Thousands of glowing paper lanterns drifting into a dark sky over Chiang Mai is one of the most recognizable images to come out of Thailand, and most of those photos come from a single event: the Yi Peng Lantern Festival.
This guide covers the real 2026 dates, where to watch or join legally, what tickets actually cost, and the rules that catch first-time visitors off guard.
What Is the Yi Peng Lantern Festival
Yi Peng is a Lanna festival, rooted in the culture of the old Northern Thai kingdom that once ruled Chiang Mai and the surrounding region. The name means “second full moon,” based on the old Lanna lunar calendar. The festival centers on the khom loi, a paper lantern lifted by hot air from a small fuel cell, similar to a miniature hot air balloon.
Locals light a lantern, make a wish or say a prayer, and release it into the sky as an act of merit-making, a way of letting go of bad luck and sending hope upward. Unlike Loy Krathong, which is celebrated nationwide with water lanterns, Yi Peng stays largely a Northern Thai tradition, centered almost entirely in Chiang Mai.
Yi Peng 2026 Dates
The Yi Peng Lantern Festival 2026 falls on November 24 and 25, based on the Lanna lunar calendar. The two nights follow the same schedule, with traditional ceremonies, cultural performances, and a mass lantern release each evening.
If you can only attend one night, organizers generally recommend November 25. The first night often has minor coordination issues as staff manage the full crowd for the first time that year, and the second night tends to run more smoothly once those kinks are worked out.
Where to Experience Yi Peng in Chiang Mai
Ticketed Mass Lantern Release Events
The best-known official event is the CAD Yi Peng Khomloy Sky Lantern Festival, held at the CAD Cultural Center Lanna in Mae On District, about 45 minutes outside Chiang Mai’s city center. This venue draws around 20,000 participants each night and includes a shuttle service, a Lanna-style buffet dinner, cultural performances, and a coordinated mass release where everyone lights and sends up their lanterns together.
Smaller, lower-cost venues also run their own ticketed releases, such as Horizon Village, which offers a similar experience at a lower price point for travelers who want the spectacle without the premium cost of the main event.
Free Ways to Experience Yi Peng
You do not need a ticket to feel the festival. In the days leading up to Yi Peng, Chiang Mai’s Old City fills with hanging lanterns, known as khom khwaen, especially around Tha Phae Gate. Wat Phan Tao, an old wooden temple near the city moat, holds candlelit ceremonies open to the public. Walking the Old City moat after dark during festival week is free and still captures much of the atmosphere, even without watching a mass release.
If your main goal is the water lantern side of the celebration rather than sky lanterns, floating a krathong on the Ping River costs nothing and does not require a ticket at all.
How Much Do Yi Peng Tickets Cost
Official CAD tickets are sold in several tiers, generally running from around 4,900 THB for a Standard ticket up to 15,900 THB for the Elite tier, which includes premium seating closer to the main ceremony. Lower-cost venues like Horizon Village can run closer to 2,500 THB. Prices climb the closer you book to the festival dates, so booking several months ahead usually gets a better rate.
What’s Included in a Standard Ticket
A typical Standard ticket includes round-trip shuttle transport from the city center, a Lanna-style dinner buffet, two sky lanterns and one krathong per person, and access to the ceremony and mass release. Higher tiers add better seating, closer views of the pagoda and fireworks, and sometimes private or VIP viewing areas. Many venues also let children under a certain age, often around 7, attend free.
The Legal Rules Every Visitor Must Know
Releasing a sky lantern on your own inside Chiang Mai’s city limits is against the law. Authorities banned free releases within the municipality partly over aviation safety, since stray lanterns have interfered with flight paths, and partly for fire risk in dense, older neighborhoods. Reports on the exact fine vary, but penalties can run into the tens of thousands of baht, with some sources citing much higher fines for violations in the most restricted zones near the airport.
To release a lantern legally, you need to attend one of the licensed venues outside the city, such as the CAD festival grounds. These events also use lanterns built with biodegradable materials and shorter-burning fuel cells designed to go out before the lantern lands, which lowers the fire risk compared to lanterns bought from unlicensed street vendors.
What to Wear and How to Prepare
There is no strict uniform, but most official venues ask visitors to dress modestly, covering shoulders and knees and avoiding sleeveless tops or short skirts. Wearing traditional Lanna clothing is common among both locals and visitors and is generally welcomed as a way of joining the cultural spirit of the night.
Bring a light jacket, since November evenings in Chiang Mai cool down quickly after sunset. If you are attending a shuttle-based event, confirm your pickup time and location in advance, since traffic around festival week gets heavy close to the venues.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Yi Peng Lantern Festival in 2026?
The festival takes place on November 24 and 25, 2026, following the Lanna lunar calendar.
Do I need a ticket to see Yi Peng?
Not to watch the general atmosphere. Free options include khom khwaen lantern displays around Tha Phae Gate and temple ceremonies at Wat Phan Tao. A ticket is required only for the official, organized mass lantern release events.
How much does a Yi Peng ticket cost?
Official CAD tickets typically range from about 4,900 THB for Standard to 15,900 THB for Elite. Lower-cost venues like Horizon Village can start around 2,500 THB.
Can I release a sky lantern on my own in Chiang Mai?
Not inside the city limits. Free releases are illegal there due to aviation safety and fire risk, with fines for violations. Legal releases only happen at licensed venues outside the city.
Is Yi Peng the same as Loy Krathong?
No. Yi Peng is a Northern Thai festival centered on sky lanterns, mainly in Chiang Mai. Loy Krathong is a nationwide festival centered on floating water lanterns. They often overlap on the same nights in Chiang Mai, which is why people confuse them. This comparison of Loy Krathong and Yi Peng breaks down the full difference.
Conclusion
Yi Peng delivers one of the most striking sights in Thailand, but the experience you get depends entirely on how you plan it. A ticketed CAD event gets you the coordinated mass release and everything that comes with it, while a free evening walking the Old City moat still captures the festival’s spirit without the cost or the crowds.
Before you book anything, make sure you understand exactly what you are celebrating. Read the full history and meaning behind Loy Krathong to see how these two Northern Thai traditions connect, and check Loy Krathong vs Yi Peng for a side-by-side breakdown before you plan your trip.
