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    Loy Krathong dates for the next 100 years (2026 to 2125): How Thais float candlelit baskets on rivers to let go of bad luck

    Cultural DeskBy 13 Views
    Loy Krathong
    This image is for illustrative purposes only

    Loy Krathong is Thailand’s festival of lights on water. On the night of a full moon, people set small decorated baskets with a candle on rivers, canals and ponds, make a wish and watch them drift away [1].
    This article explains what the ritual means, why the date moves every year, and gives the date for every year from 2026 to 2125. It also shows where the dates are less certain, because Thailand’s lunar calendar does not follow the real Moon exactly.

    Quick answer

    • Loy Krathong 2026 is on Tuesday, 24 November, and it falls on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar [1, 2].
    • The next dates are Saturday 13 November 2027 and Wednesday 1 November 2028 [2].
    • Across 2026 to 2125, the earliest date is 31 October (2058, 2077 and 2096) and the latest is 29 November (2031 and 2107). In our table 97% of the dates fall in November and 3% in October (our own calculation).
    • The date moves about 11 days earlier most years and about 19 days later in a year with an extra lunar month [2].
    • Loy Krathong is not a public holiday in Thailand, so schools, offices and shops stay open [2].
    • Dates after 2027 are calculated, not officially published, and may be off by one day. Five years in our table are starred (*) because published tables disagree with our result.

    What Loy Krathong means

    A krathong is a small floating container, traditionally made from a slice of banana trunk or a spider lily plant, decorated with folded banana leaves, three incense sticks and a candle [1]. Some people add a small coin as an offering to the river spirits [1]. People float it on a river, canal or pond and make a wish as they let it go [1].
    Several meanings are attached to the ritual. King Rama IV wrote in 1863 that the candle honours the Buddha with light, and that the krathong floating away symbolises letting go of hatred, anger and defilements, which means mental impurities [1]. Many Thais also use the krathong to thank the water goddess, Phra Mae Khongkha, who is linked to the Hindu goddess Ganga [1].
    There is also a belief that the floating basket carries away bad luck. Some people place nail or hair clippings on the krathong as a symbol of letting go of past wrongdoing and negative thoughts [1]. This is a symbolic belief, not something science can test.

    Where the festival comes from

    The best known story says a court lady named Nang Nopphamat invented the krathong in the Sukhothai kingdom in the 13th century [1]. Historians say this is a literary invention. A Thai historian and a co-author describe the tale as fiction from the Bangkok period, and the sources note there is no evidence she existed [1].
    The earliest record of a similar practice is a bas-relief at the Bayon temple in Cambodia, built in the late 12th or early 13th century [1]. The festival is described as a mix of Khmer-Brahmin (Hindu) rites and local water customs [1]. It was mainly known among Bangkok elites before World War II and became an “invented tradition” through nationalism and tourism promotion afterward [1].
    A French visitor in 1687 described people thanking the waters, as they began to retreat, with lights floating on the river [1]. This shows that river-light customs in the region are much older than the modern festival.

    Why the date changes every year

    Loy Krathong falls on the night of the 15th waxing day, the full moon, of the 12th month in the Thai lunar calendar [1]. Thai lunar months alternate between 29 and 30 days, and years come in three lengths of 354, 355 or 384 days [3]. A 355-day year adds one day to the 7th month, and a 384-day year repeats the 8th month to keep the calendar in step with the seasons [3].
    Because a normal Thai lunar year is shorter than the 365-day year, the date on the standard calendar moves about 11 days earlier each year, and then jumps about 19 days later in a year with a repeated 8th month [2]. That is why Loy Krathong was 5 November in 2025 and is 24 November in 2026 [2].
    The Thai lunar calendar is also an arithmetic system, not a live view of the sky. The real full moon day and the 15th waxing night do not always fall on the same day [3].

    How we worked out the 100 dates

    We used an open-source computer program called pythaidate, which follows the traditional Thai method of calendar calculation [4]. We asked it to find the day marked as the 15th waxing day of the 12th month in each year from 2026 to 2125.
    The program produced the published dates for 2018 to 2026 and matches the Royal Calendar dates quoted for 2026 and 2027, which are 24 November 2026 and 13 November 2027 [1, 2]. It also matches a separate online table for 2028 to 2033 [2].
    The program’s own notes warn that deciding which years get an extra month has been somewhat subjective and has changed over the centuries [4]. It produces 7 extra months per 19 years, and there may be short-term differences from other calendars [4]. We therefore treat every date after 2027 as a calculated estimate.

    Loy Krathong dates, 2026 to 2125

    “Normal” means a 354-day lunar year, “Extra day” means a 355-day year, and “Extra month” means a 384-day year with a repeated 8th month [3]. The weekday and year type are our own calculation. Starred years (*) are explained below the table.

