Loy Krathong and Yi Peng

On the twelfth full moon of the lunar year, usually in November, people carry small floats down to the nearest water: banana leaf folded into a lotus over a slice of trunk, a candle, three sticks of incense, a coin, sometimes a clipping of hair. The float is pushed off and watched until the light goes out. In the north the same nights are Yi Peng, when Lanna towns hang lanterns from every eave and send khom loi up on hot air. Chiang Mai does both at once and is the busiest place in the country for it. Sukhothai stages its version among the ruins, with floats lit on the historical park's ponds.

What you actually see

• The floats - banana leaf, candle and incense pushed out onto the water.
• Yi Peng lanterns - paper hung along the eaves and released on hot air.
• Chiang Mai's river nights - the Ping crowded from bank to bank.
• Sukhothai among the ruins - floats lit on the historical park's ponds.

When to go

The date moves with the lunar calendar, so check the year before booking anything. Chiang Mai and Sukhothai fill months ahead and prices rise with them. Get down to the water well before the main hour, because the bridges become impassable. Mass lantern releases are mostly ticketed events held outside the city, sold separately and not cheap.

Honest expectations

The mass lantern photographs everyone has seen come from ticketed events, not the public streets, and public releases are restricted near airports because they ground flights. Styrofoam floats still turn up despite the bans and the clean-up next morning is grim. Crowds are extreme, transport seizes up, and lit paper coming down on thatch is a real hazard.

Nearby

Chiang Mai's old city and the Ping riverside; in Sukhothai, the historical park itself.