As a result, the only place where you can release sky lanterns is in Chiang Mai. ??????? Luckily, no one has gotten injured so far from the Yee Peng festival. No, you do not have to buy tickets to the Wat Phan Tao ceremony, and there are slight variations of the same events on the first night and the second night. This ultimate guide will walk you through the two different festivals as well as steps to help you plan your trip, such as: For starters, these are two separate festivals that happen to coincide at the same time in Northern Thailand. Locals and tourists come together and line up along the street from Thapae Gate to the Ping River, and all along the river, to release lanterns into the sky. Since we’ve already seen most of the temples in Chiang Mai, we avoided going to the temples to the crowds. Please be noted that the 2017 Mae Jo lantern festival event is a private event that requires ticket for entry. There’s usually about 4,000 people in attendance and tickets sell fast! As a result of these two blunders, G’s krathong tipped while mine completely sank. Wait for the lantern to fill with hot air and hold onto your lantern. Tickets for this event start at 100$. and gets VERY crowded. All the temples in Chiang Mai have paper lanterns to celebrate the Loy Krathong and the Yee Peng festival. If you have a valid Thai or International driver license, riding a motorbike is the best way of going to Mae Jo lantern festival event. Fireworks usually happen on the last day, but I could have sworn I heard them go off during the second day. Read more here. Note that depending on the size of the lantern, it might take a few minutes for the hot air to fill up the lantern. Heading to Chiang Mai during the full moon of the 12th lunar month in the Thai calendar will be a week you will never forget. Congrats on the marriage and upcoming honeymoon! In general, you should wear respectable clothing. On November 3, the place to see Yee Peng mass lantern release event in Chiang Mai is a small town called Mae Jo, situated about 20km north of downtown Chiang Mai. Traffic jams are common and expect to be stuck in traffic. The local event used to be two weeks before when the tourists arrived for the festival and was 100% free. If you read any itinerary that requires you to pay more than $10 USD for an event, it is one that is for tourists. Side note here, what kind of idiot releases lanterns underneath trees?! Makes sense, right? See our full list of recommended Hotels in Chiang Mai (province), Thailand and also compare the prices with airbnbs in Chiang Mai (province), Thailand. Chiang Mai (province) Cheap Accommodation, Chiang Mai (province) Tours & Itineraries. But it does look magical to see the thousands of lanterns floating into the sky all at the same time. The energy you feel from participating in the celebration of lanterns in Chiang Mai is incredible. They are arranged by an independent Buddhist group, and are not actually part of the Yi Peng celebrations. Locals and tourists come together and line up along the street from Thapae Gate to the Ping River, and all along the river, to release lanterns into the sky. www.chiangmaitraveller.com/loy-krathong-yee-peng-lantern-festivals-2017/ Your email address will not be published. Where to see Yi Peng in Chiang Mai There used to be a massively popular, free event at Lanna Dhutanka temple where thousands of fire lanterns were simultaneously released into the night sky. They are: If you see floating lanterns released into the sky all at once, that is likely at Mae Jo Agricultural University. Once the lantern gets hot, slowly stand up. So yeah, it landed on my head, crawled down my arm and jumped on G♥’s arm before hopping off the ground! Honestly, I think your answer comes down to how much you are willing to pay for the Mae Jo University event and if the tickets are still even available. My fears revolved around hitting someone with the lantern. Colourful lanterns all around the temples. Although not a part of the traditional Yi Peng celebrations, they are spectacular to see. Everyone is releasing lanterns left, right and center. Make sure to cover your shoulders and wear shorts that go past the knee. Note that these vendors have special permits and must adhere to strict legal guidelines of when they could sell lanterns. The parade that starts along the Tha Phae gate. This post was first published in October 2018 and updated on October 2019, Archive Filed Under: Destinations, Travel Tagged With: Chiang Mai, Thailand. (function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id))return;js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src='https://connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.10';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}(document,'script','facebook-jssdk')); 2017 Yee Peng Lantern Festivals Event at Wat Ban Den on November 3. The monks will also be around to help you light your sky lantern. Lanterns range between 30 baht to 150 baht. Keep on eye on the schedule of events around the city, which usually doesn’t get released until a month before the event. On the 3rd of November, aside from the Yee Peng Lanna International 2017 event at Mae Jo, there will be another one private lantern festival event at, 6 Places to See The 2018 Loy Krathong & Yee Peng Lantern Festivals in Chiang Mai, Where To See The Chiang Mai Yee Peng Mass Lantern Release Event, (GPS coordinates: 18°54’42.1″N 99°00’47.7″E), How To Go To The Mae Jo Lantern Festival Event, The Best Time To Go To Mae Jo Lantern Festival Event, The OTHER Lantern Festival Events in Chiang Mai, SpiceRoads Cycle Tours (Chiang Mai, Thailand) – Brochures, Info, Price, Reviews, 15 Interesting Facts About Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand), Using the mobile ride-sharing apps such as GRAB or UBER is another way you can