    YearLoy Krathong dateWeekdayLunar year type
    2026Nov 24TuesdayExtra month
    2027Nov 13SaturdayNormal
    2028Nov 1WednesdayNormal
    2029Nov 20TuesdayExtra month
    2030*Nov 10SundayExtra day
    2031*Nov 29SaturdayExtra month
    2032Nov 17WednesdayNormal
    2033Nov 6SundayNormal
    2034Nov 25SaturdayExtra month
    2035Nov 15ThursdayExtra day
    2036Nov 3MondayNormal
    2037Nov 22SundayExtra month
    2038Nov 11ThursdayNormal
    2039*Nov 1TuesdayExtra day
    2040*Nov 19MondayExtra month
    2041Nov 8FridayNormal
    2042*Nov 27ThursdayExtra month
    2043Nov 16MondayNormal
    2044Nov 4FridayNormal
    2045Nov 23ThursdayExtra month
    2046Nov 13TuesdayExtra day
    2047Nov 2SaturdayNormal
    2048Nov 20FridayExtra month
    2049Nov 9TuesdayNormal
    2050Nov 28MondayExtra month
    2051Nov 18SaturdayExtra day
    2052Nov 6WednesdayNormal
    2053Nov 25TuesdayExtra month
    2054Nov 14SaturdayNormal
    2055Nov 4ThursdayExtra day
    2056Nov 22WednesdayExtra month
    2057Nov 11SundayNormal
    2058Oct 31ThursdayNormal
    2059Nov 19WednesdayExtra month
    2060Nov 7SundayNormal
    2061Nov 26SaturdayExtra month
    2062Nov 16ThursdayExtra day
    2063Nov 5MondayNormal
    2064Nov 23SundayExtra month
    2065Nov 12ThursdayNormal
    2066Nov 2TuesdayExtra day
    2067Nov 21MondayExtra month
    2068Nov 9FridayNormal
    2069Nov 28ThursdayExtra month
    2070Nov 17MondayNormal
    2071Nov 7SaturdayExtra day
    2072Nov 25FridayExtra month
    2073Nov 14TuesdayNormal
    2074Nov 3SaturdayNormal
    2075Nov 22FridayExtra month
    2076Nov 11WednesdayExtra day
    2077Oct 31SundayNormal
    2078Nov 19SaturdayExtra month
    2079Nov 8WednesdayNormal
    2080Nov 26TuesdayExtra month
    2081Nov 15SaturdayNormal
    2082Nov 5ThursdayExtra day
    2083Nov 24WednesdayExtra month
    2084Nov 12SundayNormal
    2085Nov 1ThursdayNormal
    2086Nov 20WednesdayExtra month
    2087Nov 10MondayExtra day
    2088Nov 28SundayExtra month
    2089Nov 17ThursdayNormal
    2090Nov 6MondayNormal
    2091Nov 25SundayExtra month
    2092Nov 14FridayExtra day
    2093Nov 3TuesdayNormal
    2094Nov 22MondayExtra month
    2095Nov 11FridayNormal
    2096Oct 31WednesdayExtra day
    2097Nov 19TuesdayExtra month
    2098Nov 8SaturdayNormal
    2099Nov 27FridayExtra month
    2100Nov 16TuesdayNormal
    2101Nov 6SundayExtra day
    2102Nov 25SaturdayExtra month
    2103Nov 14WednesdayNormal
    2104Nov 2SundayNormal
    2105Nov 21SaturdayExtra month
    2106Nov 10WednesdayNormal
    2107Nov 29TuesdayExtra month
    2108Nov 18SundayExtra day
    2109Nov 7ThursdayNormal
    2110Nov 26WednesdayExtra month
    2111Nov 15SundayNormal
    2112Nov 4FridayExtra day
    2113Nov 23ThursdayExtra month
    2114Nov 12MondayNormal
    2115Nov 1FridayNormal
    2116Nov 19ThursdayExtra month
    2117Nov 8MondayNormal
    2118Nov 27SundayExtra month
    2119Nov 17FridayExtra day
    2120Nov 5TuesdayNormal
    2121Nov 24MondayExtra month
    2122Nov 13FridayNormal
    2123Nov 3WednesdayExtra day
    2124Nov 21TuesdayExtra month
    2125Nov 10SaturdayNormal
    The starred years are the ones where published tables disagree with our result. An English-language reference table lists 9 November for 2030, 28 November for 2031, 31 October for 2039, 18 November for 2040 and 28 October for 2042 [1]. A Thai-language table lists 10 November 2030 and 29 November 2031, which match ours [2]. The 2042 difference is the largest, because it would put that year’s festival a month earlier, so treat 2042 with extra care.

    How reliable are the far-future dates?

