Chiang Mai Lantern Festival 2026: Yi Peng Prices & Free Spots

Yi Peng’s ticketed lantern releases take place on 24 and 25 November 2026 around Chiang Mai.

The short version, checked 28 October: CAD Khomloy, the biggest release, is sold out for both nights. Sky of Wishes still sells every tier from 3,785 THB, with a shuttle from town included, and Chiangmai Wonderland is the cheapest at 2,230 THB if you arrange your own ride. If you’d rather not pay, the Old City temples, Tha Phae Gate and the Ping River are free on both nights, with Loy Krathong krathongs on the water. Just don’t expect a mass release in town: those happen only at the ticketed venues.

Where to Experience Yi Peng

Which ticket should you choose? Start with the setting and transport you want:

• Garden setting: Horizon Village on Klook. A resort and botanical-garden venue in Doi Saket. Arrange your own transport unless your chosen package explicitly includes it.
• A package with return transport: Sky of Wishes on Viator. At Mungmana Farm in San Pa Tong. Standard and VIP include shuttles from CMU Convention Hall; Premium and Elite include hotel transfers within Chiang Mai city.
• Workshops and a food voucher: Chiangmai Wonderland on Viator. At CM Event CNX in San Kamphaeng. Transport is not included, so add the cost of getting there and back before comparing it with a transfer package.
• A meditation-centre setting: Yee Peng Lanna International on Klook. At Thudongkasathan Lanna near Mae Jo. Choose one evening, 24 or 25 November; the advertised two-night programme does not mean one ticket covers both.

CAD is sold out for 2026. On 28 October Viator showed no CAD tier available on either night, after the direct seller had marked most tiers out of stock by 23 October. Planning a year ahead? Viator already sells a presale ticket for CAD 2027. Still in Thailand at New Year? The CAD New Year Countdown on 31 December uses the same venue, with a lantern release and fireworks, and tickets are on sale.

Paid Organised Events (Mass Lantern Releases)

Prices checked 28 October 2026 on each partner’s listing for one adult: Viator quotes baht, Klook quotes US dollars. Pick your date and party size for the final total. Booking pages can stay online after a date sells out, and child rules and transfers differ between sellers of the same event.

With CAD gone, Sky of Wishes is the easiest pick for a first visit, because the price includes getting there. Wonderland is the cheapest if you can arrange your own transport, and Horizon has the garden setting. If your dates might move, both GetYourGuide tickets can be cancelled for a full refund up to 24 hours before, and both include transport. Compare the whole evening’s cost, not the entrance price alone. The venue map helps with distances; your ticket’s meeting point may be somewhere else entirely.

Free Public Celebrations

You can enjoy hanging lanterns, temple visits and the river celebrations without buying a mass-release ticket. The city’s official Yi Peng festival runs 23–25 November 2026. This year its main stage moves from Tha Phae Gate to the Ton Lamyai Market park, which hosts the opening, the Lanna hanging-lantern contest and the Yi Peng pageants. Other events spread along the Ping River, the Three Kings Monument and the Tha Phae Gate square, and the grand krathong procession runs from Tha Phae Gate to the Chiang Mai municipality offices on 25 November. Tha Phae Gate, the Old City and the Ping River around Nawarat Bridge are useful places to base an evening walk. Wat Phan Tao and Wat Chedi Luang are also worth visiting, but a specific candle ceremony or opening time should come from the temple’s current programme.

There is no free mass release in the city centre: unlicensed lanterns are banned there during the festival. Leave room in the evening for walking, food stalls and crowds rather than trying to catch every celebration.

Hanging lanterns at Tha Phae Gate. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

How to Get Tickets

1. Choose the event and one date. Several separate festivals use Yi Peng or Lanna in their names. Check the venue, not just the headline.
2. Compare the complete package. Look for dinner or food vouchers, lanterns, seating, return transport and child tickets. Wonderland’s direct under-12 policy should not be assumed to apply to a Viator booking.
3. Read the cancellation terms before paying. The Viator Wonderland, Sky of Wishes and CAD packages linked here are non-refundable for customer cancellations. Do not assume every Klook package has the same terms.
4. Save the entrance ticket and pickup details offline. For the linked CAD package, the Viator booking reference is not the entrance ticket. Follow the supplier’s instructions to obtain the organiser’s QR code.

Reserve a hotel for the same nights, then check its cancellation deadline against your ticket decision. If flights arrive on the event day, leave enough time for airport delays, hotel check-in and the published pickup window.

