Yi Peng and Loy Krathong (Lantern Festival)

Yi Peng and Loy Krathong (Lantern Festival)

Yi Peng and Loy Krathong (Lantern Festival)
4.5
About
Yi Peng, a festival of lights celebrated mainly in the north of Thailand, overlaps with Loy Krathong, which is celebrated during the full moon of November and is Thailand's 2nd most important festival after Songkran. It is a time to be with family and friends and to make merit. People gather near lakes, rivers and canals to launch paper lanterns into the sky, and to float their 'krathongs' with loved ones. Krathongs are circular rafts made from banana tree trunks, which are decorated with flowers, candles and incence sticks. These offerings create a wondeful show of lights, both in the sky and on any body of water. It is believed that if you and your partner's rafts stay together after being launched, you will have a happy future together.
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$187.61
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Top ways to experience Yi Peng and Loy Krathong (Lantern Festival) and nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles201 reviews
Excellent
138
Very good
33
Average
8
Poor
8
Terrible
14

These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
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tae u
1 contribution
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Family
My family and I were going to be in Bangkok and we happen to hear about this lantern festival so we decided that we wanted to do this. Side note, me and my wife have done lantern festival in Vegas (RiSE) but our kids have not. They are 10 and 7 years old. I also read a lot of mixed reviews here and weren't sure if we wanted to do this or not. In the end, we decided to go for it. One advice is to go for the VIP tickets for the van ride alone. So worth it compared to riding in the back of trucks. Also, the lines to get the sticker to get on the van is so much easier and shorter. The amount of people at the Maya mall was bit overwhelming but once you ask around, it's not that bad. I thought it was going to be chaos but it wasn't bad at all. The food for the VIP folks were a lot better too and you get tables with wooden chairs. Non-VIP got to sit on the floor. Our goal was to release our six lanterns (7 year old did not require a ticket) and get the heck out of there ASAP. I sort of wanted to stay there longer to see all the lantern release fails. There were few around me who prematurely released it and ended up going in to someone else and catching their lanterns on fire. There were also people who had trouble lighting it and got their lanterns on fire and the fire spread to other lanterns and bunch of people were freaking out. I liked how the organizers parked all of the vans that had dropped off its guests and so you knew that there were plenty of vans to take you back. We got in line for the vans to take us back and everything was surprisingly smooth. The grab at the mall came pretty fast as well. Overall, yes it is fairly expensive but when comparing to what you get here with RiSE, the experience in Chiang Mai is 100 times better. Would we do it again, no once is plenty for us.
Written December 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Marina L
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Friends
This experience was unforgettable - absolutely incredible. The festival itself was lovely and fairly well organized, with the exception of the transportation to the grounds which was disorganized with multiple queues and nobody there to direct people. That aside, upon arrival it was great. Tons of food, activities, and exploring to be done before the formal ceremony begins, so go early to have time to soak it in. We sat quite far back for the ceremony, so the audio wasn't great but it was a good cultural experience. The lanterns are of course the highlight; this was a surreal experience and made it all worth it. Be prepared for about an hour drive in a tuk tuk each way and note that the outhouse bathrooms were pretty disgusting.
Written December 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

westphillyboy
san clemente, CA587 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2024 • Family
Organized chaos, but we still had fun in the end. Seeing the lanterns take off was magical. The food (Premium tickets) was also pretty good. Much better than I thought.

But realize it's not well organized. Poor signage where to go to pick up your tickets. No one says where the transportation buses will be. everyone is fighting to get on, when they arrive. Same thing when you leave. Even people with the organizers' badges din't know where we should go. But at the end of the day, you get there and back.

