Chiang Mai’s Yi Peng festival offers several ways to experience northern Thailand’s traditions of light. Temple visits, hanging lanterns and riverside celebrations suit a flexible city stay. An organised mass sky lantern release requires a more structured plan, usually involving a ticket and an afternoon transfer to a separate venue.
Decide which experience matters most before booking your hotel. If your goal is the coordinated release seen in festival photographs, check the exact event and venue. If you mainly want to explore decorated streets and temples, build your evenings around the city programme.
When Is Yi Peng in 2026?
The Chiang Mai CAD Khomloy Sky Lantern Festival is advertised for 24 and 25 November 2026, with attendance booked for a selected night. Its venue is the CAD Cultural Center Lanna in Mae On, outside central Chiang Mai. These dates refer specifically to the ticketed CAD event. Top Destinations’ 2026 event page lists the dates and venue.
Chiang Mai’s public parades, temple ceremonies and community activities have their own programmes. A CAD ticket date does not confirm the timing of a city procession. Check announcements from the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Chiang Mai office before arranging an evening around a particular public event.
We would arrive at least the day before a booked lantern release. With afternoon check-in and transfers to arrange, landing in Chiang Mai on the event day leaves little room for a delayed flight or a slow hotel check-in.
City Celebrations or a Ticketed Lantern Release?
Yi Peng, also written as Yee Peng, is a Lanna festival rooted in northern Thailand’s Buddhist traditions. Its lights include hanging lanterns, small clay lamps and sky lanterns. The celebrations involve offerings and community observances as well as the images that draw visitors to Chiang Mai. The Thailand Foundation’s explanation of Yi Peng provides useful cultural background.
Loy Krathong takes place during the same festival period, with decorated floats placed on water. In Chiang Mai, you may encounter both traditions during visit: lights around temples and streets, and krathong activities near waterways.
Exploring the city
Public celebrations let you move between decorated areas, food stalls and cultural activities without buying admission to a large private event. Individual temples or activities can have their own charges, and food, transport and a krathong are separate expenses.
The Old City moat and Ratchadamnoen Road are established festival areas. Treat these as places to explore, then use the current programme to choose specific performances or ceremonies. Historical photographs of a temple do not establish its opening hours or lantern-release arrangements for your visit.
Attending an organised release
CAD is a separately ticketed event with seating categories, performances, food and transfers. It suits visitors who want to allocate an afternoon and evening to a coordinated lantern release.
The decision is about the experience you want and the time you can commit. Someone interested mainly in temple architecture and local celebrations may prefer the city. Someone travelling specifically for the mass release should secure the event booking before making inflexible travel arrangements.
Doing both can work well: reserve evening for your chosen ticketed event and keep another available for the city programme. Avoid trying to combine an out-of-town release and a central parade on the same night.
CAD Tickets: Prices, Inclusions and Booking Checks
The 2026 CAD listing from ticket reseller Royal Silk Holidays shows these prices:
| Ticket category | Listed price per person |
|---|---|
| Standard | THB 4,900 |
| VIP | THB 6,500 |
| Premium | THB 7,000 |
| Gold | THB 8,900 |
| Platinum | THB 11,900 |
| Elite | THB 15,900 |
In September 2026, that reseller’s listing displayed its allocation as out of stock. Other sellers may have different allocations; confirm the date, category and final total before booking travel around a purchase.
The listed packages include two sky lanterns, krathong, food, performances and transport from designated meeting points. Higher categories change seating and other arrangements. Standard lists non-air-conditioned transport; the higher categories list air-conditioned vehicles.
Two Standard tickets total THB 9,800 before any extra fees or travel costs. Compare the upgrade price with what you would otherwise spend on accommodation or another day in Thailand. Our Thailand trip budget guide helps put the event cost into the wider itinerary.
Check who is selling the ticket
Several websites use similar festival names. Identify the company taking payment, the named event organiser and the venue on the booking. A seller describing itself as an official partner is still a separate business from the organiser.
Read the conditions attached to that particular purchase. For example, Royal Silk Holidays’ terms state that purchases are non-refundable. Another seller, Hualiying Travel, publishes a 60-day cancellation threshold, alongside restrictions on changes after booking. Those policies apply to their respective bookings, not to every Yi Peng ticket.
Before paying, check:
-
The event date, venue, ticket category and number of guests.
-
Whether your group will be seated together.
-
The pickup point, return destination and any hotel-transfer supplement.
