Chiang Mai Yee Peng FestivalDate · History · Messages
Thai government sources identify Yi Peng as a Lanna full-moon tradition and verify Chiang Mai Municipality/Province programming. The 2026 municipal edition is scheduled for 23–25 November; future years must be resolved from current Chiang Mai/Thai authority notices.
About Chiang Mai Yee Peng Festival
Chiang Mai’s Yee Peng (Yi Peng) Festival is a Lanna cultural tradition associated with the full-moon period and celebrated in northern Thailand, with Chiang Mai staging major municipal programming each year.
For 2026, Chiang Mai authorities scheduled the municipal festival for November 23–25; future editions must be checked against current local or Thai government announcements rather than copied from this range.
Why Chiang Mai Yee Peng Festival matters
Yi Peng belongs to northern Thailand’s Lanna cultural tradition and is commonly celebrated in conjunction with the broader Loi Krathong period, but the two names should not be treated as interchangeable identities.
Chiang Mai’s public program combines religious and cultural practices, community activities, lantern and lamp displays, processions and river-related events under local rules.
History of Chiang Mai Yee Peng Festival
Thai government cultural material explains that “Yi Peng” refers to the Lanna full moon of the second lunar month, corresponding to the twelfth month in the central Thai lunar calendar.
Official Chiang Mai records show the municipality has organized annual Yee Peng programming for many years; reviewed municipal material from 2018 and later editions preserves that continuing civic role.
For 2026, Thailand’s Government Public Relations Department reported that Chiang Mai Province and Chiang Mai Municipality scheduled the main festival for November 23–25.
The reviewed sources do not establish one modern creator, a single founding instrument or a first-ever edition for the centuries-old cultural tradition.
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
7 fields not established in reviewed sources
Also known as
Yi Peng Festival, Yee Peng Festival
How to Observe Chiang Mai Yee Peng Festival
Use the current Chiang Mai Municipality or Thai government program to confirm dates, venues and permitted activities before attending.
Learn about Lanna traditions from Thai cultural and local-government sources, and avoid reducing the festival to a single photo opportunity or treating Yi Peng and Loi Krathong as identical names.
Do not release sky lanterns, fireworks or firecrackers outside officially permitted places and times; local rules are designed around fire, aviation and public-safety risks.
Respect temple, river, community and environmental rules, and follow local traffic, crowd, alcohol and water-safety restrictions.
Chiang Mai Yee Peng Festival Facts
Yi Peng is a northern Thai/Lanna full-moon tradition.
Chiang Mai is one of the best-known places for public Yee Peng programming.
The 2026 Chiang Mai municipal edition is scheduled for November 23–25.
Future Gregorian dates are not safe to reuse without a current local-authority check.
The reviewed evidence does not establish one modern founder or one first-ever festival edition.
Chiang Mai Yee Peng Festival Messages
Wishing Chiang Mai a respectful Yee Peng filled with Lanna light, community and care.
May this Yee Peng be bright, safe and respectful of Chiang Mai’s traditions and local rules.
May the Lanna festival season bring beauty, community and safe celebration across Chiang Mai.
Happy Yee Peng—celebrate with respect for local traditions, temples, waterways, neighbors and aviation-safety rules.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
- Confirm the date again before carrying it into a new year.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
Chiang Mai Province — official Yee Peng programming
Thailand Government Public Relations Department — 2026 Chiang Mai Yee Peng schedule
Thailand Public Relations Department — Yi Peng cultural/lunar explanation
Chiang Mai Municipality / Chiang Mai provincial authorities — annual festival programming as reported by government PRD
Chiang Mai Province — official Yee Peng programming (opens in a new tab)
Provincial Government Programming
Thailand Government PRD / Radio Chiang Mai — 2026 Chiang Mai Yee Peng schedule (opens in a new tab)
Thai Government Current Edition
Thailand Public Relations Department — Yi Peng cultural and lunar basis (opens in a new tab)
Thai Government Cultural Reference
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is Chiang Mai Yee Peng Festival?
23–25 November 2026 (Chiang Mai municipal edition) The documented recurrence rule is: Resolve the target-year Chiang Mai Municipality/Thai government schedule; Yi Peng follows Lanna lunar/full-moon timing and the municipal program must not be copied from 2026..
Does Chiang Mai Yee Peng Festival fall on the same date every year?
It does not follow a reliably fixed rule, so the date should be confirmed for the relevant year.
Is Chiang Mai Yee Peng Festival an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: Chiang Mai, Thailand / Lanna cultural festival with municipal programming; target-year dates and lantern rules require current local-authority confirmation.. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes Chiang Mai Yee Peng Festival?
The documented basis is: Thai government sources identify Yi Peng as a Lanna full-moon tradition and verify Chiang Mai Municipality/Province programming. The 2026 municipal edition is scheduled for 23–25 November; future years must be resolved from current Chiang Mai/Thai authority notices.. Supporting evidence includes Thailand Government PRD / Radio Chiang Mai — 2026 Chiang Mai Yee Peng schedule. The site does not infer a separate creator or founder unless reviewed evidence establishes one.
Is Chiang Mai Yee Peng Festival international or country-specific?
This observance is specific to Thailand. Its fuller verified scope is: Chiang Mai, Thailand / Lanna cultural festival with municipal programming; target-year dates and lantern rules require current local-authority confirmation..
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-10-07.
When is the Chiang Mai Yee Peng Festival in 2026?
Current Thai government information schedules the Chiang Mai municipal festival for November 23–25, 2026.
Is Yee Peng the same as Loi Krathong?
They overlap in timing and are celebrated together in Chiang Mai, but Yee Peng is specifically rooted in northern Thailand’s Lanna tradition and should not simply be renamed as Loi Krathong.
Does Yee Peng fall on the same Gregorian dates every year?
No. Its timing follows a lunar/cultural calendar and the Chiang Mai municipal program must be resolved for the target year.
Who founded Yee Peng?
The reviewed sources treat it as a longstanding Lanna cultural tradition and do not support assigning it to one modern founder.
Can visitors release sky lanterns anywhere?
No. Lanterns and fireworks are regulated for fire and aviation safety, so visitors should follow the current Chiang Mai rules on permitted places and times.