The Yi Peng Festival in Chiang Mai is an unforgettable celebration that lights up the city with colour, tradition and magic. As thousands of lanterns drift into the night sky and krathongs glide along the river, the festival beautifully captures the heart and spirit of Thai culture.
But firstly, Yi Peng in Chiang Mai is so much more than releasing lanterns into the sky. There are temple ceremonies, cultural performances, parades and beautiful decorations across the city. Plus another festival happening at the same time: Loy Krathong.
And secondly, with so much happening at once, planning your time can get a bit overwhelming – especially since there’s not much reliable information in English out there. That’s exactly why I created this itinerary: to help you make sense of it all and experience the best of Yi Peng 2026 without the confusion.
Why should you trust me and not ChatGPT? Hahha
Because I’ve experienced three Yi Peng festivals in Chiang Mai, so this itinerary is based on firsthand experience. Events and timings can change from year to year, though – treat it as a suggested plan until the official 2026 programme is published.
For more places to visit and advice on when to go, check out my other blog post, where I share 11 places worth visiting during the festival. A few of them aren’t mentioned here.
Before planning Yi Peng evenings
Two festivals, one celebration! Yi Peng is a northern Thai festival celebrated with lanterns and candles, while Loy Krathong involves floating decorated baskets on water. In Chiang Mai, you can experience both at the same time.
Want to understand how it all works? I’ve put 3 years of Yi Peng experience into my guide to the Yi Peng lantern festival in Chiang Mai, covering tickets, lantern releases and what to really expect.
This year – 2026 – Yi Peng and Loy Krathong Festivals will take place on the 23rd, 24th and 25th of November.
Since most of the events start after dark – the city looks the most beautiful then, you still have the mornings and the afternoons to explore Chiang Mai!
It’s packed with my favourite temples, markets, cafés and local gems – all neatly pinned and ready to use!
I’m pretty sure that one of the main reasons – if not THE MAIN reason – you’re visiting Chiang Mai during Yi Peng is to experience the lantern festival. So…
You should know that, for several years now, releasing lanterns in Chiang Mai’s city center has been banned!To release one yourself, you’ll need to attend an organized event outside the city. Unfortunately, the free lantern festival in Doi Saket is cancelled in 2026, leaving paid events such as CAD as alternatives.
Allow most of your afternoon and evening for a lantern event, including transfers and queues. The photo below shows the queue for CAD transport in 2024 – and that’s only one side of Maya Mall! It stretched around nearly the whole building.
Which night should you choose – 24 or 25 November?
That depends on which city celebrations you’d rather keep time for. Use the suggested itinerary below to weigh up your options, and read my Yi Peng lantern festival in Chiang Mai guide for more about the different lantern events and what to expect.
Yi Peng schedule: what’s confirmed for 2026?
This was the first preliminary schedule of events happening in Chiang Mai during Yi Peng 2025. It wasn’t a complete programme, but it gave an idea of what was planned around the city.
As you can see, activities began a few days before the festival officially started, including candle-making at the Lanna Folk Museum.
Last year’s official programme
And this (see below) was the official 2025 schedule published by Chiang Mai Municipality. By “official,” I mean their programme, not my translation. They posted it in Thai, so I put it through Google Translate. Forgive any slightly odd wording!
Use it as inspiration for what you might see this year, rather than a confirmed programme. The 2025 schedule was a little different from 2023 and 2024: the opening ceremony happened on the last day of the festival. I know… an interesting time to open things. Perhaps it had something to do with Thailand being in mourning following the Queen Mother’s passing, but that’s just my guess. We’ll see what happens in 2026.
I’ll add the official 2026 Yi Peng schedule here as soon as it’s published. Just keep in mind that, as I mentioned earlier, that could be only one day before the festival starts!
Arriving for the festival? Grab my free Chiang Mai mini guide first:
So, with all that in mind, here’s…
How you can spend Yi Peng Festival 2026 in Chiang Mai!
Think of this as a suggested plan based on previous years – we’ll know what’s happening for sure once the official programme comes out.
22nd of November – day 0
1. Witness the parade at the Three Kings Monument
As I mentioned, some events take place before the main festival days, so it’s worth arriving a little earlier. If last year’s pattern repeats, on the 22nd you can go check out the Lanna parade that sets of from…which I believe is this road to the Three Kings Monument. To be safe, you can just wait at Three Kings Monument. The parade started around 5.30 pm.
Last year was my first time watching this parade and I really enjoyed it. There was a traditional dance performance afterwards, and the whole evening felt relaxed and peaceful. It wasn’t even particularly crowded – a rare treat during Yi Peng!
2. Head to the city walls.
When it gets dark, head to the city walls for a beautiful display of candles dotted all over the ancient structures. From my experience, the candles are displayed at the four corners of Chiang Mai’s Old City walls. I’d recommend coming to the north-west corner: Jaeng Hua Lin. Last year they were here.
23rd of November – day 1
Day one is all about the opening ceremony – usually, not last year though! But it still might be the most fascinating part of the festival. It’s the moment you see the city come to life for the first time with colourful lanterns, glowing candles, and beautiful decorations. This day marks the start of Yi Peng Festival 2026 in Chiang Mai and the city’s transformation into a stunning scene of light and spirituality.
How can you organize your day during the first day of Yi Peng Festival 2026 in Chiang Mai?
You can (in chronological order):
1. Go to Tha Phae Gate Plaza.
In 2025, the opening ceremony was moved to the last day of the festival. Instead, Tha Phae Gate hosted the Lanna Lantern Contest and the Chiang Mai Yi Peng Children’s Contest.
