Have you seen pictures or videos of thousands of lanterns floating up into the night sky? That is Thailand's famous lantern festival, called Yi Peng or Yee Peng, celebrated annually in Chiang Mai. Attending the festival is on many people's bucket lists. If you want to enjoy the magical experience to the utmost, this article will help you.
When is Yi Peng Festival 2023?
Yi Peng Lantern Festival takes place annually on full moon evenings in month 2 of the Lanna lunar calendar, and the Gregorian calendar date changes from year to year. It usually falls in November.
In 2023, it will be celebrated on November 27th and 28th.
Tickets for the Chiang Mai CAD mass lantern release are on sale now. Click to book tickets.
What's the Difference Between Yi Peng and Loy Krathong?
When you research Yi Peng, you may read about another Thai lantern festival called Loy Krathong or Loi Krathong, and you may feel confused about the difference between the two.
Although the two festivals occur almost simultaneously, the main difference is that they involve the release of different lanterns.
Yi Peng is a Lanna (Northern Thai) tradition celebrated only in Northern Thailand, with the biggest events being held in Chiang Mai. It involves the release of sky lanterns to send away bad luck and usher in good fortune.

Loy Krathong, on the other hand, is celebrated throughout Thailand, including the north. It features water lanterns offered to the river gods for a bountiful harvest and an apology for water pollution.

One thing to note is that they're celebrated at around the same time but not exactly. In 2023, Yi Peng will be celebrated on November 27th-28th, while Loy Krathong will be celebrated on November 28th. If you plan your itinerary well, you can experience both festivals. Chiang Mai is the best place to experience the two festivals.




98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
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I have never hear of this company…
I have never hear of this company before , and after reading all these reviews ,I decided to give it a try . The professionalism and communicative skill received by one of the agent , Sharon of Asia Highlights , convince me that She was the right travel agent for my trip in Asia . Very quickly she communicated with me and got all the detail of my desire vacation . Sharon made me a great itinerary with great experiences that I am dreaming to experience and I am looking forward to it . Thanks Sharon for been so great and crafting me a dream vacation with great suggestions. More
orge alvarez,
May 2023
|
Coco Yang worked tirelessly to…
From the moment I landed in Bangkok, Ms Noi Ying was there to welcome me and get me settled into my hotel. We enjoyed several days together touring Bangkok and Kanchanaburi. In Chiang Mai, Mr Ekachai took my son snd I on an amazing trip to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary and to visit a community Lanna home, gardens and a hands-on cooking class preparing an authentic Thai meal. Lisa arranged a last-minute speedboat tour of 5 breathtaking islands in Phuket. From start to finish, the guides exceeded my expectations!! Thank you, Asia Highlight!! Debbie Woods More
Debbie Woods,
May 2023
|
Sharon from Asia highlights has been…
Sharon from Asia highlights has been amazing. She offered her amazing ideas to other tours I wanted. We have planned the perfect 9 day itinerary to Thailand. She worked in my budget and was very flexible when I had to change my flights. Thank you sharon. Can’t wait for the trip. More
Heather Stern Wilensky,
Apr 2023
|
Ms. Ning first review 4-2023
Ms. Albee Ning has been doing a great job accommodating my requests and itinerary changes. Remember the first itinerary is a rough draft and you may modify it to suit your tastes. Remember you can not do it all and see everything in 3 weeks. If the flight wasn't so long I would visit Southeast Asia more often. I will update my review in a few months. We don't leave for 9 more months. Asia Highlights is working well for me so far! More
Chiefray,
Apr 2023
|
Perfect Trip To Thailand…
We had so much fun in Bangkok with Tanni and Tom as they kept laughing at all of our silly jokes. Paul, our guide and Chiang Mai was really thoughtful, fun and full of great information about the temples and sights. Thanks so much! Brian and Michelle More
Scott Orchard,
Mar 2023
|
I highly recommend Asia Highlights
