Loy Krathong 2026: meaning and how Thai families do it

Some festivals ask you to cook for three days or remember who sits where. Loy Krathong asks you to put a candle on a little boat and let it go. If your Thai family has one night a year that is pure, quiet magic, it may well be this one.

When is Loy Krathong 2026?

Tuesday 24 November 2026. วันลอยกระทง (wan loi gra-thong) falls on the full moon of the 12th month in the Thai lunar calendar, the 15th waxing day, which is why the date moves around November from year to year (Sanook, PPTV HD36). The floating itself happens after dark, when the moon is up.

If you see 25 November on a travel site, Thai calendars give 24 November (Kapook Calendar). For next year’s date and every other Thai holiday, see our Thai public holidays 2027 page.

Is Loy Krathong a public holiday?

No. It isn’t an official day off, so schools, offices and banks usually stay open (Sanook). That is part of its charm: people work all day, then meet by the river, the canal or the temple pond in the evening. If you’re planning a trip home around it, you won’t lose a working day to closures.

What does Loy Krathong mean?

ลอยกระทง (loi gra-thong) means “floating a krathong”. Loi is to float. A krathong is a small float, traditionally a slice of banana trunk wrapped and folded with banana leaves, then decorated with flowers, incense sticks and a candle (Wikipedia).

The meaning comes in layers, and families mix them freely:

• A thank-you, and a sorry, to the water. Many people float it for Phra Mae Khongkha, the goddess of water, to thank her and apologise for the ways we dirty rivers and canals (Sanook).
• Letting go. Floating away sorrow, illness and bad luck is part of it in some places. Some people even tuck in a snip of hair or a nail clipping to send off past wrongs (Wikipedia).
• A wish. Most people quietly make a wish as they set it on the water (Sanook).

You’ll probably also hear the story of Nang Noppamas, a court lady of Sukhothai said to have made the first lotus-shaped krathong. It’s a lovely tale, and an old one, but historians think it was written in the 19th century rather than in Sukhothai times (Wikipedia). Enjoy it as a story; nobody at the riverbank will quiz you on the dates.

What do Thai families actually do on the night?

Families do it differently, so take this as the common shape, not a rulebook.

1. Make or buy a krathong. Some families fold their own from banana trunk and leaves in the afternoon, which is a great job for kids and for anyone whose Thai is shy but whose hands are keen. Others buy one from a stall by the water.
2. Go to the water after dark. A river, canal, lake, park pond or temple pond. Expect crowds, music and food stalls.
3. Light the candle and incense. Then hold the krathong for a moment.
4. Make your wish. Silently is normal. If you’re not sure what to wish for, health for the family is never the wrong answer.
5. Let it go. Set it gently on the water and watch it drift. That’s it. That’s the whole ceremony.

You’ll almost certainly hear รำวงลอยกระทง (ram wong loi gra-thong), the Loy Krathong song. It was written at Thammasat University for a Loy Krathong party, no later than 1949, reportedly in about half an hour (Silpa Wattanatham). Ask your yai if she ever danced the ram wong to it. That one question can carry a whole evening.

If the night starts at a temple, our guide to Thai temple etiquette covers what to wear and how to behave inside. And if you’re wondering what to call the great-aunt holding your krathong, see Thai family words: what to call whom.

What about the lanterns in Chiang Mai (Yi Peng)?

In the north, the same full moon is ยี่เป็ง (yii peng). The name means the full moon of the second month in the old Lanna calendar, and in Chiang Mai, Yi Peng and Loy Krathong have merged into one festival over several nights (Wikipedia). Yi Peng is the one with the sky lanterns, โคมลอย (khom loi).

Those lanterns are now tightly controlled, because they can start fires and endanger flights. In 2025, Chiang Mai banned releases in six “red zone” districts, including central Chiang Mai, and in a zone around the airport, with penalties of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 200,000 baht (Time Out Chiang Mai). The rules are set again each year, so if your family is in the north, check the 2026 provincial rules before anyone lights a lantern.

How do you make an eco-friendly krathong?

Go back to the original recipe: banana trunk and banana leaves. Bangkok’s city administration asks people to use natural materials like these, which break down easily, and bans foam krathong in its parks (The Nation).

Bread krathong are a popular “green” choice, but it’s more complicated than it looks. Bangkok has asked people not to float bread in park ponds, because bread that isn’t eaten rots, pollutes the water and can harm fish (Thai PBS World). Bangkok has also run an online option for anyone who wants to take part without floating anything at all (The Nation).

One small idea if you want to go lighter still: one krathong for the whole family instead of one each. Less in the water, and everyone’s hands on the same little boat.

Can you celebrate Loy Krathong abroad?

Yes. Thai embassies, community associations, student groups and temples abroad sometimes hold Loy Krathong events, with krathong-making, food, dancing and the song. In 2023, for example, the Royal Thai Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand, joined local Thai groups for a Loy Krathong event with a krathong-making demonstration and ram wong dancing to the Loy Krathong song (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand). Events abroad often fall on a nearby weekend rather than the exact full moon.

To find one, ask at your nearest Thai temple, Thai community group or the Thai embassy in your country. Or keep it small: fold a krathong at the kitchen table, video-call yai while you do it, and float it somewhere safe and allowed. A bowl of water on the balcony counts more than you’d think.

Saying it with the family

You don’t need perfect Thai for Loy Krathong. Asking “what did you wish for?” in any language, or saying ลอยกระทง (loi gra-thong) out loud on the night, is already joining in.

In Reply Thai, Loy Krathong lives in the Big family days moment: a short culture card about the night and the Loy Krathong song, so you have something to ask yai about before the full moon.

Reply Thai for iPhoneComing soon

More family words live in the glossary.

Thai words on this page are a draft until a native speaker has reviewed them.