Yi Peng Schedule

Think of this as a two-evening trip, not a single citywide timetable. Many venues run on both 24 and 25 November; Heritage’s advertised programme is on 24 November.

• On your ticketed evening: keep the afternoon free for check-in or transfers. Follow that event’s release time and return arrangement.
• On your other evening: explore the Old City temples and river celebrations. You do not need a second paid ticket to fill the evening.
• For a less rushed arrival: consider reaching Chiang Mai on 23 November and leaving on 26 November or later. The hotel links below default to 24–26 November; change the arrival date if you follow this plan.

Exact temple ceremonies, parades and road closures need the 2026 local programme. A ticket company’s schedule applies to its own venue.

Safety Tip: Do not independently release sky lanterns in the city. Follow current local restrictions and the event team’s instructions. A commercial ticket listing is not proof of a release permit.

What Is Yi Peng? Chiang Mai’s Lantern Festival Explained

Yi Peng is a northern Thai festival associated with Lanna Buddhist traditions. Hanging lanterns, small clay oil lamps and temple observances are part of the celebration, alongside the sky-lantern releases visitors often travel to see. Respectful temple visits can be as much a part of the trip as a ticketed event.

Yi Peng vs Loy Krathong: What’s the Difference?

Yi Peng is associated with northern Thailand and lantern traditions. Loy Krathong centres on floating decorated baskets on water and is celebrated across Thailand, on 24 November in 2026. In Chiang Mai the celebrations overlap, but releasing a krathong on the river and attending a coordinated sky-lantern release require different plans. For a smaller lantern night away from Chiang Mai’s crowds, see the Chiang Rai Lantern Festival.

What to Wear

Cover shoulders and knees for temple visits and religious ceremonies. Wear shoes you can walk in on uneven ground, and bring a light layer for the late return. Your ticket may specify a dress code; a resort venue is not a reason to ignore it.

Getting to Chiang Mai

Fly into Chiang Mai Airport, or compare trains and buses from Bangkok. Check the actual arrival time against your event’s pickup window before booking an overnight journey. Avoid scheduling a flight immediately after a lantern event: the return journey and queues can run late. Chiang Mai Airport also cancels or reschedules flights on the main lantern nights; in 2025 it changed 161 flights and moved the last departure to about 7pm, so check your airline’s schedule if you plan to fly on a festival evening.

Allow an extra day for Chiang Mai’s temples and day trips if you want to see more than the festival.

Where to Stay

Choose the Old City for temple walks, the riverside for the Ping River celebrations, or a hotel convenient to your package’s pickup point. An out-of-town lantern venue does not automatically make a nearby hotel the best base for both evenings.

These Booking.com links search 24–26 November for two adults. They are date searches, not a promise that rooms remain available. Change dates and guest numbers before comparing prices.

• Baan Klang Wiang Hotel: an Old City option for temple walks. Hotel details.
• Aksara Heritage: on Ratchadamnoen Road, with an outdoor pool for time between outings. Hotel details.
• Cross Chiang Mai Riverside: a riverside base. Check the walking route to the public celebrations rather than assuming they happen at the hotel. Hotel details.
• 137 Pillars House: a suite-hotel option in Wat Ket. Hotel details.

Use the hotel map to compare prices and locations, or our Chiang Mai guide to choose an area.

Photography Tips

For mass-release photographs, choose a ticketed event and follow staff instructions while handling lanterns. For street and temple photographs, hanging lanterns and candlelight give you subjects without a release ticket. Check tripod and drone restrictions for the specific venue, and avoid blocking worshippers or narrow paths.

Practical Tips

Save the venue and return meeting point on your phone. Carry cash for street food, drinking water and a charged power bank. Arrange your return ride before travelling to a venue without included transport. November evenings can still bring rain, so pack a small waterproof layer and keep tickets dry.

The Eco Debate: Are Sky Lanterns Harmful?

A lantern does not disappear when its flame goes out. Biodegradable materials can still leave debris, and floating a krathong also puts material into the water. Ask what an organiser does about collection and cleanup rather than treating an “eco-friendly” label as a guarantee.

For the least waste, enjoy hanging lanterns, temple lights and performances without releasing anything. If you join a release, follow the event’s safety instructions and use only the materials it provides.

Plan Your Yi Peng Trip

Choose one ticketed evening if the mass release matters to you, and keep the other for the city. Match your hotel and arrival time to the pickup point, then save the entrance ticket and return instructions. Our Thailand Events Calendar covers other festivals around your trip.