I highly recommend Asia Highlights. I worked with Alisa and she is fantastic! I was planning my honeymoon trip, and I changed the destination multiple times. Each time, Alisa provided me an updated itinerary with activities that matched my interests. Whether I had a small change to an activity, a question about one of the arrangements, or a change or destination, Alisa was helpful, thoughtful, and knowledgeable, providing me with updated options in an extremely timely manner. In the end, despite the fact that I changed my mind on location multiple times, I ended up booking a 17 day trip to Thailand for this upcoming November. I am extremely excited to experience everything that Alisa planned for us. I recommend Asia Highlights to everyone and look forward to using them again on any other trips to Asia in the future. Thank you Alisa and Asia Highlights! More
Britt Rosen,
Mar 2023
|
Three weeks encompassing Vietnam
A special shoutout to our last guide in Bangkok - Ms. Ka-Noon who spoiled us with her kindness and then got us through check in and security for our flight home in record time at that huge Bangkok airport. More
Deby,
Feb 2023
|
Over the last 5 years we've used Asia…
Over the last 5 years we've used Asia highlights twice. And both times we've had fantastic vacations. Would not want to do it any different when we travel to Asia from now on. Sharon was fantastic. She was a wonderful agent who helped us nail down our trip and make everything go as smooth as possible. More
Todd Atwell,
Feb 2023
|
Family Trip to Thailand
Our trip to Thailand comprised three generations of the family , ten people and an age range of 4 to 70 so a potentially difficult brief.Our itinerary over two weeks involved four locations, and a number of different trips and tours.From out arrival at an extremely busy Bangkok airport Asia Highlights were terrific.In each location we were met by a smiling , knowledgeable and professional guide who simply made everything easy and stress free for everyone.Our transportation was clean and comfortable . Transport was always ready for us at the agreed time and the drivers were excellent.There were so many highlights enjoyed by all the age groups. The floating houses , railway market and elephant sanctuary were particular favourites.We had one minor glitch with the accommodation in Phuket which was immediately dealt with by Tip. I think we would have struggled to resolve the problem by ourselves. So, thank you Asia Highlights , Cathy, Tip and tour guides Tanny, Sam and Lisa. It was a memorable holiday and we will be back. More
Roger Pyle,
Feb 2023
|
Trip of a lifetime from Asia Highlights!
I recommend highly Asia Highlights as a travel company. Our travel consultant Albee took the time to connect with us during the planning process to make sure we were comfortable with our itinerary. When we arrived, we were met by our guide and all the details were attended to. They picked great hotels and tours. I often describe our trip as the trip of a lifetime! Would definitely use them again when we come back to Asia More
Nancy Parker,
Feb 2023
|
Asia Highlights and Albee - highly recommended
Asia Highlights is very reliable agency and Albee is an amazing representative of the company. From the moment when we contacted her until our departure, the whole support we received was 6* level. She prepared our trip offer within few hours and afterwards she was extremely flexible to adjust as per our needs. In the period between the offer and the trip, Albee was always available for all our questions and supported us on the best possible way. During the trip she was again flexible to add new activities/transfers and this went on the smoothest possible way. Thank you, Albee and Asia Highlights. Definitely we will approach you again for our next Asian trip More
AZ,
Feb 2023
|
5 STAR CUSTOMER SERVICE BY MONICA
Monica is a very sweet young lady who speaks excellent English via email/WhatsApp, and knows the importance of excellent customer service. More
Trent,
Jan 2023
|
We had an awesome experience with Asia Highlights
We started our trip in Bangkok, where Mr. Prassert our tour guide, met us. He was on time and the van was clean and well-maintained. Mr. Prassert was our guide for the 4 days we spent in Bangkok. He was helpful, kind, and willing to accommodate our pee and coffee breaks. The driver was safe and punctual. Next, we went to Chiang Mai.Gemma exceeded every expectation we had for our tour of Chiang Mai! She had a great attitude that made exploring the city fun and exciting, as well as an abundance of knowledge and experience. She was always spot on with figuring out logistics and coming up with unique ideas that suited our interests and schedules. Gemma was incredibly generous with her time and even walked us to security at the airport to make sure we could carry all of our luggage. That’s just one example of how far out of her way she went to make our trip easier and more enjoyable. Gemma was sincerely interested in making every minute of our trip count. We’re very grateful to have met her and feel like we have found a friend in Gemma! Our driver in Chiang Mai was also great and very accommodating to our changes in schedules. More
