Vijit Chao Phraya 2026: River Light Festival

Wat Arun on the Chao Phraya River · Photo: Manit Monsur via Google

• When: Tentative: nightly, November 13 - December 13, 2026; the 2025 edition ran 6-10 pm
• Where: Chao Phraya River, both banks, Chao Phraya riverside, Bangkok
• Cost: Free to view from public riverside areas (2025 programs were free)
• Organizer: Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Ministry of Tourism and Sports

Official Event Page

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Vijit Chao Phraya is Bangkok's riverside light festival, when temples, bridges and historic buildings along both banks of the Chao Phraya are lit with projection mapping, light installations, laser effects, drones and fireworks. The Tourism Authority of Thailand has said it expects the 2026 edition to run from November 13 to December 13, 2026. Treat those dates as tentative until TAT publishes the full program.

What the festival looks like

The 2025 edition covered 15 curated sites on both sides of the river, each themed to its neighborhood, and ran for 45 days. TAT counted more than 1.7 million visits. All of it was free, nightly from 6 to 10 pm. TAT says the 2026 edition will be larger in scale and presentation; the site list, show times and any drone or fireworks nights had not been announced when we checked.

How to see it

• From the banks: riverside parks, piers and walkways give free views, and the ferries between piers let you cross to see the opposite bank.
• From the water: dinner cruises and river boats pass the lit landmarks; book ahead on weekends.
• From a terrace: riverside hotels and restaurants overlook several of the traditional sites.

Good to know

Piers and river boats get crowded on opening night and weekends. The festival falls in the cool season, one of the busiest times of year for river traffic. Check the official program before building an evening around a particular show.

Details checked against TAT's official newsroom on September 28, 2026. Dates and times can change; confirm with the organizer before you go.