Loy Krathong Bangkok 2026: The Festival of Lights on Tuesday 24 November

Loy Krathong falls on Tuesday 24 November 2026, the full moon of the twelfth month of the Thai lunar calendar, and Bangkok spends the evening at the water. Across the city, people float small vessels called krathongs, made of banana leaf with flowers, incense and a candle, on the Chao Phraya River, the canals and the park ponds.

It is one night, it is not a public holiday, and the celebrating is concentrated in a single evening, roughly 6pm to 10pm. If you land that day, you can still make it: the river is an easy ride from either airport, and stalls at the water’s edge sell krathongs made that afternoon. Here is what the festival is and how the first hour works.

Loy means to float, and a krathong is the vessel: a slice of banana trunk, dressed with folded banana leaves, flowers, incense and a candle, floated on moving water. The purpose is to pay respect to the goddess of water, in thanks for the year’s supply, and to put the past year’s grudges and bad luck into the krathong and let the current take them away.

In Bangkok, the Chao Phraya is the main event, with free viewing along the riverside promenades and from the Wat Arun side. Riverside venues such as Asiatique and Iconsiam run organised events, and most canals and park ponds have people floating quietly. No booking and no ticket: walk to the water, buy a krathong, light the candle and push it out.

Buy the right one. Banana trunk and leaf is the traditional build, fully biodegradable, and what most vendors now sell. Styrofoam is banned or refused at most official sites, and bread krathongs are discouraged because they foul the water at this volume. Get to the water before dusk, and bring small notes: vendors are cash only. It is a merit making night, and the mood at the water’s edge is quiet.

Check which airport you fly into: Suvarnabhumi (BKK) takes most long haul internationals, and Don Mueang (DMK) is the low cost hub, about an hour apart by road. See our Suvarnabhumi to the city center transfer guide for every option. On festival evening, rail beats road.

For a Splurge, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, at 48 Oriental Avenue on Charoen Krung Road, is the grand dame of Asian hotels, opened in 1876, with Chao Phraya river views and complimentary shuttle boats to the Skytrain and Iconsiam: for a river festival, the riverside base is the point. For Mid-range, AriyasomVilla, at 65 Sukhumvit Soi 1, is a 1942 family villa turned boutique hotel in frangipani gardens, with Ploen Chit BTS eight minutes on foot. For Budget, Here Hostel Bangkok, on Ratchadamnoen Klang Road, is a top rated hostel ten minutes from Khao San Road and an easy stroll to the Grand Palace.

Here Hostel puts the old town ponds and the river piers in walking range, and the Mandarin’s shuttle boats make the riverside hop simple. For getting back after the floating, take the BTS or MRT rather than a car, and reverse the rail ride out to the airport the next day.

Get connected before you land: the guide names an Airalo eSIM for Thailand, with Saily as a solid alternative, because you need data from minute one for the arrival card QR code, ride hailing, rail maps and translation. Complete the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card online in the three days before you arrive and screenshot the QR code.

Sort cash early: street food, markets, temples and krathong stalls run on cash. Every Thai ATM charges a flat ฿220 fee on foreign cards, so withdraw a decent stack of baht in one go, and use the basement exchange booths by the Airport Rail Link station, which the guide rates among the city’s best, over the arrivals hall booths.

For a first meal, the guide points to pad thai or a tom yum, with Thipsamai as the pad thai institution. Do the Grand Palace first the next morning, at the 8:30am opening, with shoulders and knees covered: entry is ฿500 and the dress code is strictly enforced.

One full moon, one river, and a city letting the year go, one small boat at a time. Browse the events calendar for what else is on while you are in town, and use plan your trip to line up the days around it.