Lois Paskow,
Dec 2022
|
Thailand & Cambodia 2022
Albee went above and beyond to make our trip perfect. She rearranged flights due to a mistake of mine. She made sure we were still picked up and escorted to the airport. I felt comfortable and safe with all our reps. She did an excellent job and I highly recommend her booking your next trip. Thank you, Albee. More
Karen Brooks,
Dec 2022
|
Perfect vacation thanks to Albee we…
I can’t say enough about how much we appreciate all the efforts, attention to details and immediate responses to all questions that Albee and her team provided. The Asia Highlights team deserves more stars than the maximum allowed because of continually going above and beyond all expectations. Thanks Albee for making our vacation through south east Asia absolutely perfect!!! More
Michael Sharp,
Dec 2022
|
2023 Chiang Mai CAD Yipeng Festival
We got early bird ticket and Bella was assisting us through whatsapp. Easy, competitive price, front row tickets. Thanks Bella, for being patient explaining everything to me. Highly recommended. More
lily hartati,
Dec 2022
|
Bella has been an outstanding customer service rep
Bella has been an outstanding customer service rep. She was responsive and knowledgeable. Buying tickets from their website was super easy and the whole process was straightforward. Highly recommended. More
Khai,
Nov 2022
|
I was ever so grateful to have a point…
I was ever so grateful to have a point of contact while in a foreign country for the first time, alone, that helped me through the Ins and outs of getting to and from my destination. Albee was readily available which brought me much comfort and feeling of safety. If in this part of the world again, I will not hesitate to use your services.. More
Omega,
Nov 2022
|
Memorable Experience!!!
I booked tickets to the Chiang Mai Yi Peng Lantern Festival in Nov 2022. Bella was extremely responsive and helpful!! More
Bowen,
Nov 2022
|
Personalized
It is the attention to detail and what we specifically wanted to see that made the reservation experience so exciting. More
Peter Bongiovanni,
Nov 2022
|
How Are Yi Peng and Loy Krathong Celebrated in Chiang Mai?
There are a ton of activities every day and night in Chiang Mai starting several days before Yi Peng. Activities in Chiang Mai city include street parades, religious services, cultural displays, and fireworks.
For Loy Krathong, the main event is releasing your floral lantern (krathong) onto the river. You can simply go to the popular Ping River in the evening and release your krathong. No tickets are required.


For Yi Peng, the main event is the lantern release. Chiang Mai CAD (Culture, Arts, and Design) and Yi Peng Lanna International at Mae Jo are two famous mass lantern release events in Chiang Mai.
Since 2020, it has been forbidden to release sky lanterns in the downtown area. If you want to see the sight of a sky completely full of flaming wish lanterns, you need to book a ticket for a lantern release event.

What to Expect for Chiang Mai CAD's Yi Peng Lantern Festival in 2023?
1. Enjoy Spectacular Cultural Shows and Performances
Before the lantern release, you can get an immersive cultural experience at the Chiang Mai CAD Khomloy Sky Lantern Festival. This includes various cultural shows such as the fire show, traditional northern Thailand dance, and a Thai orchestra.
There are also mini-shows by local hill tribes around Chiang Mai, such as the Hmong, Karen, and Akha peoples.

2. Taste Cuisines from around Thailand
While exploring the culture of the northern Lanna people, get a taste of delicacies from all over Thailand. You will also find a wide variety of local fruits, snacks, and drinks.
Furthermore, most of the menus are cooked on spot! Enjoy the cooking demonstration and try the freshly cooked food with no limits.

3. Experience a Once-in-a-Lifetime Mass Lantern Release
In your ticket package, 2 sky lanterns and 1 krathong each are included. The highlight of the event comes from the beginning of the countdown to when the sky lanterns slowly lift into the sky. Make your wishes and release your lanterns into the sky together with all the guests creating a most magnificent moment in the festive night.
Before or after the sky lantern release, you can float your krathong at Loy Krathong Floating Zone. It is also enchanting to see thousands of water lanterns floating downstream.

Schedule for Yi Peng Mass Lantern Release 2023
- 4:00–4:30 p.m.: Pick up at Maya Shopping Center and transfer to The CAD Cultural Center Lanna Ethnicity On Tai, San Kamphaeng District.