Way cool once in a lifetime experience, but wouldn't do again. Be prepared for organized chaos and you'll be ok. :)
Written November 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kelly D
6 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Family
Yes 100% seeing all the lanterns in the sky was beautiful but the experience was far from it.
Mass crowd lining up for transport with barely any signs or organisation. Long ride in Red Songthaews, not bus as advertised, in traffic breathing in fumes the whole way. The first part was ok, checking out some stores & little shows & pre dinner nibbles. Then some ground based sparkle fireworks went off with people running to get out of the way. Seemed quite reckless. This was the first sign of concern for us. Dinner once we got some from the huge long line ups tasted nice. Fireworks then went off behind us & it looked like it was amongst the trees. OMG so close, i swear with just one spark, the trees would have gone up in flame. Second sign of concern. Then after waiting a long time, after waiting a long time for the band entertainment to start, we finally got to go in the circle for ceremonies. This took forever with each section of the circle going at different times even though we were opposite each other?? So in the circle, which was fenced the whole way around except the entrances, '10s of thousands' plastic chairs all lined up next to each other in rows with lanterns in plastic bags tied to each chair. The ceremony was poor, weird & unprofessional. The AV was so crap, you got high pitch screatching sounds all the time. OMG with the money they made, could you not have had decent AV. We were starting to wonder if we should leave the circle as inbetween every 3 chairs, front & behind, was a kerosene holder on a stake in the ground. We thought if they light these up, we are going to have fire all around us & sure enough, in having decided to stay as they surely would light them up in an organised, section by section way, men ran through each line, at the same time & lit them up. No one knew what to do it happened so fast, so recklessly. So OMG everyone jumped up, opened the 'plastic' bag the lanterns were in & throwing them. Let me remind you, there was lit kerosene everywhere. In the race to get their lanterns up, it was a traumatic scene, like a massacre with fire honestly, with no fire brigade on site. We screamed at a lady a few rows in front whose hair was smothering ready to go in flames & a guy a few rows back, leaning backwards over a flame taking at photo. People were crazy & so unaware of what was going on. The latern next to us did not fly & was dropped on the ground right next to us still lit. I was watching 360 whilst my 17yr old daughter tried so hard to enjoy the moment that we travelled for but it was literally manic. In fear for our safety, we grabbed hands & did our best to carefully walk through the dangerous scene till we reached outside the circle. It was reckless, dangerous & unprofessional of the organisers & I would not recommend this to anyone. In hindsight, seeing all the signs, we should have grabbed our latern & stood outside the circle to do it but in hindsight, we should have never gone.
Written December 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Khánh T
6 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2024 • Couples
Many unfortunate things happened at the festival:

- We had to wait so long at the pick up point (More Space) from 2PM to 6PM, under bright sunlight, and the coordination department is unprofessional and consists entirely of students. When we started at 6PM from More Space, we came at 7PM, we missed too many event segments.

- We have nothing to eat! It is not fair when those who come sooner can eat everything they want, and who come later have nothing to eat. A while later, we RUN to the VIP zone, eating the little food left over, in the dark, many people cried, because of pain, because of hunger, because of feeling hurt. Why don't you have a plan to fill the food with such a large number of guests? There is no food at 7PM, I can't believe how unprofessional you guys are! It's no different from the movie The Flatform.

- There is no krathong light as described on the ticket.

- We had to RUN again when the event ended again. Begging drivers to get on. Because you guys don't have enough cars for everyone, I will send videos for you in attachment.

The lantern release scene is very romantic, I really want to go again in 2025, but the ticket price I only found to be adequate was 2000 baht per person, I had to pay too high a price, 9200 baht for two people, it's not worth it.
Written November 17, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Yu Lin T
Singapore, Singapore16 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2024 • Couples
Firstly, this event was specifically catered for tourist/foreigners who is willing to pay SGD200+ and above per pax! The locals usually celebrate downtown!

Registration: Assemble point at Maya shopping mall. There was no proper q, everyone is rushing to register and organizer simply gives u a sticker to stick on yr clothings (to verify you)! Doesnt matter if you you have a VIP, Diamond ticket - there is no proper q! Then there was pushing and shoving just to board the van. Lots of unhappiness though and of course screaming and shouting!

Main site: when you reach the site, it was pretty but nothing to shout about. We were provided food but its best that you had a heavy lunch instead. The q was snake long, food was insufficient, bite size, slow and its q everywhere

Actual event: A long introduction about this event which is a tad too long, people at the back cant even see what's going on in front. There was traditional dance but really, people was not quite keen.