There is a cute photo spot in that vicinity as well: a super pretty “lantern wall”. Check out my “ultimate guide to Yi Peng places” blog post, to find out where it is exactly.
It wasn’t super fascinating, but it was still worth checking out. Especially that the whole “plaza” was beautifully decorated. Plus, maybe this year opening ceremony will be scheduled for the first day of the festival…sounds logical, right?
2. Check out the Three Kings Monument
While you’re in the Old Town, make sure to stop by the Three Kings Monument. In 2023, the first day featured lively celebrations with traditional dances and music – I loved it there, you could really soak the Yi Peng vibe in. In 2025, a Phang Prathit candle-lighting activity was scheduled (using traditional Lanna clay candles). I hoped there would also be women dressed in traditional Lanna attire.
3. Visit Wat Lok Moli
You can visit this temple on any day of the festival, but since there isn’t as much happening on the first day, it’s a good opportunity to check it off your list. Haha Because one of Chiang Mai’s pretties temples, that during Yi Peng becomes even prettier. It’s (for some reason) my favouritetemple to visit during the festival days. I absolutely love the atmosphere there. The decorations, the candles, the monks chanting – you could actually stop for a minute, make intention and give this experience some meaning.
It’s all super pretty, but the real highlight is the ancient chedi, rising majestically behind hundreds of colourful lanterns – one of the most breathtaking sights of Yi Peng. You can even purchase your own lantern and hang it, complete with a handwritten wish or dedication for good fortune.
24th of November – day 2
The second day of the festival is all about lanterns. If you got the tickets to CAD (or any other) lantern festival, you’re pretty much set. Queueing, getting there, finding your seat, waiting, the whole ceremony, coming back… it all starts around 3 PM and finishes at night.
If you’d rather skip the big festivals, that’s completely fine too. There’s plenty happening right in Chiang Mai itself. For example, you could:
1. Visit Wat Phan Tao
The temple with Buddha placed on a little rock under the tree. During the festival, the statue comes to life, illuminated by hundreds of candles and (least year) lanterns placed by visitors around the Buddha’s platform. I loved it there.
2. Visit Wat Chedi Luang
From there, it’s just a short walk to Wat Chedi Luang, which is worth a visit as well. In 2025, the was a candle-lighting ceremony there that started a little after 7 PM, with monks lighting the candles. It was beautiful, and the candlelight created a lovely, peaceful atmosphere. I really enjoyed it. Even though you had to wait a long time for the monks to light all the candles.
3. Check out Three Kings Monument
If you’re already in the area and didn’t visit Three Kings Monument the day before, stop by to see what’s happening. An event was scheduled there in 2025, although I’m not sure whether it actually took place. Since the square is so close, it’s worth a quick look.
4. Go to the Ping River to release your krathong
Well, you can actually do that every day of the festival, so it depends if and when you’re going to one of the lantern release festivals.
Anyway, the Ping River is the main spot for releasing your krathong. You can easily buy one there, make your wish or intention, and set it afloat on the river. The previous years (not 2025 – Thailand in mourning) there were also fireworks scheduled there around 8 PM
Just a little warning: it getssuper crowded and some people set off fireworks nearby, so stay alert and be careful!
25th of November – day 3
The final day of the festival is definitely the calmest. Well, usually… Last year, as you already read, there was an opening ceremony and the closing parade happening on that day! But still, the main event on that day is the Krathong Parade – officially known as the Grand Krathong Competition for the Royal Trophy, featuring beautifully decorated floats, lively marching bands and local people dressed in elegant traditional costumes. The parade is always fun, a bit cheesy, but fun and it’s a lively and joyful way to wrap up Yi Peng Festival 2026 in Chiang Mai.
If you haven’t had a chance to visit the temples and spots I mentioned earlier, the last day of the festival is still a great time to do so. Wat Lok Moli, for example, might be a little quieter by then – and often looks even more magical, glowing with countless lanterns.
But apart from that, that’s pretty much it!
Enjoy Yi Peng in Chiang Mai!
You made it through your first Yi Peng festival in Chiang Mai. Hope you enjoyed it.
I’ll do my best to keep this blog post updated – whenever new information about Yi Peng events or celebrations comes up, I’ll add it here. So make sure to save this page, bookmark it, and check back for the latest updates!
For more inspiration, check out my 11 places to celebrate Yi Peng in Chiang Mai, plus my complete Yi Peng guide to help make sense of it all.
After attending Yi Peng three times, I don’t think I’ll be running around sharing live updates on what’s happening where this year. I did that last year, though, so you can still watch my Instagram story highlights for a look at the temple celebrations, parades and general festival atmosphere.
Hi, it’s Aga, the author of this blog. If you found this blog post interesting, entertaining or useful, please think of buying me a virtual coffee to support the site’s running costs. But if you know me, I might actually spend it on coffee. Thanks!
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Hey there Aga,
Thanks for the great article. Do know if there are close enough spots to see the CAD lanterns from? Also Google maps shows the CAD Cultural Centre on the East end of the city, across the hills. Is that the right spot?
Hey Shan, thanks so much. I’m sure there are some spots, but unfortunately I can’t tell you where. You can check FB groups to find info about it. Yes, I think in the east of the city. Check CAD website. Perhaps they share the location. Happy Yi Peng.
Hi seems like the Lamphun venue is not free either. They are selling tickets
Hi, the place I wrote about is a temple, so they defo won’t charge. But according to some fb comments, there’s no mass lantern release either.