Loy Krathong: How to Make One and What to Avoid

To make a krathong for Loy Krathong, cover a slice of banana trunk with banana leaves, pin folded leaf petals around the edge, then add flowers, a candle and three incense sticks. Loy Krathong (also spelled Loi Krathong) falls on the full moon of the 12th Thai lunar month, so the date moves each year, and in 2026 it falls on Tuesday 24 November.

On the night, people all over Thailand set these little floats on rivers, canals and ponds to thank the water, let go of the year’s worries and make a wish. Many people link the festival’s beginnings to the Sukhothai court and the legend of Nang Noppamas, although historians say its exact origins are hard to pin down. For that story, read The Origin of Loy Krathong: The Legend of Nang Noppamas. This guide is the practical part: what to use, how to make one, what to avoid and what to do when you get to the water.

Our students with the krathongs they made in class.

What Is a Krathong?

A krathong (กระทง, gratong) is a small float, usually a slice of banana trunk dressed in folded banana leaves, flowers, a candle and incense. You light it, make a wish or say thank you, and set it on the water.

Many people use the moment to thank พระแม่คงคา (prá mɛ̂ɛ kongkaa, Phra Mae Khongkha), the goddess of water, and to say sorry for the ways rivers get used and dirtied. Floating it away is also a way of letting go of the year’s troubles. Some families add a small coin as an offering, and some people add a snip of hair or a fingernail as a personal token. Both are optional.

Our students and teachers celebrating Loy Krathong together in class.

Loy Krathong isn’t the same as Yi Peng, the northern lantern festival that often falls around the same time. In 2026 the night is a Tuesday, whose lucky colour is pink, if you like Thai lucky colours by day.

What Materials Do You Need to Make a Krathong?

You need a slice of banana trunk, fresh banana leaves, flowers, one candle, three incense sticks and some wooden pins or toothpicks. A small coin is optional, and scissors and a knife make the job easier.

Folding banana leaves at a Duke Language School krathong workshop.

No time to make one? Markets sell ready-made banana-leaf krathongs in the days before the festival. Some official guides also suggest ice krathongs (กระทงน้ำแข็ง, gratong náamkɛ̌ng), which simply melt away.

How to Make a Krathong, Step by Step

Cover the base with banana leaves, fold and pin a ring of pointed petals, add flowers, then the candle and incense, and test it in a bucket. A first attempt usually takes well under an hour once your materials are ready.

Our teachers show the five steps in this video. For materials, follow the advice in this article, which reflects the latest eco guidance.

1. Prepare the Base

Cut or buy a round slice of banana trunk. Wrap the top and sides in banana leaf and pin it in place. A bare trunk soaks up water and can sink before your krathong has drifted far.

Step one: wrapping the banana-trunk base in leaf.

2. Fold the Banana-Leaf Petals

This is the part that makes it look like a krathong. Cut the leaves into strips about a hand’s width wide. Fold each strip in half lengthways, then fold the top corners down to meet in the middle, so you get a pointed petal. Pin the petals around the edge of the base with the points facing out, each one slightly overlapping the last. A second, smaller ring gives you the classic lotus shape, but one neat ring is plenty for a first try. If a leaf cracks, wipe it with a damp cloth and it softens.

3. Add the Flowers

Press marigolds, orchids or a lotus bud into the top of the base, filling the gaps inside the ring of petals. Push stems in firmly so nothing falls off when it hits the water.

4. Add the Candle and Incense

Press the candle into the centre first. Then add three incense sticks beside it, angled so they won’t catch the flame. If the candle wobbles, wedge a scrap of banana leaf around its base.

5. Test It Floats

Trim any stray leaf ends, then float your krathong in a bucket or basin. If it leans, move a flower or two to the light side. Add your coin now if you’re using one. A level krathong sails better and keeps its candle alight for longer.

Finished krathongs from our 2018 workshop.

Which Krathong Materials Should You Avoid?

Avoid foam, and think twice before using bread. A small krathong made from banana trunk, banana leaves and flowers, held together with wooden pins, is the safest choice for the water.

Foam and Plastic

Foam doesn’t break down, and Bangkok still has to fish thousands of foam krathongs out of the water every year. Plastic decorations and coated paper cause the same problem.

Bread Krathongs

Bread krathongs (กระทงขนมปัง, gratong kanǒmbpang) are often sold as the green option because fish can eat them. In practice, more bread lands in the water than the fish can eat. It rots, uses up the oxygen and can kill fish. For Loy Krathong 2025, Bangkok asked people not to float bread krathongs in public-park ponds, and the Thailand Environment Institute gives similar advice. Check local notices on the night, but it’s good advice to follow anywhere.

