A landmark of the last ten years

Samui Loy Krathong Festival 2023

The Samui Loy Krathong Festival was listed for 27 November 2023 at Wat Khongkharam and Chaweng Lake.

When
27 November 2023
Where
Wat Khongkharam and Chaweng Lake, Chaweng, Koh Samui
This photo shows a beautiful nighttime festival or celebration taking place on water, likely the Loy Krathong festival celebrated in Thailand and some neighboring countries. In the scene, numerous small decorated floating offerings (krathongs) can be seen on a dark body of water, each with their own
A general photo of this kind of event, not a photo of this event. Photo: PattayaPatrol, CC BY-SA 4.0

About this event

Loy Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar, which usually falls in November. The name means to float a ritual vessel or lamp. People make a krathong, a small decorated basket, and float it on water to thank the water goddess, and in some accounts to honour the Buddha's hair relic in heaven.

On Koh Samui the main public celebration is listed at Wat Khongkharam and Chaweng Lake. The Thai government's event pages and the Motorist travel site both list it among the national festival locations for 2023, and a separate lantern festival was listed on the same date near Phru Chaweng. The sources used here do not give a detailed programme, so treat this page as a record of the listing and check the day's announcements.

The facts

  1. 1 The Samui Loy Krathong Festival was listed for 27 November 2023 at Wat Khongkharam and Chaweng Lake.
  2. 2 A Samui Lantern Festival was listed for the same date at Wat Khong Ka Ram and Phru Chaweng.

Why it matters

Samui's main official Loy Krathong programme in the first full post-pandemic season.

Festivals and culture on Koh Samui

Samui's cultural calendar follows the Thai lunar and Buddhist year. Songkran, on 13 to 15 April, is a water fight on the east coast, in Chaweng and Lamai, while west-coast villages keep a calmer, temple-centred version with blessings and merit-making. Loy Krathong falls on the November full moon, when people float small baskets on lakes and ponds. Chinese New Year brings feasting and temple visits. The Samui Festival has held a parade ending at Pru Chaweng Park. Expect restricted alcohol sales on holy days, and check dates a few weeks ahead.

Around Chaweng

Chaweng is the main resort town on Samui's east coast, with the longest beach on the island, roughly 7 km of sand. Soi Green Mango, just back from the beach, is the nightlife alley, and Central Festival Samui sits between the beach road and Chaweng Lake. Chaweng Beach Road is one-way northbound and slows to a crawl between 17:00 and 20:00 with taxis, scooters and pedestrians. Most club nights, pool parties and Muay Thai bouts are here, and Pru Chaweng Park hosts public festivals and races.

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