- 4:30–6:00 p.m.: Arrive and see Lanna cultural displays: a Lanna sword dance Lanna boxing, Lanna sword making…
- 6:00–7:30 p.m.: Enjoy authentic Lanna-style food and drinks.
- 7:30–8:15 p.m.: Witness a festive ritual in front of the great pagoda in preparation for the religious ceremony.
- 8:15–08:30 p.m.: All honorable guests and tourists enter the ceremony area. Chanting for 20 minutes followed by 1 minute for meditation.
- 8:30–9:00 p.m.: Launch your lanterns and enjoy the wonderful view.
- 9:00–10:00 p.m.: End of the celebration. Transfer back to Maya Shopping Center.
Tickets for Chiang Mai CAD Yi Peng Lantern Festival 2023
The tickets for Chiang Mai CAD are on sale now. Asia Highlights has been the Official Partner of Chiang Mai Arts and Design (CAD) since 2019.
Here are the prices for the three kinds of tickets:
- Premium ticket: US$ 199
- VIP ticket: US$ 179
- Standard ticket: US$ 139
Premium tickets are most recommended, as you will get closest to the stage and the chanting monks, receive priority shuttle transport with a business van and have a buffet dinner all-you-can-eat pass for a special food zone.

Transfer and dinner are included in the ticket prices. Click to see more on the celebration timeline and questions you might have about experiencing Yi Peng Festival.
Get Your 2023 Chiang Mai CAD Lantern Mass Release Tickets Here!




98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
I have never hear of this company…
I have never hear of this company before , and after reading all these reviews ,I decided to give it a try . The professionalism and communicative skill received by one of the agent , Sharon of Asia Highlights , convince me that She was the right travel agent for my trip in Asia . Very quickly she communicated with me and got all the detail of my desire vacation . Sharon made me a great itinerary with great experiences that I am dreaming to experience and I am looking forward to it . Thanks Sharon for been so great and crafting me a dream vacation with great suggestions. More
orge alvarez,
May 2023
|
Coco Yang worked tirelessly to…
From the moment I landed in Bangkok, Ms Noi Ying was there to welcome me and get me settled into my hotel. We enjoyed several days together touring Bangkok and Kanchanaburi. In Chiang Mai, Mr Ekachai took my son snd I on an amazing trip to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary and to visit a community Lanna home, gardens and a hands-on cooking class preparing an authentic Thai meal. Lisa arranged a last-minute speedboat tour of 5 breathtaking islands in Phuket. From start to finish, the guides exceeded my expectations!! Thank you, Asia Highlight!! Debbie Woods More
Debbie Woods,
May 2023
|
Sharon from Asia highlights has been…
Sharon from Asia highlights has been amazing. She offered her amazing ideas to other tours I wanted. We have planned the perfect 9 day itinerary to Thailand. She worked in my budget and was very flexible when I had to change my flights. Thank you sharon. Can’t wait for the trip. More
Heather Stern Wilensky,
Apr 2023
|
Ms. Ning first review 4-2023
Ms. Albee Ning has been doing a great job accommodating my requests and itinerary changes. Remember the first itinerary is a rough draft and you may modify it to suit your tastes. Remember you can not do it all and see everything in 3 weeks. If the flight wasn't so long I would visit Southeast Asia more often. I will update my review in a few months. We don't leave for 9 more months. Asia Highlights is working well for me so far! More
Chiefray,
Apr 2023
|
Perfect Trip To Thailand…
We had so much fun in Bangkok with Tanni and Tom as they kept laughing at all of our silly jokes. Paul, our guide and Chiang Mai was really thoughtful, fun and full of great information about the temples and sights. Thanks so much! Brian and Michelle More
Scott Orchard,
Mar 2023
|
I highly recommend Asia Highlights
I highly recommend Asia Highlights. I worked with Alisa and she is fantastic! I was planning my honeymoon trip, and I changed the destination multiple times. Each time, Alisa provided me an updated itinerary with activities that matched my interests. Whether I had a small change to an activity, a question about one of the arrangements, or a change or destination, Alisa was helpful, thoughtful, and knowledgeable, providing me with updated options in an extremely timely manner. In the end, despite the fact that I changed my mind on location multiple times, I ended up booking a 17 day trip to Thailand for this upcoming November. I am extremely excited to experience everything that Alisa planned for us. I recommend Asia Highlights to everyone and look forward to using them again on any other trips to Asia in the future. Thank you Alisa and Asia Highlights! More
