Loy Krathong in Bangkok: the night the river fills with candles
Lotus-shaped krathong floating on the Chao Phraya river at night with candle lit
One night in November — 24 November in 2026 — 100,000 candle-lit floats go on the Chao Phraya, hotels along the river sell out four months ahead, and rates on the water hit their annual peak.
The date and why it moves
Loy Krathong falls on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, which puts it in November on the Gregorian calendar but on a different date every year: 24 November in 2026, 14 November in 2027, 1 November in 2028. It is a single-night festival, not a multi-day one, though the associated markets and events at the temples and along the river run for 3-4 days around it. Everyone in the city — locals, monks, families with three generations — releases a lotus-shaped float (krathong) onto the nearest body of water at sunset, and the effect on the Chao Phraya after dark is one of the great sights in Southeast Asia.
This is not primarily a tourist event, which is the point. It is a genuine national ritual to thank the water goddess and let go of last year's misfortune, and the atmosphere at the ordinary khlong-side neighbourhoods is more moving than at the tourist-facing river piers. The main crowds gather at Asiatique, Iconsiam, the piers along Rattanakosin, and Santichaiprakan Park in Banglamphu. But the small canals in Thonburi, the ponds inside temple grounds, and even the fountains at Lumphini Park all get their share of floats and are quieter.
River-view hotel rates on the night
Rooms with a river view on Loy Krathong night are the single most expensive hotel category in Bangkok's year. The Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula, Shangri-La and Chatrium river-facing suites sell for 2.5-3x normal peak rates — a $420 room becomes $1,100-1,300, and they sell out by July for the November event. The mid-range river hotels (Anantara Riverside, Millennium Hilton, Ramada Plaza Menam) run $280-420 on the night versus $140-190 the week before. Booking November 5-6 months out is standard; booking eight weeks out you will find scraps or nothing.
The workaround if you want the view without the price is to book a rooftop bar table with a river view instead. Sirocco at Lebua, ChAo Phraya Princess dinner cruise, and Vertigo (which has partial river view) all take reservations for the night at a 30-50% food-and-drinks minimum on top of normal menu prices — a $60-90 spend per person for the evening instead of a $1,000 room. Alternatively, book any non-view room at a river hotel ($180-240) and go up to the rooftop or riverside terrace at 8pm, when hotels typically open these to all in-house guests.
Where to actually release your krathong
The most photographed spot is Santichaiprakan Park in Banglamphu, at the foot of the old fort — locals and tourists pack in from 6pm, small buoyed platforms let you set your float on the water, and the view down the river towards Wat Arun with the golden temple lit and the candles drifting is the postcard image. Get there by 5:30 or you will queue 40 minutes to reach the water. Asiatique the Riverfront is the other tourist favourite: safer, more organised, with food stalls and stage shows, but less atmospheric. Iconsiam's riverside promenade is the polished version — Instagram-friendly, with a fireworks display around 9pm.
For a quieter experience, walk to any small canal in your neighbourhood at 8-10pm. Every temple pond has floats, every waterside restaurant sets up a small pier, and the small klongs in Thonburi (accessible from Wang Lang or Prannok piers) fill with locals who bring three-generation family groups. Buying a krathong costs $1-3 from any temple, market or 7-Eleven that night — the traditional ones are banana leaf, flower and candle; skip the styrofoam ones that some vendors still sell because they do not biodegrade and the city fishes them out for two weeks after.
Yee Peng: the lanterns you cannot really do in Bangkok
Yee Peng is the sky-lantern festival that happens on the same night, and it is what everyone has seen on Instagram — thousands of rice-paper lanterns rising into the sky, mostly at Mae Jo University near Chiang Mai. Bangkok does not do Yee Peng at that scale, and you should not expect to see the mass lantern release in the capital. Some hotels and Asiatique sell individual lanterns to release, but sky lanterns are restricted near flight paths and Bangkok's airspace makes mass release illegal in the central city. If the lanterns are the specific image you want, book a two-night side trip to Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai flights on Loy Krathong weekend are the second most expensive of the year after Songkran — expect $180-260 return from Bangkok versus $60-90 in shoulder months. Hotel rates in Chiang Mai on that night hit their annual peak, and the Mae Jo mass release requires a separate ticket ($100-140) booked months ahead. Doing Chiang Mai for the lanterns and Bangkok for the krathong is a valid, well-worn itinerary — three nights Bangkok either side and two nights Chiang Mai in the middle. Book flights and hotels together in July or August.
What the day itself looks like
Loy Krathong is not a public holiday, so daytime runs normally — offices, schools and banks stay open. The festival ramps up from 4pm as families finish work, buy or make krathongs, and head to their local water. The main food scene sets up along the river from 5pm: Thai desserts (khanom krok, tako, mango sticky rice), grilled prawns, and endless bags of sliced fruit. Temple fairs run at Wat Saket, Wat Arun and Wat Rakhang with lights, small rides for kids, and stage performances. Crowds peak between 7 and 9pm at the main river spots; by 10:30 the density eases and it is genuinely walkable.
Dress code is casual but there is an unofficial nod to traditional Thai clothing — you will see many women in silk chut thai and men in linen shirts, especially at temple events. Nothing formal, but avoid beach clothes and shorts if you plan to enter any temple pond area. Mosquitoes are aggressive at the riverside after dark in November, so long sleeves plus repellent matter. The BTS runs extended hours until 1am on the night, and the MRT until midnight; both are packed at 10-11pm as families head home.
The rest of November: high season begins
Loy Krathong falls inside Bangkok's best weather month. November is the sweet spot: post-monsoon so the rain has stopped, pre-cool-season so temperatures sit at 30-33°C in the day and 22-24°C at night, humidity down to 55-65% from monsoon's 85%. The haze from northern burning has not started yet. Rooftop bars are open, skies are clear, the river shows a proper skyline. High season pricing kicks in from the first week: four-star Sukhumvit rooms move from $85 in late October to $120-160 by mid-November, and by 20 November they are within $20 of December's peak.
Book November for the best combination of weather, atmosphere and moderate crowds. December has slightly cooler nights and is the postcard month, but every hotel is $30-60 more expensive and the tourist density at Wat Pho and the Grand Palace is 30% higher. If Loy Krathong is the specific event, block the four nights around the full moon and confirm your booking by August at the latest. If you are flexible, aim for the second week of November — beautiful weather, festival buildup starting, prices still slightly below peak.
Before you book
What people ask before booking Bangkok.
No, the festival is free and street-level — you just show up at any waterside spot with a krathong. Special dinners at riverside hotels (typically $80-140 per head with a set menu and river view) are worth it if you want a guaranteed table and view without the crowd. Dinner cruises on the Chao Phraya run $60-90 and give a moving view of the full length of the river during the release.
Safe at any established riverside pier or temple pond — there are usually staff or volunteers helping. Do not lean over unfenced river walls in Rattanakosin or Thonburi to place a float; the Chao Phraya current is strong and the drops are unforgiving. Small klongs and temple ponds are easier and just as meaningful.
A small number, mostly at Asiatique and some private hotel events, and they are regulated because of flight paths. Do not expect the mass-release scene from Chiang Mai photos. If you want that specifically, add two nights in Chiang Mai to your trip and book both legs by August.
It rarely does — late November is past the monsoon and rainfall on Loy Krathong night averages under 10mm across recent years. If it does drizzle, the festival still runs; the candles are hardier than they look and the crowds do not disperse. A light rain actually improves the atmosphere and the photos.
