Loy Krathong on Koh Samui: Lights on the Water

There is one night each November when Koh Samui goes quiet in a way it never does otherwise. The restaurants empty early, families walk down to the water carrying small floats built from banana leaves and flowers, and by nine o'clock the bays are covered in slow-drifting candlelight. This is Loy Krathong — the most photogenic and, in our view, the most moving night on the island's calendar.

If you are still choosing when to travel, our events and holidays calendar sets the festival in the context of the wider year.

What Loy Krathong Actually Is

Loy means to float; a krathong is the float itself. The festival falls on the full moon of the twelfth month of the Thai lunar calendar, which in 2026 means 24 November. Dates shift annually, so confirm before you book flights around it.

The gesture is an act of thanks to Phra Mae Khongkha, the goddess of water, for a year of rivers, rain and sea — and, at the same time, a release. People place a coin, sometimes a strand of hair or a nail clipping, into the float to represent anger, bad luck or regret they would rather not carry into the next year. The candle is lit, the float is set on the water, and whatever it carries drifts away.

It is not a spectacle staged for visitors. It is a domestic, family evening that visitors are welcome to join if they join it gently.

Where to Watch on Koh Samui

The island's geography matters more than usual on this night: a krathong needs calm, shallow water to drift rather than capsize.

• Choeng Mon — a sheltered crescent with almost no swell in November; the easiest bay for a first float, and popular with families
• Bophut and Fisherman's Village — the liveliest option, with a night market, food stalls and vendors selling krathongs along the beachfront
• Maenam — long, quiet and shallow, with a strong local turnout and far fewer cameras
• Nathon — the most traditional celebration on the island, centred on the town and its temples

Central Chaweng and parts of Lamai also see floats, but the crowds are heavier and the shoreline busier. If you want the version of Loy Krathong that stays with you, choose a bay where you can hear the water.

Temple Traditions the Same Week

Loy Krathong is a water ritual, but temples carry the week around it. Expect merit-making in the mornings, monks receiving offerings, and evening chanting at the larger wats. Wat Plai Laem and Wat Phra Yai see the most activity; smaller village temples are quieter and often more affecting. Our guide to the temples of Koh Samui covers etiquette — shoulders and knees covered, shoes off, no photographs of monks without asking.

Floating Respectfully

The festival has an environmental problem it is actively solving. Styrofoam krathongs float indefinitely and break into fragments; plastic flowers and staples do the same. Local municipalities now encourage biodegradable materials, and clean-up crews collect floats from the bays the same night.

A few simple choices:

• Buy a float made from banana trunk, banana leaf and real flowers — vendors will tell you if you ask
• Skip glitter, foil, staples and plastic decoration
• One small candle is enough; oversized floats are harder to retrieve
• Do not release sky lanterns — they belong to Yi Peng in the north, and on Koh Samui they are restricted because of the airport and fire risk

If you want to go further, several beach communities organise a morning clean-up the day after. Our piece on beach protection and community efforts explains how those groups work.

Making a Night of It from a Villa

November sits at the tail of the island's wetter months, which is precisely why the evenings feel so soft — warm air, still water, low crowds and rates that have not yet reached high-season levels. It is one of the more rewarding times to be here if you do not need guaranteed sun every day; our month-by-month weather guide sets realistic expectations.

Most of our villas sit on the Chaweng Noi headland, a short drive from Choeng Mon and Bophut. A practical rhythm for the evening: dinner early at the villa, drive down to the bay before eight, float, then come back for the rest of the night rather than fighting traffic later. Your villa manager can arrange krathongs in advance so you are not hunting for a vendor at dusk, and a private driver is worth the small cost on a night when the coastal road is busy and parking is scarce.

How We Do It

We live with this calendar rather than reading it off a page. When guests ask about Loy Krathong, we tell them which bay will actually be calm that week, which villas are within walking distance of water worth floating on, and which nights around the full moon are quieter than the festival itself. The collection is small enough that we can be specific.

If you would like a shortlist for your dates, send a message — a real person on the island will reply within a working day.