Britt Rosen,
Mar 2023
|
Three weeks encompassing Vietnam
A special shoutout to our last guide in Bangkok - Ms. Ka-Noon who spoiled us with her kindness and then got us through check in and security for our flight home in record time at that huge Bangkok airport. More
Deby,
Feb 2023
|
Over the last 5 years we've used Asia…
Over the last 5 years we've used Asia highlights twice. And both times we've had fantastic vacations. Would not want to do it any different when we travel to Asia from now on. Sharon was fantastic. She was a wonderful agent who helped us nail down our trip and make everything go as smooth as possible. More
Todd Atwell,
Feb 2023
|
Family Trip to Thailand
Our trip to Thailand comprised three generations of the family , ten people and an age range of 4 to 70 so a potentially difficult brief.Our itinerary over two weeks involved four locations, and a number of different trips and tours.From out arrival at an extremely busy Bangkok airport Asia Highlights were terrific.In each location we were met by a smiling , knowledgeable and professional guide who simply made everything easy and stress free for everyone.Our transportation was clean and comfortable . Transport was always ready for us at the agreed time and the drivers were excellent.There were so many highlights enjoyed by all the age groups. The floating houses , railway market and elephant sanctuary were particular favourites.We had one minor glitch with the accommodation in Phuket which was immediately dealt with by Tip. I think we would have struggled to resolve the problem by ourselves. So, thank you Asia Highlights , Cathy, Tip and tour guides Tanny, Sam and Lisa. It was a memorable holiday and we will be back. More
Roger Pyle,
Feb 2023
|
Trip of a lifetime from Asia Highlights!
I recommend highly Asia Highlights as a travel company. Our travel consultant Albee took the time to connect with us during the planning process to make sure we were comfortable with our itinerary. When we arrived, we were met by our guide and all the details were attended to. They picked great hotels and tours. I often describe our trip as the trip of a lifetime! Would definitely use them again when we come back to Asia More
Nancy Parker,
Feb 2023
|
Asia Highlights and Albee - highly recommended
Asia Highlights is very reliable agency and Albee is an amazing representative of the company. From the moment when we contacted her until our departure, the whole support we received was 6* level. She prepared our trip offer within few hours and afterwards she was extremely flexible to adjust as per our needs. In the period between the offer and the trip, Albee was always available for all our questions and supported us on the best possible way. During the trip she was again flexible to add new activities/transfers and this went on the smoothest possible way. Thank you, Albee and Asia Highlights. Definitely we will approach you again for our next Asian trip More
AZ,
Feb 2023
|
5 STAR CUSTOMER SERVICE BY MONICA
Monica is a very sweet young lady who speaks excellent English via email/WhatsApp, and knows the importance of excellent customer service. More
Trent,
Jan 2023
|
We had an awesome experience with Asia Highlights
We started our trip in Bangkok, where Mr. Prassert our tour guide, met us. He was on time and the van was clean and well-maintained. Mr. Prassert was our guide for the 4 days we spent in Bangkok. He was helpful, kind, and willing to accommodate our pee and coffee breaks. The driver was safe and punctual. Next, we went to Chiang Mai.Gemma exceeded every expectation we had for our tour of Chiang Mai! She had a great attitude that made exploring the city fun and exciting, as well as an abundance of knowledge and experience. She was always spot on with figuring out logistics and coming up with unique ideas that suited our interests and schedules. Gemma was incredibly generous with her time and even walked us to security at the airport to make sure we could carry all of our luggage. That’s just one example of how far out of her way she went to make our trip easier and more enjoyable. Gemma was sincerely interested in making every minute of our trip count. We’re very grateful to have met her and feel like we have found a friend in Gemma! Our driver in Chiang Mai was also great and very accommodating to our changes in schedules. More
Lois Paskow,
Dec 2022
|
Thailand & Cambodia 2022
Albee went above and beyond to make our trip perfect. She rearranged flights due to a mistake of mine. She made sure we were still picked up and escorted to the airport. I felt comfortable and safe with all our reps. She did an excellent job and I highly recommend her booking your next trip. Thank you, Albee. More