-
The final total, including payment or service fees.
-
The ticket-specific cancellation terms and what happens if the event changes.
Save the confirmation and booking conditions. Keep the ticket QR code private and available offline.
Where to Stay for Yi Peng
Your best base depends on whether you want to walk around the city festivities or simplify an organised transfer.
The Old City and Tha Phae Gate area make sense for a stay centred on temples and city exploration. Check the hotel’s exact position rather than relying on a broad “Old City” label. Ask how guests reach the property if festival traffic restrictions affect nearby streets.
Nimman and the MAYA area are worth considering if your confirmed ticket uses MAYA as its meeting point or return stop. That convenience depends on the booking: not every CAD category departs from MAYA.
The Night Bazaar area may suit a booking with a confirmed Night Bazaar drop-off. Look at the final walk or ride from that stop to your accommodation before choosing a hotel.
We would usually favour a city base for a first visit, with transport arranged to the event venue. Staying near an out-of-town release can reduce that particular journey, but you then need a plan for meals, sightseeing and other evenings in Chiang Mai.
Three or four nights allow more flexibility than a-night festival stop. You can arrive, explore the city, attend your booked event and leave after a full night’s rest. If Chiang Mai forms part of a longer route, compare the other bases in our guide to where to stay in Thailand.
Getting to the Lantern Release and Back
Treat the CAD venue and the shuttle meeting point as two different destinations. Your booking may ask you to check in within Chiang Mai before travelling to Mae On with the event transport.
Top Destinations’ current CAD shuttle and check-in instructions list these meeting points:
| Ticket categories | Published meeting point |
|---|---|
| Standard, VIP, Premium and Gold | Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre |
| Platinum and Elite | MAYA Lifestyle Shopping Center |
The seller lists afternoon boarding beginning at 13:00. Use your own voucher for the precise meeting point and boarding deadline, since event pages and package arrangements can differ. Keep the afternoon free instead of scheduling a distant excursion before departure.
The return deserves equal attention. Depending on the package, a city drop-off can be at MAYA, the Night Bazaar or the convention centre. Included return transport does not necessarily take you to your hotel. Establish the drop-off point and your final journey before leaving the city.
At the venue, ask where your return vehicles depart, whether you need a wristband and when the last departure for your booking leaves. Follow the instructions for your group rather than joining the first visible queue.
We would keep accommodation in Chiang Mai for that night and avoid an flight or train connection after the ceremony. If travelling independently, agree the return pickup location and arrangements with your driver in advance. For the wider journey to Chiang Mai, our Thailand transport guide covers the main travel options.
Lantern Rules, Clothing and Accessibility
Buying a lantern does not establish permission to release it wherever you are standing. Launch locations and times are controlled because of aviation and fire risks. Thailand NOW’s visitor guidance advises checking that an event has permission; its published 2025 release windows should not be reused as 2026 rules.
Follow the current instructions for your event and let staff guide any release. City visits can focus on hanging lanterns, temple displays and riverside activities without launching a sky lantern yourself.
Wear clothing that covers shoulders and knees for temples and religious ceremonies, with comfortable footwear for walking and standing. Keep photography respectful: leave routes clear and avoid interrupting worshippers or staff. Carry a light layer and check the forecast before heading to an outdoor venue.
Families should check both the admission policy and the seating arrangement for children. A free child place can mean sharing an adult’s seat, and transport arrangements may be different. Keep children close around flames and during arrivals and departures.
If anyone in your group needs step-free access, suitable toilets or assistance boarding vehicles, ask the seller about the exact ticket category and venue arrangements before paying. A reserved seat alone does not answer those questions.
What to Prepare Before Festival Day
Keep the essentials together so you can use your time in Chiang Mai for the celebrations:
-
Ticket and identification: Download the QR code and carry whatever identification the booking requires. Keep a second copy accessible to someone in your group.
-
Meeting and return points: Save both map pins, the hotel address and the booking contact’s number.
-
Phone and power: Charge your phone and bring a power bank. Arrange mobile data for navigation and messages; a Thailand eSIM is option for a compatible, unlocked phone. Keep tickets and key directions available offline too.
-
Small expenses: Carry enough money for getting to the meeting point, the journey from the return stop and purchases outside the package.
-
Group coordination: Agree where to meet if separated, including a landmark outside the busiest area.
Before leaving the hotel, check the latest message from your ticket seller and confirm your return arrangements. Those two steps matter more than adding another stop to an already full festival day.