Khom Loi Sky Lanterns

What is a khom loi?

A khom loi is a Thai sky lantern: a paper balloon on a light bamboo ring, with a small fuel cell hanging in the middle. "Khom" means lantern and "loi" means to float, so khom loi means "floating lantern". Light the fuel, the hot air fills the paper, and the lantern rises into the night sky.

Khom loi are the lanterns of Yi Peng, the Thailand lantern festival in Chiang Mai, also called the Chiang Mai lantern festival, held on the same full moon as Loy Krathong. In 2026, Yi Peng runs from 23 to 25 November, and the Thai sky lanterns go up on 24 and 25 November.

What is the meaning of a khom loi lantern?

The khom loi meaning is simple: letting go of a khom loi lantern means letting go of bad luck and sending your wish up into the sky. It's part of Yi Peng, the Lanna festival of light, when people give thanks to Mae Khongkha, the mother of water, honour the Buddha with light, and float their troubles away.

The name Yi Peng tells you when it is: "yi" is the second month of the old Lanna calendar, and "peng" is the full-moon night. In the Thai calendar that same full moon is Loy Krathong night, Tuesday 24 November 2026.

Want to let one go with your group? Ask Tanner.

Khom loi or krathong: what's the difference?

A khom loi goes up into the sky; a krathong goes out on the water. The krathong is the small banana-leaf float with a candle and incense that the whole country lets go on Loy Krathong night. The khom loi is the paper sky lantern of the north. In Chiang Mai you can do both on the same full moon.

How do you release a khom loi lantern?

You release a khom loi with two people: one holds the top up, one lights the fuel cell, and you let go together once it pulls upward. It takes about a minute, and it's the best minute of the night.

• Pick an open spot on the release field, away from trees, wires and roofs.
• Open the paper out fully and check the wind is calm.
• One person holds the top; the other lights the fuel cell.
• Wait until the lantern fills with hot air and pulls up in your hands.
• Make your wish and let go together.

At a ticketed release the staff show you how, and the whole field lets go at the same moment. Plan it with Tanner.

When can you release a khom loi in 2026?

You can release a khom loi in Chiang Mai on 24 and 25 November 2026, from 7pm to 1am, in permitted areas outside the city. The easiest way is a ticketed lantern release, where the organiser runs everything at its own permitted site.

• In Chiang Mai city: the city keeps its sky lantern-free, so enjoy the free side of Yi Peng there: lanterns hung over the streets, candles at the temples, the parades, and krathongs on the Ping River on 24 November.
• Near the airport: the flight path stays lantern-free too, so the permitted areas are further out of town.
• Ticketed releases: each organiser sets its own night inside the permitted window and sells its own tickets, so check the date on the ticket.
• Permits: every release needs its own permit, applied for through the province's Bampen app. There's no official list of release sites, so ask the organiser about its permit.
• Elsewhere in Thailand: sky lanterns go up with a permit from the district office, so an organised event is the way to do it.

Read Yi Peng tickets and lantern rules to pick a release. Ask Tanner to plan the car there and back.

Where do you buy a khom loi lantern?

At a ticketed release you often don't need to buy a khom loi at all: check the ticket, because some include your lantern and say how many. If you buy your own for a permitted area, pick one made of natural materials and no bigger than the Thai standard size, 90 cm wide and 140 cm tall.

• Check the ticket first: whether the lantern is included, and how many.
• Buy outside the city: khom loi aren't sold inside Chiang Mai city, so buy near your permitted area.
• Go natural: paper and bamboo, in the standard size.
• Get a krathong too: buy one at a stall by the Ping River for Loy Krathong night, and pick one made of banana leaf.

What should you wear to a lantern release?

For a khom loi release, wear comfortable shoes for a long night on your feet, and cover your shoulders and knees if you'll visit the temples on the way. Bring a charged phone for photos and a light layer for the late hours.

More ideas: what to wear to a festival in Thailand.

What's the short version on khom loi?

• A khom loi is a Thai sky lantern; letting it go means letting go of bad luck and sending a wish up.

• Chiang Mai 2026: 24 and 25 November, 7pm to 1am, in permitted areas outside the city.
• No lanterns in Chiang Mai city or on the airport flight path.
• Standard size: up to 90 cm wide and 140 cm tall, in natural materials.
• The easiest way: a ticketed lantern release. Sales are open now, so pick your night and book it.
• Checked 7 Nov 2026.

Read the Thailand lantern festival, Loy Krathong 2026 and Yi Peng vs Taiwan's Pingxi.

Plan it with Tanner.