Main event of the night : alright, the releasing of the lanterns, have to say its once in a life time experience, imaging seeing thousands of lanterns light up and released to the sky, its just breathtaking, something you dont see in elsewhere and probably once in your lifetime

After event : another nightmare! People were rushing/shoving to take the van back to town, so its either you push your way through or you wait patiently for the van which might be past midnight when you arrive town.

In a nutshell : 9/10 for the experience in releasing of the lanterns, 5/10 for onsite experience and 2/10 for the logistics (its just nightmare).

The organizer needs to pull their socks and work harder on managing the logistics considering they held such event year after year.
Written December 9, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Joshua Goose
West Hollywood, CA14 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2024 • Couples
Lack of clear signage or guidance at the meeting point.
Stickers provided for phones caused adhesive damage.
Four-hour wait for transportation in the sun with no shade, water, or bathroom access.
Chaotic bus boarding process led to physical altercations.
Late arrival at the venue caused missed cultural events.
Fireworks launched dangerously close to attendees, causing injuries.
Performers faked cultural acts, and emcees provided cheap, carnival-style commentary.
No historical or cultural context about the lantern festival was given.
Lantern-lighting process was disorganized, leading to fires and near injuries.
General lack of safety measures
Written November 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Diane
1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2024 • Couples
The event started extremely unorganized and chaotic, which is not what I expected given the price of premium tickets.

We arrived at Maya at 3 PM. No signage to
indicate the process or which line is for what. Generally, it seemed like you were supposed to wait at the tent for the staff to check off your name and give you a van sticker. Then you're supposed to wait in another line to get into the vans. But waiting at the tent didn't even seem to matter because none of the drivers or staff were
checking for stickers as people got into the vans. There was no staff to direct the crowd into lines to load onto vans; it's literally a free-for-all. Massive crowds of people were rushing toward the vans as they arrived, and the vans only seated 9.

We arrived at the event location at 5 PM, and it seemed to be better organized there. There was no line at the entry, and they quickly scanned our tickets. There was plenty of food for dinner at the premium area. Then they seated us at the pagoda area by groups--elite first, then premium, then VIP, then standard.

The performance was ok. It looked like the drummers weren't actually hitting the drums, and it was just a track coming through the speakers. It was weird because their movements were out of sync with the audible drumming.

They demonstrated how to properly release the lanterns on stage. And still, the couples to the right, left, and behind us had at least 1 lantern that caught on fire. At least the staff members nearby had tiny fire extinguishers.

The lantern release was so beautiful, and
of course, the highlight of the evening. Felt
magical!

We rushed back to the parking lot and were able to quickly get a van back to Maya. We didn't get back to Maya until 11:15 PM because traffic was so bad.

Would I go again? Nope. Would I recommend it? Not so sure. For $176/person, I expected a more organized experience.
Written November 23, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

tony p
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Couples
Where to start, arrived at the meeting point to take the shuttle, more than an hour of waiting to understand how the queuing system works, no member of staff to put some order in this race to whom who are you going to pass in front of...
Then one hour of transport to the event location...
The food offered on site does not break three legs of a duck, very little taste despite the great diversity of Thai dishes offered.
You will have to be patient to wait in line at the drinks stand to even ask for a bottle of water.
To finally arrive at the long-awaited show, a speech, percussion, spiritual songs, all reserved only for the first rows since the sound does not reach the last rows...
An event that brings thousands of pseudo-Instagrammer tourists... Who pay more attention to the point of view of their photos than to the dangerousness of their inexperience with fire.
In short, it's a bit expensive for a lantern release, as wonderful as it is.
Google
Written November 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Vratin Shah
Mumbai, India1,304 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019
We went to see the event early night, but the place was too crowded and event just started which we were not able to see. The actual lantern release was rare during early hours, only few lanterns to see. Other recreational activities & food stall available, but everything was crowded.
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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