Top 5 Best Places in Thailand to Celebrate Loy Krathong Festival
Loy krathong is a famous Thai festival held annually on the full moon of the 12th month of the Thai Lunar calendar, normally falling in November. It’s a time-honored tradition celebrated throughout the entire country and has been celebrated for hundreds of years, passed down from generation to generation.
The Loy Krathong festival typically consists of ornately decorated floating rafts (Krathong) illuminated with candles which are then sent down rivers, lakes, canals, the sea, or any body of water. The release of the Krathongs is known as a symbol of the individual letting their year’s bad luck and misfortune drift away in preparation for a new year of good luck.
Top 5 Best Provinces to Visit in The Loy Krathong Festival
Although Loy Krathong is celebrated throughout all of Thailand there are a few regions that take this Thai festival to the next level and have been noted as featuring the most spectacular and unique Loy Krathong displays.
Specifically Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Sukhothai, Tak, and Ayutthaya are all well known for their version of Loy Krathong celebrations with each area having its own unique style of celebrating the Thai festival.
As we all know it’s impossible to be in all five places at once, so here’s a general description of each region’s celebrations to help you decide the best place to spend Loy Krathong!
Chiang Mai – Yi Peng Festival
Yi Peng Festival / Loy Krathong Festival in Chiang Mai
In Chiang Mai, the Loy Krathong festival coincides with the regional festival of Yi Peng. Yi Peng is a traditional Thai festival dating back to the old Lanna kingdom. Like Loy krathong, Yi Peng allows participants to let their year’s bad luck and misfortune drift away, only into the sky!
This, in combination with Loy Krathong’s water-themed celebrations, makes for a truly awe-inspiring display of light, tradition, and Thai culture both on the water and in the sky.
Bangkok – Asiatique Market and Chao Phraya River
Delightful Colours of the River, Loy Krathong Festival – Bangkok
If you’re in Bangkok, why not experience Loy Krathong the way the locals do at the Asiatique riverside night market? Celebrations there involve several key events, the main ones being held at the large boardwalk in front of Asiatique.
The festivities involve lots of music shows and even some more traditional Loy Krathong festival displays; such as traditional Krathong preparation (you can try making your very own Krathong!) as well as floating Krathong processions and stunning fireworks displays.
Another popular venue for this Thai festival in Bangkok is by the riverbanks of the Chao Phraya river, specifically between the Krung Thep bridge and the Krung Thon bridge. There’s nothing like celebrating the Loy Krathong festival with Bangkok’s famous historical temples and palaces as a backdrop!
Vendors line the streets all the way to the riverbanks where crowds wait patiently for boats to ferry them out so that they can launch their Krathongs