Wat Arun on the Chao Phraya, one of the piers used in TAT's 2025 Bangkok River Festival. Photo above: Manit Monsur via Google
Loy Krathong 2026 falls on the full-moon night of Tuesday, November 24, when people in Bangkok float small candlelit krathong on the Chao Phraya River, on canals and on park lakes. As of October 4, 2026 we found no 2026 Bangkok programme from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) or the city, so the venues below come from the 2024 and 2025 festivals.
Everything here comes from TAT, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and news reports of their announcements, read on October 4, 2026. Where a 2026 fact is not confirmed, the guide says so. Programmes, piers and park lists change every year, so check TAT and the BMA again in early November.
Book tours and tickets
A dinner cruise is the easiest way to watch the river from the water. Which boats run a special Loy Krathong sailing on November 24, and what they charge, is unconfirmed, so check the date on the booking page.
- Noah Dinner Cruise: a buffet cruise listed as boarding at ICONSIAM.
- Chao Phraya Princess: a buffet boat with live music; it boards at River City by default.
- White Orchid river cruise: a buffet boat that sails from Asiatique.
- The Opulence dinner cruise: a buffet with a live band from ICONSIAM Pier 2.
- Meridian dinner cruise: a sunset or dinner sailing from ICONSIAM.
BangkokVacay earns a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you.
Our guide to choosing a dinner cruise and our comparison of the main boats cover piers and menus from the operators' own sites.
When is Loy Krathong 2026 in Bangkok?
TAT describes Loy Krathong as the festival held on the full moon of the 12th month in the Thai lunar calendar. In 2026 the full moon is on Tuesday, November 24, at 9:53 p.m. Bangkok time, according to timeanddate.com's moon table, and Wikipedia's schedule of festival dates also lists November 24, 2026. TAT's festival dates in earlier years followed the same rule: Friday, November 15 in 2024 and Wednesday, November 5 in 2025 (the BMA's date).
A few travel sites print November 25 for 2026. We found no TAT or BMA notice that settles it, so treat November 24 as the expected date and confirm it once TAT publishes the programme. Events around the date often start a few days earlier: TAT's 2025 Bangkok River Festival ran November 3 to 5, and its 2024 festival on Phadung Krung Kasem Canal ran November 13 to 16.
What is Loy Krathong?
People gather at lakes, rivers, canals and beaches to float a krathong, a small raft decorated with candles and flowers, to honour the goddess of water. TAT says the gesture is believed to release misfortune and invite good fortune. Traditional krathong are cut from a banana trunk and decorated with folded banana leaves, three incense sticks and a candle, and a small coin is sometimes added as an offering. Our November in Bangkok guide covers the weather and the rest of the month.
Where can you float a krathong in Bangkok?
The 2026 list was not published when we checked. These are the places TAT and the BMA used before, which is the best guide to where crowds and organised events return.
| Year | Where | What it was | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Nine Chao Phraya piers: Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Wat Rakhang, Wat Kalayanamit, Wat Prayurawongsawat, Tha Maharaj, Asiatique, SookSiam at ICONSIAM and Khlong Prem Prachakorn | TAT's Bangkok River Festival, November 3 to 5, with performances, river parades and food | TAT Newsroom |
| 2025 | Rama VIII Bridge area, Thonburi side (Bang Phlat) | The BMA's main event on November 5, 5 to 11 p.m. | BMA, as reported by The Nation |
| 2025 | 33 public parks in 21 districts, including Lumphini, Benjakitti, Chatuchak Park, Santichaiprakan and Rama VIII | Open for floating until midnight on November 5 | BMA, as reported by The Nation |
| 2024 | Phadung Krung Kasem Canal near Hua Lamphong | TAT's festival, November 13 to 16, 4 to 10 p.m., with biodegradable krathong workshops | TAT Newsroom |
If you want the river itself, look at the piers beside Wat Arun, Wat Pho and Wat Kalayanamit, and at Asiatique The Riverfront and ICONSIAM. For a quieter float with children, a park lake is the easier choice. Lumphini Park and Benjakitti Park were on the BMA's 2025 list; see our Lumphini Park and Benjakitti Forest Park listings.
In 2025 the BMA also ran an online Loy Krathong at greener.bangkok.go.th, open from 5 a.m. to midnight on the festival day, as an alternative to a physical krathong. We do not know whether it returns in 2026.
How do you float a krathong?