Metal Pins and Staples

Metal rusts in the water and can cut the people who collect krathongs the next morning. Wooden pins, toothpicks or cotton thread do the job just as well.

It’s working, too. After Loy Krathong 2025, Bangkok collected 391,027 krathongs, about 24% fewer than the year before. Around 83% were made of natural materials, 10% were bread and 7% were foam. One krathong per family or group, floated somewhere the organisers collect them afterwards, helps keep those numbers going the right way.

What Do You Do When You Float a Krathong?

At the water’s edge, light the candle and incense, make a wish or say a quiet thank you, and set your krathong gently on the water. There’s no long ceremony to learn.

Our students and teachers heading for the water on Loy Krathong night.

Many people hold the krathong for a moment first and อธิษฐาน (àtíttǎan), make a wish. Some quietly ขอขมาพระแม่คงคา (kɔ̌ɔ kamaa prá mɛ̂ɛ kongkaa), asking the water goddess for forgiveness. Then they crouch down and place it on the water rather than throwing it. If your candle goes out halfway across, don’t worry. You’ve still done it.

A few practical tips: keep the flame away from sleeves, hair and small children, give people room at the edge, and hold on to anything you don’t want to lose in the river. And when you see the water full of tiny lights, สวยจัง (sǔai jang), “so pretty”, is exactly the right thing to say.

Where to Float a Krathong in Bangkok in 2026

The Tourism Authority of Thailand lists Bangkok’s main official sites for 2026 as Rama VIII Bridge, Phra Sumen Fort, Mahakan Fort, Wat Samian Nari and Prem Prachakon Canal. Events run through the week around Loy Krathong night on 24 November, and dates differ from site to site, so check the TAT listing before you go. Many public parks and riverside hotels also host floats. Choose a place where the krathongs are collected afterwards.

Making Krathongs at Duke Language School

Every year around Loy Krathong, our students and teachers make banana-leaf krathongs together in class, and some years we take them out to float on the night. It’s one of our favourite days of the year: lots of sticky fingers, a few lopsided first attempts and a room full of marigolds.

Proud makers with their finished krathongs.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How do you make a krathong?
• What materials do you need to make a krathong?
• Can you use bread or foam for a krathong?
• When is Loy Krathong in 2026?
• What do you do when you float a krathong?

How do you make a krathong?

Cover a slice of banana trunk with banana leaves, pin a ring of folded leaf petals around the edge, then add flowers, a candle and three incense sticks. Test it in a bucket so it floats level.

What materials do you need to make a krathong?

A banana-trunk slice, fresh banana leaves, flowers, one candle, three incense sticks and wooden pins or toothpicks. A small coin is optional.

Can you use bread or foam for a krathong?

Foam is a no, because it doesn’t break down. Bread rots in the water and can kill fish, and in 2025 Bangkok asked people not to float bread krathongs in park ponds. Banana leaves and flowers are the better choice.

When is Loy Krathong in 2026?

Loy Krathong 2026 falls on Tuesday 24 November, the full moon of the 12th Thai lunar month. The date changes every year with the lunar calendar.

What do you do when you float a krathong?

Light the candle and incense, make a wish or say thank you, and set the krathong gently on the water. Many people also thank the water goddess, Phra Mae Khongkha.

Learn the Thai Behind the Festival

Knowing a few words makes the night more fun, from asking a vendor for a krathong to wishing your neighbours a happy Loy Krathong. If you’d like to learn the Thai behind festivals like this, have a look at our Thai courses at Duke Language School. And for the legend behind the festival, read the origin of Loy Krathong.

สุขสันต์วันลอยกระทง
sùksǎn wan lɔɔi gratong
Happy Loy Krathong!

Sources

• Tourism Authority of Thailand (5 Nov 2026). Loi Krathong 2026 lights up Thailand’s rivers and historic cities. The 2026 date and Bangkok sites.
• Thailand Environment Institute. Loy Krathong: Float Responsibly. Advice on materials, bread, foam and floating one krathong per family.
• Bangkok Culture, Sports and Tourism Department (21 Oct 2025). กทม. ชวนลอยกระทงปี 68. The 2025 request not to float bread krathongs in park ponds.
• Bangkok Post (6 Nov 2025). Bangkok krathong collection down 24% from last year. The 2025 collection figures.