Karen Brooks,
Dec 2022
|
Perfect vacation thanks to Albee we…
I can’t say enough about how much we appreciate all the efforts, attention to details and immediate responses to all questions that Albee and her team provided. The Asia Highlights team deserves more stars than the maximum allowed because of continually going above and beyond all expectations. Thanks Albee for making our vacation through south east Asia absolutely perfect!!! More
Michael Sharp,
Dec 2022
|
2023 Chiang Mai CAD Yipeng Festival
We got early bird ticket and Bella was assisting us through whatsapp. Easy, competitive price, front row tickets. Thanks Bella, for being patient explaining everything to me. Highly recommended. More
lily hartati,
Dec 2022
|
Bella has been an outstanding customer service rep
Bella has been an outstanding customer service rep. She was responsive and knowledgeable. Buying tickets from their website was super easy and the whole process was straightforward. Highly recommended. More
Khai,
Nov 2022
|
I was ever so grateful to have a point…
I was ever so grateful to have a point of contact while in a foreign country for the first time, alone, that helped me through the Ins and outs of getting to and from my destination. Albee was readily available which brought me much comfort and feeling of safety. If in this part of the world again, I will not hesitate to use your services.. More
Omega,
Nov 2022
|
Memorable Experience!!!
I booked tickets to the Chiang Mai Yi Peng Lantern Festival in Nov 2022. Bella was extremely responsive and helpful!! More
Bowen,
Nov 2022
|
Personalized
It is the attention to detail and what we specifically wanted to see that made the reservation experience so exciting. More
Peter Bongiovanni,
Nov 2022
|
How Many Days to Spend in Chiang Mai?
2 full days (Nov. 27th and Nov. 28th in 2023) in Chiang Mai is a must for experiencing both Yi Peng and Loy Krathong.
Even though mass lantern releases will take place on November 27th and 28th, we recommend doing the mass lantern release on November 27th. Then you can attend the folk activities, which are only held on November 28th (the day of Loy Krathong), such as the parade in the city center near Tha Phae Gate, candle ceremony at Wat Pan Tao, and release a loy krathong ('floating lantern') with countless others on the Ping River.
Chiang Mai is a city full of various unique experiences. You may want to spend more days there to do these activities:
- Visit an elephant sanctuary in the jungle to have a close encounter with elephants
- Take an evening tour of Doi Suthep mountain and visit the sacred Wat Phra That temple
- Have a Street Food Tour, exploring Chiang Mai's colorful night markets
- Have an extended trip out to the remote Thai border area of Chiang Rai, etc.
We have especially designed several tours including Yi Peng Festival. Our tours include tickets for the Chiang Mai Sky Lantern Festival, unique Thai cultural experiences, and the best sights of Thailand from the northern hill tribes to sunny southern beaches. Check the following exclusive mini-group or private tours, or more Chiang Mai tours for inspiration.
Yi Peng Festival Travel Tips
1. Plan early.
The Yi Peng Festival is so popular that it's best to get ready for it as early as possible. Book your tickets and hotel accommodations months in advance. Tourism doubles during the time of the festival.
Tickets for Yi Peng Festival 2023 are on sale now. You can reserve tickets for 2023 now with us and get early-bird prices.
2. Follow the dress code for the event.
No shorts, sleeveless tops, or miniskirts are allowed. We recommend you get dressed up in Lanna style with a longyi as bottoms and top that covers your shoulders.
3. Bring your camera and phone for pictures.
It's a challenge to get good photos in bad light and with a lot of people. If you want to have dramatic pictures, you can book a professional photography service in advance.
4. There's no alcohol at the event.
Alcohol drinking or selling is not allowed at the celebration.
5. Ask for help to release your lanterns.
A traditional Lanna lantern is big in size, and it usually takes two people to launch. You will find some volunteers at the venue who will be happy to help you out.
Why Travel with Asia Highlights (98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+)
- Unique experiences tailored to your interests: Enjoy a premium trip that goes beyond the typical tourist attractions.
- Hassle-free travel and peace of mind: Every aspect of your trip will be carefully planned and organized by your 1:1 travel consultant.
- Experienced and knowledgeable guides: Your guides will be local and love to work for travelers' smiles.
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