tourist in Bangkok include Chao Phraya River, Asiatique the Riverfront, Wat Arun, Tha Maharat, Rama IIX Bridge, Santi Chai Prakan Park, as well as other prominent hotels and restaurants in town. Extended list of the best places to celebrate the festival in Thailand capital city can be found here: Loy Krathong Festival in Bangkok.
Loy Krathong Dinner Cruise
You can celebrate Loy Krathong Festival 2024 on the waves of the majestic Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. Enjoying dinner on Bangkok Loy Krathong River Cruise is one of the most exclusive ways for experiencing this traditional Thai festival as you can enjoy a beautiful view of the city lights and thousands of candles on the river.
There are many dinner cruises to choose for your memorable night out on Loy Krathong Day and most of them can be found in the list of Bangkok River Cruises. During such a dinner cruise, you will experience the beauty of the Bangkok waterfront and see famous landmarks of the city illuminated at night while enjoying a gourmet dinner.
Popular Bangkok river cruises on Loy Krathong:
Bangkok River Festival 2024
Bangkok River Festival is one of the best and most popular events in Bangkok related to Loy Krathong. This unique cultural celebration will continue for 3 days and 3 nights, from 14 to 16 November 2024.
In total, there are 10 festival venues, including 5 important historical temples along the Chao Phraya River, where you can join merit-making activities, as well as see various traditional performances, and 5 contemporary culture riverside venues, such as Yodpiman Riverwalk, Tha Maharaj, Asiatique The Riverfront, Sooksiam at ICONSIAM, and Ong Ang Canal.
There's a free shuttle boat service that lets you travel between the venues of the festival.
THAICONIC Loy Krathong at ICONSIAM
Date: 15 November 2024, from 15:00 to midnight
ICONSIAM, the iconic shopping mall on the bank of the Chao Phraya River, is inviting to a spectacular Loy Krathong Festival celebration, presented under the theme "The Flowing Legacy of Thai Spirit." This celebration is crafted to honor and preserve Thailand’s invaluable cultural heritage.
The event will be packed with numerous highlights, making this Loy Krathong festival even more special:
- Special Performances showcasing traditional Thai arts
- Beauty Pageant of Nang Noppamas for 2024
- Mini-concerts by renowned Thai artists
- “Five Unique Krathong Traditions” Exhibition, featuring:
- Yi Peng Lanterns from Chiang Mai
- Coconut Shell Krathong from the Floating Lantern Festival in Tak
- Fire and Lantern Festival with hanging lanterns from Sukhothai
- Large Floating Lanterns from the Full Moon Festival in Roi Et
- Banana Trunk Krathong from the Samut Songkhram Province tradition
Loy Krathong Festival Events at Bangkok Hotels
Many hotels in Bangkok organize various events on Loy Krathong Day to entertain guests with special atmosphere, from floating Krathong down the river to enjoying delicious dishes and overnight with special one-night-only rates on Loy Krathong Day 2024.
The best hotels in Bangkok for Loy Krathong Day celebration and their special offers on this occasion are listed here: Bangkok Hotel Loy Krathong Events.
The most popular Bangkok hotels during Loy Krathong:
For a wider choice of accommodation along the Chao Phraya River, explore the best Bangkok Riverside hotels.
Loy Krathong Festival in Tak
Tak's Loy Krathong Sai Festival 2024
Date: 15-18 November 2024
Loy Krathong in Tak has a slightly different name as the festival here is called Loy Krathong Sai Festival. The customs of Loy Krathong Sai Lai Prathip Festival in Tak are slightly different from the customs of the festival in the other parts of Thailand. People here release Krathong Sai (coconut-shell Krathongs) to flow in lines along the river. Looking from a distance, the Krathongs become a beautiful long chain of bright glittering lights. The highlights are the ceremony of 9 Royal Inaugurated Krathongs and Lanterns and the releasing of the 1,000 floating Lanterns. This festival is organized at the Ping Riverside, at the foot of the Somphot Krung Rattanakosin Song Roi Pi Bridge.
Loy Krathong Festival in Pattaya
Pattaya Loy Krathong Festival 2024
Date: 15 November 2024
Pattaya City scheduled the Pattaya Loy Krathong Festival to promote cultural tourism on 15 November 2024. In Pattaya, Loy Krathong Festival 2024 will be held all across the city and the beach. The main places for locals and tourists to enjoy the event are activity areas of Central Pattaya (Pattaya Beach), Jomtien Beach and Lan Po Public Park in Na Kluea. There will be the Krathong making contest from natural materials, cultural art performances as well as lots of fun activities.
Loy Krathong Festival in Samut Songkhram
Loy Krathong Kap Kluai
Date: 15 November 2024
Loy Krathong Kap Kluai on the Mae Klong River in Samut Songkhram is unique and presents an ancient tradition of using local natural resources for making Krathongs without damaging the environment. Krathong Kap Kluai is made from the fibrous layer of the “trunk” of the banana plant. You will see over 200,000 floating Krathong Kap Kluai, krathong contest and a beautiful boat for the royal cup, Miss Noppamas Pageant contest and various local cultural activities. The festival will take place at Phummarin Kudithong Temple.
Loy Krathong Festival in Lamphun
Hundred Thousand Lantern Festival in Lamphun
Date: November 2024
Hundred Thousand Lantern Festival in Lamphun is part of Yi Peng tradition festival which similar to Chiang Mai and other areas of the north. In Lamphun, it has been practiced for a long time as a Buddhist worshiping Phra That Hariphunchai and paying respect to Phra Nang Chamadevi, the first King of Lamphun. Visitor are invited to join this festival at Wat Phra That Hariphunchai in Muang Lamphun District.
Loy Krathong Festival in Thailand
Loy Krathong will be celebrated not only in the venues listed above but across the whole nation so don’t miss a chance to join in. In fact, you can get a Krathong with the candles lit and a couple of baht coins inside of it as an offering to the water spirits, bring it to the riverside, the beach or even to the swimming pool (if your hotel is holding a party of floating Krathongs) and enjoy Thai festivity!
Tips
Loy Krathong festivities at luxury hotels across Thailand are listed here: Loy Krathong at Luxury Thailand Hotels.
Loy Krathong Festival is one of the major holidays attracting a lot of tourists, so you should book hotel in advance to stay around the festival area. Thailand hotels for a stay on the night of the festival can be booked online here: Thailand hotels for Loy Krathong.
