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By Michael Gonzales · Updated October 20, 2026
Loy Krathong is Thailand's festival of floating offerings, held on the full-moon night of the 12th Thai lunar month, which falls on Tuesday, November 24, 2026. People set small candlelit floats, called krathong, on rivers, canals and lakes to thank the Goddess of Water and to let go of bad luck.
If you're in Bangkok that week, our Loy Krathong 2026 Bangkok guide covers where to go and what's confirmed this year. This page is the why and the how.
What does Loy Krathong mean?
"Loy" means to float. A krathong is the float itself: a small round raft, traditionally cut from a banana-tree trunk and folded banana leaves, decorated with flowers, a candle and incense sticks. You'll see the same word in older festival terms: Thammasat University's museum notes Ayutthaya-era court ceremonies called "Loy Khom," or floating lanterns.
Why do Thai people celebrate Loy Krathong?
There's no single answer. Even the Thai government says there are several explanations and legends. According to the Royal Thai Embassy in Budapest, the most common reasons are:
- To thank the Goddess of Water, for the water and fertile soil that farming depends on.
- To ask her forgiveness for polluting the rivers and canals.
- To float away misfortune. Many people make a wish as they let the krathong go.
- To make merit. It's also a time for Buddhist merit-making and, for some families, remembering ancestors.
Thailand added Loy Krathong to its national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2011, the embassy says.
Where did Loy Krathong come from?
The story most visitors hear ties the festival to the Sukhothai kingdom and a court lady named Nang Nopphamat. The written record is messier. Thammasat University's museum, citing Thailand's Ministry of Culture, points out that:
- The name "Loy Krathong" doesn't appear in Sukhothai stone inscriptions. King Ramkhamhaeng's inscription mentions "Phao Tian Lhen Fai," or burning candles and playing with fire.
- Ayutthaya-era documents talk about lantern ceremonies at court, like pulling, floating and hanging lanterns, not krathong.
- The name first shows up in the early Rattanakosin (Bangkok) era, in the royal chronicles of King Rama III's reign and in the story of Nang Nopphamat, which King Rama III wrote.
So the festival is old, but the Nang Nopphamat origin story is literature, not history. The embassy also notes that similar water festivals happen in India, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
How is Loy Krathong celebrated in different parts of Thailand?
| Region | Local name | What's different | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central (incl. Bangkok) | Loy Krathong | Krathong on the Chao Phraya, canals and park lakes; performances and fireworks | Thammasat museum |
| North, Chiang Mai | Yi Peng | Sky lanterns released to honor the Phra That Chulamani in heaven | Thammasat museum |
| North, Tak | Loy Krathong Sai | Coconut-shell krathong floated in lines along the Ping River | Thammasat museum |
| Sukhothai | Phao Tian Lhen Fai | Candle and fire ceremonies at the historical park | Thammasat museum, THAILAND.GO.TH |
| Northeast (Isan) | Lai Ruea Fai | Illuminated "fire boats" on the river, at the end of Buddhist Lent | Thammasat museum |
| South | Varies | Traditionally, rafts carrying food or personal items to carry away bad luck | Thammasat museum, Thai embassy |
The Isan fire-boat festival runs on the 11th lunar month, not the 12th, so it usually comes about a month earlier.
For 2026, the official THAILAND.GO.TH event listing puts the Sukhothai festival at Sukhothai Historical Park from November 15 to 24, with a nightly show at 7 p.m., an extra 8:30 p.m. show on November 24, and tickets at 500, 900 or 1,200 baht.
Is Loy Krathong the same as the lantern festival?
Not quite. Loy Krathong is about floats on water. The sky-lantern festival is Yi Peng, Chiang Mai's Lanna tradition, which falls at the same time, so the two get blended in photos and tours.
Sky lanterns are tightly controlled. Airports of Thailand bans lanterns, drones, fireworks and similar objects in air-safety zones around its six main airports, including Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang in Bangkok, and Chiang Mai bans them in several districts, The Nation reported. Don't release a sky lantern in Bangkok.
How do you float a krathong respectfully?
Here's how I'd do it, and what I'd skip:
- Buy or make a natural krathong. Banana-trunk, banana-leaf or bread krathong break down in water. Foam doesn't, and the whole festival is about thanking the water.
- Light the candle and incense at the water's edge, not on a crowded pier.
- Make a wish or say a quiet thank-you. Some people add a coin, a strand of hair or a nail clipping, a tradition the Ministry of Culture notes in the South.
- Set it down gently and let it go. Don't push it out or throw it.
- Don't take other people's krathong out of the water, even for a photo. Coins in the floats are offerings.
- Dress modestly if you go to a temple riverbank, and keep your voice down there.
- Watch the edges. Piers and riverbanks get crowded and slippery after dark, so keep kids close.
When is Loy Krathong 2026?
Tuesday, November 24, 2026, the full moon, according to timeanddate. Events in Bangkok usually run a few nights around it. Check our 2026 Bangkok guide for venues, and things to do in Bangkok in November for the rest of your trip.
Where can you watch Loy Krathong in Bangkok?
On the river, from a riverside hotel or a cruise, or on a park lake. If you want a good view without the pier crowds, a riverside hotel is the easy answer: see our best riverside hotels in Bangkok.
Dinner cruises run on the Chao Phraya too; our Chao Phraya dinner cruise guide compares them, and you can check cruise dates and prices on Klook. Book early for the full-moon night.
If you want to see the history for yourself, Ayutthaya is an easy day trip, and the Sukhothai festival is a longer trip north.
Plan your trip
Frequently asked questions
What does Loy Krathong mean? "Loy" means to float, and a krathong is a small float made from banana trunk and leaves, decorated with flowers, a candle and incense.
What festival is celebrated in Bangkok in November? Loy Krathong. It's held on the full moon of the 12th Thai lunar month, which is November 24 in 2026.
Is Loy Krathong a big festival in Thailand? It's one of the best known. Thailand lists it as a national festival and added it to its national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011.
What's the difference between Loy Krathong and Yi Peng? Loy Krathong floats offerings on water across Thailand. Yi Peng is Chiang Mai's sky-lantern tradition, held at the same time.
Can you release sky lanterns in Bangkok? No. Airports of Thailand bans lanterns and similar objects in air-safety zones around its airports, including both Bangkok airports.
Is Loy Krathong a religious festival? It mixes Buddhist merit-making with older beliefs about the Goddess of Water. Many people treat it as a time to make a wish and let go of the past year's bad luck.
Sources
Thammasat University Museum: Loy Krathong Festival (citing the Ministry of Culture, 2014) · Royal Thai Embassy, Budapest: Loy Krathong Festival · THAILAND.GO.TH: Sukhothai Loy Krathong 2026 · The Nation: AOT lantern ban · timeanddate: Bangkok moon phases 2026. Checked October 19, 2026.