Chiang Mai's Most Picturesque Festival

Chiang Mai will forever have a place in my heart, for me it's my go-to place in the whole of Thailand. It's quiet, it's clean, it's cheap and most importantly, you get Thailands BEST dish, Khao Soi. (my personal opinion)

Over the years I have spent a considerable amount of time in Chiang Mai, most recently me and my wife, Samar, volunteered at an English school just south of the city in a place called Hang Dong for 6 weeks. On a scooter it would take around 30 mins drive into the countryside. We'd volunteer on a Saturday and Sunday, 09:00 - 16:00 and the students ranged between 3 and 18 years old. Good memories but let's get on to the real reason you're reading this blog, Yi Peng Lantern Festival.

Firstly, what is Yi Peng Lantern Festival?

Yi Peng Lantern Festival is honestly one of the most beautiful things you’ll ever see in Thailand. It’s that time of year when the sky above Chiang Mai fills with thousands of glowing paper lanterns drifting away into the night. The whole city lights up, and it feels like something straight out of a dream.

The festival runs alongside Loy Krathong, which is when people float small decorated baskets (called krathongs) down rivers to let go of bad luck and start fresh. Yi Peng, on the other hand, is all about the sky lanterns. Locals and tourists gather together, write wishes or prayers on their lanterns, and release them at the same time. When they all rise together, it’s pure magic.

It’s not just about the lantern release either. The city gets dressed up for it. Temples glow, the streets are full of food stalls, people wear traditional clothes, and there’s music, fireworks, and a buzz everywhere.

Where Should I stay?

If you haven't already got your accommodation sorted you may as well forget it, unless you're willing to pay £70.00 minimum in a hotel. I checked earlier and the average price is over £100.00 per night, what's crazy is during Songkran hotels are only £15.00-£18.00 per night on average. Yi Peng Lantern Festival is 3.5x more expensive! I will do another post on Songkran, some of the best days of 2025 was during this festival, we have a whole file full of photos and videos to share with you.

Here's one of the cheapest hotels currently in Chiang Mai you could stay in for £69.00 per night, and actually it's not bad. Our friends have stayed there in the past. It's called the Amora Tapae Hotel and it's located just outside the main square, but don't worry, it's a close walk to most things.

Just for the record, my favourite hotel in Chiang Mai is called Sleep Mai, this is also very close to Amora Tapae, if you're able to book yourself into Sleep Mai, I highly recommend it!

How Far Is Yi Peng Lantern Festival From Inside The City?

If you stayed in the hotel I mentioned above, you're within a 20 minute walking distance as the Mae Ping River flows to the east of the city. I wouldn't recommend relying on Grabs nor Bolt, often traffic is bad within the city without events so walking is your best bet to efficiently explore the local areas.

What To Expect On The 5th of November

I'm not sure if you have ever experienced a Songkran in Thailand? If you have, you know what to expect but if you havent, expect the streets to be busy from the crack of dawn. Street sellers are setting up the second the sun blesses us good morning. Temples get decorated soon after and by late afternoon you’ll see people heading out with their lanterns. Once you get to the event there’s usually a few hours of food, music and little shows before the big release. Bring a jacket because it can get chilly at night and maybe a small bag for your stuff since it’s crowded. The main lantern release happens after dark and lasts around 30 minutes, but the whole event goes for about three to four hours. After that it’s chaos again with traffic, so expect a slow ride back into the city.

Anything Else To Know?

It'll be illegal for me not to mention about myself, My names Josh and I'm a seasoned backpacker. In March 2025 I started building a budgeting travel app for backpackers, we're in the final stages of development. So far, the whole dev costs has been covered by myself and my wife's savings. I wrote a blog about it, it's called Crowdfunding: The Founders Perspective go give it a read! However if you're unable to do that right now, just remember we are crowdfunding the marketing, so share the love, spread the word. Big things are coming into the phones of backpackers throughout South East Asia!