Yi Peng 2026 in Chiang Mai: can you still release a sky lantern, and where should you go instead?

Chiang Mai's Yi Peng festival runs from 23 to 25 November 2026, with Loy Krathong on 24 November. Every year the same question comes up: can you still release a sky lantern in the city? The short answer is no. Inside Mueang Chiang Mai and Hang Dong, releasing sky lanterns is banned outright, and anywhere else in the province a release needs advance permission through the provincial Bampen app.

That does not mean the festival is off limits. Most of the city programme is free, it has moved to a new main venue this year, and the lanterns that matter most in town are the ones that stay on the ground. Here is what is confirmed, what the lantern rules say, and how to plan the week.

When is Yi Peng 2026 in Chiang Mai?

What is new this year?

The biggest change is the venue. Chiang Mai City Municipality has moved the main festival stage from the square at Tha Phae Gate to the public park at Ton Lamyai Market. That is where the opening ceremony, the Lanna Yi Peng hanging lantern contest, the children's Yi Peng contest, the Yi Peng pageant and most of the cultural performances will take place, along with a contest for sapao, the Lanna boat-shaped krathong.

Tha Phae Gate is still part of the festival. The square hosts a light, sound and multimedia exhibition from 23 to 25 November, and the big krathong parade contest runs from Tha Phae Gate to the municipality offices. This year's programme also marks 730 years of Chiang Mai, with a riverside krathong release on the Ping River in front of the municipality offices and clay lamps, known as phang prateep, lit at the Lanna Folklife Museum, the city gates and the corners of the old city walls.

• Ton Lamyai Market public park: opening ceremony, hanging lantern and sapao contests, pageants and performances.
• Ping River in front of the municipality offices: the 730th anniversary krathong release, plus a contest for krathong made from banana leaves and fresh flowers.
• Tha Phae Gate square: light, sound and multimedia exhibition, and the start of the big krathong parade.
• Lanna Folklife Museum, city gates and wall corners: phang prateep clay lamps lit around the old city.
• Neighbourhoods and temples in the municipality: decorated Lanna forest-gate arches, entered in a community contest.

Can you release a sky lantern in Chiang Mai?

Not in the city. The Chiang Mai PR Office set out the 2026 rules on 20 October. The province is split into zones, and the strictest covers every subdistrict of Mueang Chiang Mai and Hang Dong, plus parts of Saraphi, Mae Rim, San Sai and San Pa Tong. In that zone, releasing sky lanterns is banned outright, and fireworks are either banned or need a permit filed 15 days in advance, depending on the exact area.

Permits are applied for through the Bampen app to the district chief, and applicants sign an agreement accepting the safety conditions. Releases are allowed only on 24 and 25 November between 19:00 and 01:00, at the approved place. Smoke lanterns, known locally as wao hom, are allowed only on the morning of 24 November between 10:00 and 12:00. Lanterns must meet the Thai community product standard, stay aloft no longer than seven minutes and must never carry firecrackers. The province says breaking the rules is an offence punishable by law.

In practice, that means an individual visitor cannot legally light a lantern on a street corner or a hotel rooftop in town. CNX Magazine notes that legal mass releases happen at licensed, ticketed venues outside the city, so if a release is on your list, book a licensed event and ask to see its permit.

Will your flight be affected?

Probably, if it is in the evening. Because the lantern windows overlap with flight paths, Chiang Mai airport changes its schedule every year. CNX Magazine reports that 161 flights were cancelled or rescheduled during the 2025 festival. MEM had not seen the 2026 airport notice when we checked on 2 November, so check with your airline before booking an evening flight on 24 or 25 November.

How to enjoy Yi Peng without breaking the rules

1. Go to Ton Lamyai Market park for the lantern contests and the opening night, and arrive early.
2. Walk the old city after dark to see the clay lamps at the gates and wall corners.
3. Float a krathong on the Ping River. Choose one made from banana leaves and flowers rather than foam.
4. Watch the big krathong parade from Tha Phae Gate.
5. If you want a lantern release, book a licensed event outside the city and check the permit.

Is a quieter Yi Peng a better Yi Peng?

Visitors who arrive expecting a free mass lantern release in the old city will be disappointed. But the tighter rules protect the airport, the forests and the people living under the flight paths, and the province says it wants this year's festival to be more environmentally friendly. The parts of Yi Peng that belong to the city, such as the hanging lanterns, the clay lamps and the krathong on the river, are free, and they are still the heart of the festival.