The other five places are Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Samut Songkram, Ratchaburi and Tak. TAT’s seven recommended places all lay on extravagant shows as well as other events such as firework displays, the release of balloon-lanterns and beauty pageants over the course of the festival.
TAT added that despite its recommendations on where to go for Loy Krathong, tourists can head to any place where there is a river or a beach and launch a krathong to mark this auspicious time of the year. The actual date of the festival is dictated by the cycles of the moon.
Loy Krathong will take place this year on 6 November, but celebrations in the main venues are scheduled on the days before and after. Specific dates are shown on TAT’s own website.
A krathong is a small boat crafted from a chunk of banana tree trunk and covered with banana leaf and flowers. When people launch their krathongs, they put lighted joss-sticks and candles on them. The launching of the krathong is a symbolic way of saying sorry to the water for dirtying it over the previous year and wishing for personal good fortune for the coming year.
Thai tourism office suggests Loy Krathong hotspots
News in Asia
The Thai tourism bureau has released its list of recommendations for where to spend the forthcoming Loy Krathong Festival. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) says that together with the traditional venues of Chiang Mai and Sukhothai there are five other locations where the festival is a really special occasion.