- Choose natural materials. The BMA asks revellers to use krathong made from banana leaves and trunks, which decompose easily, and says foam krathong are strictly prohibited in its parks. It also discourages bread or food-based floats in park ponds, because ponds are closed systems.
- Light the candle and incense. A traditional krathong carries a candle and three incense sticks.
- Make a wish. Thais launch the krathong on the night of the full moon, making a wish as they do. Some people add clippings of hair or fingernails as a symbol of letting go of past wrongs.
- Set it on the water. Lower it from the pier or the bank and let it drift away. The BMA's 2025 slogan was "One family, one krathong", to cut the number of floats.
Safety and rules
Parks. The BMA banned sky lanterns, fireworks, firecrackers and alcohol sales inside public parks for the 2025 festival and said violators would face legal action. It also added checkpoints that screen for weapons and illegal items and more city inspectors, with the Metropolitan Police and the Tourist Police supporting. We expect similar measures in 2026 but have not seen them announced.
Airports. Airports of Thailand has banned lanterns, balloons, fireworks, lasers and drones in the air-safety zones around its six main airports, including Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang, during past Loy Krathong periods, under the Air Navigation Act. Under that act, damage that leaves an aircraft unable to fly is punishable by the death penalty, life imprisonment and/or a fine of 600,000 to 800,000 baht. Do not release a sky lantern in Bangkok.
Crowds and pickpockets. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), whose Thailand advice was still current on October 4, 2026, tells travellers to carry valuables and cash securely against pickpocketing. Piers and park edges are crowded after dark, so keep bags zipped in front of you. The Tourist Police number is 1155.
Getting there. Expect heavy traffic and crowded piers on the night. The river is easiest by rail and boat; for example, the Royal Princess operator tells guests to take the BTS to Saphan Taksin, use Exit 2 and ride a boat from the pier there. Our guide to getting around Bangkok and guide to public boats explain the options, and is Bangkok safe covers general precautions.
What else is on around Loy Krathong?
The Vijit Chao Phraya light festival is expected, but not confirmed, to run from November 13 to December 13, 2026, with temples and bridges along the river lit nightly; see the event page for the latest. The Royal Barge Procession 2026 is earlier in November. Browse the full Bangkok events calendar for more dates, and see Bangkok weather by month for what November feels like.
If you want to see the riverside temples by day, see our guides to visiting Wat Arun and visiting Wat Pho.
Sources: TAT Newsroom, Loi Krathong 2024, TAT Newsroom, Loi Krathong 2025, The Nation, BMA parks and rules 2025, Asia News Network, BMA plans 2025, The Nation, Airports of Thailand lantern ban, UK FCDO Thailand safety, UK FCDO Thailand getting help, timeanddate.com, Bangkok moon phases 2026, Wikipedia, Loy Krathong. Checked October 4, 2026.
Loy Krathong falls on the full moon of the 12th lunar month. In 2026 the full moon is Tuesday, November 24, so that is the expected date, checked October 4, 2026. TAT had not published a 2026 Bangkok programme, and a few travel sites list November 25, so confirm when TAT announces its events.
TAT's 2025 festival used nine Chao Phraya piers from Wat Pho to ICONSIAM, and the BMA opened 33 public parks until midnight, including Lumphini and Benjakitti. For 2026 no list was published when we checked, so use these as a guide and check TAT and the BMA in early November.
Natural materials. The BMA asks people to use banana leaves and trunks and says foam krathong are strictly prohibited in its parks. It also discourages bread or food-based floats in park ponds because the ponds are closed systems.
No. The BMA banned sky lanterns, fireworks and firecrackers in public parks for the 2025 festival, and Airports of Thailand bans lanterns, fireworks, lasers and drones in the air-safety zones around Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang during Loy Krathong. Skip them.
Yes, a river cruise shows the lit riverbanks, and several operators sail from ICONSIAM and Asiatique. Whether a specific boat runs a special Loy Krathong sailing on November 24, 2026 is unconfirmed, so read the booking page for the date before you pay.
They happen on the same night but are not the same. Yi Peng is the northern, Lanna festival around Chiang Mai, where paper lanterns are released. In Bangkok the custom is floating a krathong on water.
TAT has said the Vijit Chao Phraya light festival is expected to run November 13 to December 13, 2026, though those dates are tentative. The Bangkok Art Biennale starts on October 29, 2026. Check our events calendar for updates.
