Loy Krathong in Bangkok

Where to float your own

The hotels and most of the cruises hand you a krathong. If you'd rather do it for free with everyone else, the city's list of parks isn't out yet. Last year 33 parks stayed open until midnight, including Lumphini, Benjakitti, Benchasiri, Chatuchak, Rot Fai, Santi Chai Prakan, Saranrom and Romaneenart. We'll add this year's list as soon as it appears.

• Pick one close to home: Reddit regulars say to go somewhere you can walk to, because of the traffic.
• Lumphini: A Reddit regular's choice for its food stalls and krathong sellers. It isn't on the published 2026 list yet.
• The Public Relations Department pond in Ari: One person's favourite in 2024, with little piers, a food market, krathong at ฿50 to ฿100 and mostly local residents. Nothing is published for this year.
• Skip the bread krathong: The city asked people not to float bread or fish-food krathong in park ponds last year. Banana trunk and leaves are fine.
• Forget the rooftop: You can't see a krathong from the 40th floor, and no rooftop has published anything yet.

Not announced yet

These places usually do something, and none of them had published 2026 details on 31 October. We'll add them when they do.

• ICONSIAM: Last year it ran Thaiconic Loy Krathong at River Park on the night, floating krathong down a water channel into the river.
• Asiatique: It hosted a stop on last year's Bangkok River Festival.
• Bangkok River Festival: Last year's ran at temples and piers along the river, including Wat Pho, Wat Arun and Wat Prayurawongsawat, with free boats between them.
• Other hotels: Mandarin Oriental, Chatrium, Millennium Hilton and Four Seasons have all run dinners in recent years. We found nothing for 2026 from them, or from The Peninsula or Capella, and several of their sites wouldn't open for us, so check with them.
• Malls and canal tours: Nothing yet from Central World, Siam Paragon, Emporium, One Bangkok or Lhong 1919, and no canal boat tour for the night.
• Left out on purpose: Meridian Cruise 2 is on sale, but its page names no pier and still mentions 2025. Sirimahannop's Loy Krathong dinner page on Megatix is last year's.

Sky lanterns, and whether to leave Bangkok

Bangkok has no sky lantern event, so don't go looking for one, and please don't bring your own. The city's 2026 campaign asks people to skip lanterns, firecrackers and fireworks. Around airports the Air Navigation Act bans lanterns outright, with up to five years in prison or a ฿200,000 fine, according to the airport authorities. Elsewhere in Bangkok you need a district permit seven days ahead. If the lanterns are the point, you need to go north.

• Chiang Mai: Yi Peng runs from 23 to 25 November. Lanterns are allowed only on the 24th and 25th, from 19:00 to 01:00, with a permit through the Bampen app and not near the airport. The ticketed mass release is CAD Khomloy on the same two nights. Provincial briefing, in Thai.
• Sukhothai: The festival runs from 15 to 24 November in the Historical Park, with old-style fireworks and a light and sound show at Wat Mahathat at 19:00, plus 20:30 on the 24th, at ฿500 to ฿1,200. One Reddit regular who tried Chiang Mai first says Sukhothai is better. Festival site.

Before you go out

• The date: The full moon falls at 21:53 Bangkok time on Tuesday 24 November. It isn't a public holiday, so the festival lands on top of the evening rush hour.
• Trains and boats: No extended BTS, MRT or river boat hours have been announced yet, and no road closures. We'll add them when they are.
• Grand Palace: Open all day on the 24th, closing at noon on the 25th for the Emerald Buddha's costume change. The palace's calendar warns that dates can change.

Quick answers

When is Loy Krathong 2026?

Tuesday 24 November 2026, the full moon of the twelfth Thai lunar month. Some English-language sites say 25 November, and they're wrong: Thai government calendars and the Ministry of Culture all say the 24th. In Bangkok the city's events run from the 23rd to the 25th, so the 25th still has things on.

Is Loy Krathong a public holiday?

No. It's a normal working Tuesday in 2026, so expect the evening rush hour on top of the festival traffic.

Does Bangkok have sky lanterns for Loy Krathong?

No. Bangkok has no sky lantern event, and the city's 2026 campaign asks people to skip lanterns, firecrackers and fireworks. Lanterns are banned around airports, where the Air Navigation Act allows up to five years in prison or a ฿200,000 fine, and elsewhere in Bangkok you need a district permit seven days ahead. For the mass lantern photos you need Chiang Mai.

Where can I float a krathong in Bangkok?

The city's list of parks wasn't out on 31 October. Last year 33 parks stayed open until midnight, including Lumphini and Benjakitti. The city's 2026 events include Rama VIII Bridge, Phra Sumen Fort and two points on Khlong Prem Prachakon. The Siam and the Shangri-La include a float in their dinners, and most cruises give you a krathong, though some only in certain zones.

Where can I see fireworks on Loy Krathong in Bangkok?

Three listings promise them on 24 November, none with a time: the Shangri-La Lobby Lounge, the Royal Orchid Sheraton and Chaophraya Cruise from Asiatique. Vijit Chao Phraya has no show listed that night. Its nearest fireworks are at Memorial Bridge at 20:45 on 21 and 22 November.

Is a rooftop bar good for Loy Krathong?

Not for the krathong. Reddit regulars point out that they're too small to see from up high, and no rooftop had published a Loy Krathong event when we looked. Go down to the water, or get on it.

How much is a Loy Krathong dinner cruise in Bangkok?

From ฿899 on the cheapest ICONSIAM boats to ฿8,800 net with champagne on Anantara's rice barge. Most sit between ฿1,000 and ฿2,200. Those are sellers' prices, and several boats charge foreigners more than Thais.

Should I go to Chiang Mai or Sukhothai instead of Bangkok?

Go to Chiang Mai if you want sky lanterns: Yi Peng runs from 23 to 25 November. Sukhothai has the history and old-style fireworks in the Historical Park from 15 to 24 November. Bangkok's strength is a river dinner or a neighbourhood float.

Is the Grand Palace open on Loy Krathong?

Yes. The palace's own calendar shows it open all day on 24 November. It closes at noon on 25 November for the Emerald Buddha's costume change, and the calendar warns that dates can change.