Thailand in high season: Loy Krathong 2026 on November 24, islands by month, eSIM data

Loy Krathong is celebrated on the evening of the full moon of the twelfth month in the Thai lunar calendar, which in 2026 is Tuesday, November 24. People float small lotus-shaped rafts (krathong) of banana leaf, flowers and a candle on rivers, canals and the sea to let go of the year's bad luck. It is a national celebration rather than a public holiday, so shops and transport run as normal and the evening is the event.

Where to be:

• Chiang Mai turns it into three nights, November 23–25, because it coincides with Yi Peng, the northern festival of sky lanterns. Lanterns go up in the old city and at temples on the 23rd, the full-moon night of the 24th brings the big lantern releases and krathong floating on the Ping River, and the illuminated parade through the old city closes it on the 25th. Hotels inside the moat sell out weeks ahead; book now.
• Bangkok floats krathong along the Chao Phraya, at Asiatique, Lumphini Park and the Rama VIII bridge; the river boats run late and the riverside hotels host their own ceremonies.
• Sukhothai, the festival's traditional home, stages a multi-day light-and-sound show in the ruins of the old capital; it is a four-hour drive from Chiang Mai and the most atmospheric version.
• Phuket and the islands celebrate on the beaches, smaller and quieter, which is the point if you are already there for the start of the dry season.

Sky-lantern releases are restricted in Chiang Mai because of the airport and fire risk: the mass releases happen at ticketed events outside the city and in designated zones. The organizers publish the 2026 rules in early November; buy tickets from them, not from street sellers.

Thailand has two coasts with two weather calendars, and Loy Krathong marks the handover to the good season on the west side.

Months	Andaman coast (Phuket, Krabi, Koh Lanta, Phi Phi)	Gulf coast (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao)	North (Chiang Mai, Pai)
November	Rain ending, seas calming	Wettest month, rough seas	Cool, clear, festival season
December–February	Peak: dry, calm, busy, priciest	Drying out from January	Best months: cool mornings, dry
March–April	Hot, still dry; Songkran mid-April	Dry and hot, calmer seas	Hot and hazy (crop burning)

The simple rule for a trip around Loy Krathong: north first for the festival, then fly to Phuket or Krabi, not Samui. Gulf islands are the choice for a January–March trip.

VoyaSIM's Thailand eSIM runs on AIS, dtac and TrueMove H with 5G where the network and your phone support it, and on True Move 4G. Your phone picks the strongest partner signal, which matters on the islands where one operator dominates each bay.

Live prices on October 21, 2026, from the VoyaSIM Thailand catalog:

Plan	Price	Fits
3 GB, 15 days	$4.20	A week of maps, Grab and messaging
10 GB, 30 days	$9.40	Two to three weeks for most travelers
1 GB per day, daily-renewing	$2.70 per day	Festival nights with a lot of video
20 GB, 30 days	$16.40	A month, or two phones on hotspot

What a Thai trip actually uses: Grab (the ride-hailing app) and Google Maps a few megabytes per ride, LINE and WhatsApp messaging, photo backups of 300–600 MB a day if you leave them on cellular, and festival-night video that can reach a gigabyte an evening. Set backups to Wi-Fi only; hotel and café Wi-Fi is everywhere and fast.

Install at home over Wi-Fi, keep the home SIM on with data roaming off, and switch data roaming on for the VoyaSIM line when you land at Suvarnabhumi or Phuket. The plan starts at that first connection, so an early install costs nothing. If you extend, top up from My eSIMs.

• Passport and entry: check the current entry rules for your nationality on the Thai embassy site; they changed more than once in 2025–26.
• Cash on the islands: cards work in cities and resorts; beach restaurants and longtail boats take baht.
• Festival etiquette: krathong made of banana leaf and flowers only (no styrofoam, which many cities now ban), and no lantern releases outside the permitted areas.