    We compared our method with the published table of past Loy Krathong dates from 1996 to 2026 [1]. It matched in 26 of the 31 years, about 84%, and in the other five years (1996, 1998, 1999, 2014 and 2015) our method gave a date one day later than the published one. So even in the past, roughly one year in six would have been off by a day.
    For that reason, treat all dates after 2027 as likely but not guaranteed. The Thai-language source we used says its dates were checked against the Royal Calendar only up to 2027, and that later dates may be off by one day [2]. Thai authorities publish the official lunar calendar only a few years ahead, so check the official calendar as each year approaches.

    Patterns in the 100-year list

    The festival falls on Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday and Thursday in 15% of years each, on Wednesday in 14%, and on Monday and Friday in 13% each. These figures are our own calendar calculation.
    In 37 of the 100 years the Thai lunar year has an extra month, which matches the 7 extra months per 19 years that the program produces [4]. Year-to-year, the date moves earlier in about 64% of steps and jumps later in about 36% of steps, which are the extra-month years (our calculation).
    Our results also show that the Thai date matches the calendar date of the real full moon in Bangkok in 50% of the years and falls one day earlier in the other 50%. This fits the point that the Thai calendar uses averages, so the festival date and the real full moon day do not always match [3].

    How Thailand and its neighbours celebrate

    Across Thailand, people float krathongs, and companies and government offices launch large decorated ones, with competitions, beauty contests and fireworks [1]. In Chiang Mai the festival overlaps with Yi Peng, a northern Lanna festival where people release paper sky lanterns, so the city is lit by lights on the water, on buildings and in the sky [1].
    Similar festivals exist in other countries on the same full moon. Myanmar has the Tazaungdaing festival, Cambodia has Bon Om Touk, Sri Lanka has Il Poya, and Kelantan in northern Malaysia celebrates in a similar way [1]. In the Indian state of Odisha, Boita Bandana is observed on Kartik Purnima, when people float miniature boats with lamps [1].
    Safety rules apply. In Bangkok, fireworks and sky lanterns were banned in 2017 because lanterns endanger aircraft and property, and Chiang Mai authorities cancelled 78 flights that year [1].

    The environmental side

    Bangkok’s city government collects and counts the krathongs left in its waterways each year. In 2018 it collected 841,327 floats [1]. In 2025 it collected 391,027, which is about 54% fewer than in 2018 (our calculation from [1] and [5]), and 24% fewer than in 2024 [5].
    The 2025 breakdown was 82.76% natural materials, 7.23% foam and 10.01% bread, compared with 98.39% natural in 2024 and 96.74% natural in 2023 [5]. Natural krathongs are shredded and sent to an organic fertiliser plant, while foam ones go to landfill [5]. The city also runs a virtual option, and 23,347 online krathongs were floated in 2025, down from 36,832 the year before [5].
    A banana-leaf or banana-trunk krathong is biodegradable, a bread krathong breaks down in a few days and can be eaten by fish, and foam ones are increasingly banned because they pollute rivers and oceans [1]. If you take part, choose natural materials.

    Myths vs facts

    ClaimVerdictWhat the evidence says
    Loy Krathong is on the same date every yearMythIt follows the Thai lunar calendar, so it was 5 November 2025 and is 24 November 2026 [1, 2].
    It is always in NovemberMythIt fell on 31 October in 2020, and our table has 31 October in 2058, 2077 and 2096 [1].
    It is held on the full moon of the 12th Thai lunar monthTrueThe festival is on the 15th waxing night of month 12 [1].
    Nang Nopphamat invented Loy Krathong in SukhothaiMythThe tale is a literary invention, and there is no evidence she existed [1].
    It is a purely Buddhist festivalMythIt mixes Khmer-Brahmin water rites and Buddhist ideas, and honours the water goddess Phra Mae Khongkha [1].
    It is a national public holiday in ThailandMythGovernment offices, schools and shops stay open [2].
    Floating a krathong carries away bad luckUnprovenThis is a symbolic belief that cannot be tested [1].
    The festival is only celebrated in ThailandMythSimilar festivals exist in Myanmar, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Laos, Malaysia and India [1].
    The Thai date always equals the real full moon dayMythThe 15th waxing day and the real full moon day do not always fall on the same day [3].
    The dates for the next 100 years are officialMythOfficial calendars are published only a few years ahead, and later dates may be off by one day [2, 4].

    Bottom line

    Loy Krathong is the night of the full moon of the 12th Thai lunar month. In the next 100 years it ranges from 31 October to 29 November, starting with Tuesday, 24 November 2026 and ending with Saturday, 10 November 2125. The dates through 2027 are confirmed by the Royal Calendar, and later dates are careful calculations that could be a day off, with five starred years where sources already disagree. If you plan travel or events, confirm the date with Thailand’s official calendar, and float a biodegradable krathong when you celebrate.

    Disclaimer: This article is for general education only and does not replace Thailand’s official calendar or announcements from local authorities and temples. If you notice an error or would like to send feedback or corrections, please contact us.

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