Yi Peng and Loy Krathong: A Gentle Guide to Thailand's Lantern Festivals

Picture thousands of paper lanterns rising slowly into a November night, each one glowing gold, until the sky above Chiang Mai looks like a second set of stars. That's Yi Peng, and it's one of the most beautiful festivals in the world.

It's also easy to misunderstand, so here's a calm guide to what it is, when it happens, and how to enjoy it well.

Two festivals on one full moon

Two related celebrations happen on the same full moon:

• Loy Krathong is celebrated across Thailand. People float krathong, small decorated baskets traditionally made from banana leaves and flowers, carrying a candle and incense, on rivers, lakes, and canals.
• Yi Peng is the Lanna (northern Thai) festival, celebrated most famously in Chiang Mai. Its signature is the khom loi: sky lanterns made of thin paper on a bamboo frame, lifted by a small flame.

Both fall on the full moon of the twelfth month of the traditional calendar, which usually lands in November. The exact dates change each year, so check before planning.

What the lanterns mean

For many people, releasing a lantern or a krathong is a way of letting go: of bad luck, of worries, of the past year. You make a wish, or simply a quiet intention, as it drifts away. In Chiang Mai, the festival is also a time of temple ceremonies, merit-making, and homes and streets strung with colourful lanterns.

It's a festival of light, but at heart it's a reflective one.

Visiting thoughtfully

Lantern rules have tightened. Sky lanterns are a real fire hazard, and near Chiang Mai's airport they're a risk to flights. Releases are now restricted and are typically limited to approved times, places, and organised events. Rules can change from year to year, so check the current local guidance and don't release lanterns where it isn't allowed.

Big organised releases are usually ticketed. Some are held at or near temples and some at event venues. Read carefully what you're booking and how the organiser handles safety and clean-up.

You don't need a ticket to feel it. Some of the loveliest moments are free: the old city wrapped in hanging lanterns, candlelit temples, and krathong floating on the Ping River.

Choose eco-friendly krathong made of banana trunk, leaves, or bread rather than foam, which pollutes waterways.

Respect the temples. Dress modestly, follow monks' and staff instructions, and remember that for many people this is a religious occasion, not a show.

Why it works in paper

A lantern is already paper, of course. A Yi Peng scene is one of the simplest and most magical things to build:

1. A deep blue night sky, darker at the top
2. A silhouette of temple roofs or trees along the bottom
3. Lanterns at many sizes: large and bright near the ground, small and faint high up
4. A strip of river below, with a few krathong glowing on it

The size trick makes it look as if the lanterns are rising away from you. It's the same idea we use for balloons in our Cappadocia guide.

Lanterns, without the flame

In Paper Worlds, the Around the World journey visits Thailand with three scenes, including Yi Peng in Chiang Mai. Arrange the paper lanterns over the night sky, keep the scene as a postcard, and earn a sky-lantern sticker to float over any of your own Free Play worlds. No fire risk, and no clean-up.

For more ideas, see 12 sticker scene ideas, where "lantern night" is one of our favourites.