Loy Krathong falls on Wednesday 25 November 2026 — the prettiest night on the bay
The full moon of the twelfth lunar month lands on 25 November this year. In Pattaya people float their krathong straight into the sea, from Naklua down to Jomtien.
Loy Krathong 2026 falls on Wednesday 25 November — the full moon of the twelfth lunar month. It is the gentlest festival in the Thai calendar: a small float of banana leaf, flowers, a candle and a coin, set on the water to carry away the year's bad luck and to thank the water for the year's use.
How Pattaya does it
Most Thai cities float on rivers and canals. Pattaya floats on the sea. From late afternoon the waterfronts fill — Naklua, along Beach Road, and down at Jomtien — with families, stalls selling krathong, and children with sparklers. It is busy, but it is a family evening rather than a party night, and it is one of the times the city feels most like a Thai town and least like a resort.
Practical notes
- Buy a biodegradable krathong — banana trunk and leaf, no foam. The city collects thousands of them out of the water afterwards, and what it collects is what we have all put in.
- Beach Road and the Jomtien seafront get very slow from about 5pm. Walk if you can.
- Please skip the sky lanterns near the coast — we are close to U-Tapao's flight paths, and releases are restricted for good reason.
Pattaya City usually confirms its official krathong points and stage locations a week or two beforehand — worth a look at the city's announcements closer to the date.