come to Mae Jo, Chiang Mai Loy Krathong & Yee Peng Lantern Festivals 2017, Schedule of 2017 Loy Krathong & Yee Peng Festivals in Chiang Mai, 7 FREE Places To Go In Chiang Mai For 2019 Yee Peng (Loy Krathong) Festivals. Hi, I’m Nancy! This fun tradition finds people from all over the world coming together on this special night to release lanterns into the sky all over the city. Again, very crowded once you get to the bridge. Unsubscribe in one click. Everyone is watching out for someone to make sure no one gets hit by a lantern. Keep a close watch of your children if you have any. Extend the lantern out and hold it to the ground while you (crouching position) wait for the hot air to fill the lantern. Chiang Mai Citylife is a great source, although your hotel will also have details. For details on what this means, read my disclaimer policy. Fireworks usually happen on the final day. How to take part in the touristy and local way? You can also buy candle trays to light to worship Buddha. It’s Chiang Mai, which is like foodie city. Prices range between 5,600 baht ($160 USD/ $224 CAD to 13,000 baht for VIP tickets ($400 USD/ $520 CAD). Prepare to be in awe of how Thai’s celebrate this magical time of year, and leave with amazing memories and the desire to want to come back for the next festival. Wrong. While the schedule varies from year to year, the activities are more or less the same for each day. I am obsessed with self-awareness, food, semi-minimalism, stories, budgets, & adventures around the world. (function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id))return;js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.10&appId=286297578458068";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}(document,'script','facebook-jssdk')); Loy Krathong & Yee Peng Festivals 2017 A beautiful lady and a float during the parade, A memorial honouring the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej near Nawarat Bridge. To be more specific, November 2 is Loy Krathong, and November 3-4 is the Yee Peng Lantern Festivals. I kid you not; lanterns were flying left, right and center from all over the place. I have no idea where to find them though and I think it’s a matter of walking around until you find a vendor that sells this type of lantern. See our privacy policy for more information on how we use your data. Read More Here, © 2019 ensquaredaired. On the first day of celebrations, we walked towards Tha Phae gate at around 5 pm. Try to buy krathongs made of natural materials such as banana tree leaves and flowers. You don’t need to spend that much money to have the real authentic experience with the locals. More if you want one of the bigger elaborate ones, Lighter 10 baht. There is a belief that Yee Peng originated from an Indian legend where a bird carried a candle to visit Buddha to talk about merit. That, and you have to walk underneath trees with burning lanterns that could fall on your head at any minute! Other vendors will have a private mass release at a third of the price. Your hotel will know and can help you as well. Um no. A stick would have been handy to give the krathongs a bit of a nudge. Unlike the organized mass releases, everyone just releases his or her lanterns at will. Opening ceremony at the Three Kings Monument. If you cannot make it to the Yee Peng festival but want to release lanterns in Chiang Mai, know that, Plan early, as early as you can if you want to attend the private events. If you buy from the temples, you are supporting the temples. I call it a newbie error because it’s hard to see in the dark! Bring a small mat to sit on the grass while you are waiting and snacks if you wish but food and drinks are available. Thus, November becomes the perfect time to make merit and set off krathongs and release lanterns. On New Year’s Eve, Chiang Mai is once again a great place to be to experience the beauty of thousands of sky lanterns being released near the Ping River and Thapae Gate areas of the city. So even though it is small by Mae Jo standards, you will still be in awe, but with fewer people. That is why I am writing this guide for you, especially if you are a first-timer to the Loy Krathong and Yee Peng festival in Chiang Mai. The trick is to make small tears in your coil so that it is easier to light up. We saw people walking around with lanterns and krathongs so we figured we’d buy some now before walking towards the Nawarat bridge. There are usually two organized lantern launches; one for tourists, that ranges from 130.00 - 345.00 USD (approximately 4,600 - 12,300 THB) per ticket, and the lesser-known local release, which is free. The men can be seen playing drums and the women dance to the beat. Even when we arrived one hour early, we found the temple to be full of tourists. Actually, trying to find a space to release the lantern is almost next to impossible. krathongs usually have folded banana leaves, an incense, stick, and candle. Both festivals take place on the twelfth lunar month during the full moon weekend. As a result, if you want to attend a mass release event, but you missed out on grabbing tickets for the Mae Joe event, you can try smaller coordinated releases, such as:eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'ensquaredaired_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_0',113,'0','0'])); Keep in mind that prices will rise as you get closer to the event date. Monkeying Around With The Macaques At Monkey Forest In Ubud, Bali, Learn To Cook Exotic Balinese Dishes With Payuk Bali Cooking School, Be Hypnotized At A Balinese Dance Performance In Ubud, Bali, Three Must See Temples In Bali: Uluwatu, Taman Ayun, And Ulun Danu, Stay With A Balinese Family At Suastika Lodge In Ubud Bali. That means you likely won’t be able to get your hands on a lantern until a few hours before the official release.