We finally resumed our travel plans in 2022 after COVID! It has been 2 years since we last travelled out of Singapore, and our first destination is Chiang Mai as it is in our bucket list to experience the Loy Krathong and Yi Peng Festival ourselves.
How to reserve tickets for Loy Krathong and Yi Peng Festival?
Loy Krathong and Yi Peng Festival happens on the 8th/9th November in 2022 (its different every year so please check). We reserved our tickets via AsiaHighlights (which is the official partner for this event hosted by Chiang Mai Arts and Design (CAD) ). There are three different tiers of ticket (Premium, VIP, Standard) – Initially, Nicole got us the standard tickets which are the cheapest but for some reason we got upgraded to VIP tier last minute. (I think we got lucky!)
| Ticket Tier | Details | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Premium | Seat rows closest to stage Business van (priority boarding) Buffet dinner in premium zone (less crowded) | $179 USD |
| VIP | Seat rows which are further away from stage Business van Buffet dinner in VIP zone | $159 USD |
| Standard | Seat rows which are furthest from the stage Red van (no air-con) Buffet dinner in designated zones. | $122 USD |
Free Shuttle Service to Event Venue
Free shuttle transportation to the venue is included in the ticket price. Depending on your tickets, you will be transported via either a business van (air-conditioned) or a red van (no air-conditioned). The meeting point is at Maya Shopping Center and our tip for you is to be there at least 30 minutes as you will be expecting a very LONG QUEUE. We are fortunate that we only waited for our shuttle service for around 30 mins. (We know people who waited for 1+hrs queueing and totally missed out ample time to explore the venue and enjoy the buffet). SO, REMEMBER TO BE THERE EARLY.
Experiencing Loy Krathong and Yi Peng Festival
The journey from Maya Shopping Center to the venue takes around just 45 minutes. You will know you arrived when you see a big open space and beautiful lanterns and balloons in the sky. Before entering. you need to register in kiosk after which you will be given an lanyard and free gifts.
Our first stop is to explore the little stalls which set up near the main entrance. These stalls offers Chiang Mai snacks and drinks which is absolutely delicious, and yes.. everything is free. Next, we made our way to the designated buffet zones as we are simply just too hungry and wanted to fill up our tummy. In the buffet zones, there are tables and picnic mats set up all around the grassland. You will be able to have your food sitting or lying the grass, while enjoying the beautiful atmosphere with music.
As the crowd at the bufffet zone get more crowded, we decided to leave the the zone to explore the place and take some photos. We found a place where you can get free hand-made krathong. What you will do with this krathong is that you will light the candle on it and then release it to float in the river. In the culture, it’s a way of thanking the Goddess of Water
Here is Nicole making her wish and preparing to release it to the river (with my help of course. :))
We continue to explore other places after releasing our krathong. You can find beautifully lit up lanterns and candles almost everywhere and its incredibly beautiful. See for yourselves below.
In addition to the lanterns & candles, at some time, you will also see fireworks being lit up in the sky. Happy that I managed to get some great shots with my Google pixel to capture the very moment.
Next up is finally the main event of the night. The date into the seating arena will be opened when it’s time. (If I remembered right, I think it’s around 8:30PM – 9:00PM). Once the gate is opened, you will be escorted to your reserved seats by the staff. The weather can be cold and chilly, so you may want to bring along a jacket in your bag just in case.
Before the actual moment to light up your sky lanterns, there will be a short 30 minutes cultural performance and the monks will be chanting.
The Sky Lantern Moment
This is the moment everyone is waiting for! Everyone will be given two sky lanterns and you will be able to light it up using the fire stick which is set up in front of every seat.
Final Words
We are glad to be able to experience the Loy Krathong and Yi Peng Festival in Chiang Mai in year 2022. Our overall experience is excellent, and I think the event organiser had did a pretty amazing job. One item off our bucket list!
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