Photographing Bangkok's festivals: Loy Krathong, Songkran, Chinese New Year and more

Where to check the dates

Loy Krathong follows the Thai lunar calendar (the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, usually in November), Chinese New Year follows the Chinese calendar (late January or February), the Vegetarian Festival follows the ninth Chinese lunar month (late September or October) and Songkran is fixed on 13-15 April. Exact programmes, venues and road closures are announced a few weeks ahead by the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. We never publish a date we have not seen on an official page - check them before you plan a shoot, and check again the day before.

Loy Krathong - candles on the water

Thousands of small floats with candles and incense are released on rivers, canals and park lakes after dark. The classic Bangkok locations are the Chao Phraya riverbanks, Lumphini and Benjakitti parks and the temple piers. Arrive before sunset to secure a spot at water level. Settings: a fast lens, ISO 1600-6400, shutter 1/60-1/125 s for people releasing krathongs, slower (1/15 s, braced) for the floating candles themselves. Expose for the flames and let the background go dark. Keep the camera strap on - piers are crowded and wet.

Songkran - the water festival

13-15 April, Thai New Year, is three days of city-wide water fights, biggest on Khao San Road and Silom. Assume everything you carry will be soaked. Options, in order of safety: a waterproof action camera, a phone in a sealed pouch, or a weather-sealed body with a sealed lens inside a rain cover with the lens cap on between shots. Do not change lenses outdoors. If a non-sealed camera does get wet, switch it off, remove the battery and card, and dry it for 48 hours before trying it - see https://sellyourgadget.asia/guides/lens-fungus-humidity-bangkok for the longer-term humidity problem. The quieter photographic subjects are the morning temple ceremonies, where water is poured gently over Buddha images and elders' hands.

Chinese New Year in Yaowarat

Chinatown closes its main road for performances, lion and dragon dances, red lanterns and food stalls. It is the most crowded night of the year on Yaowarat Road; a 35 mm equivalent prime, no bag on your back, and patience work better than a long lens. Shoot the lanterns at blue hour, the dancers with a shutter of 1/250 s or faster, and the incense smoke in the temple courtyards (Wat Mangkon Kamalawat) backlit by the altar lights.

The Vegetarian Festival

Nine days of yellow flags, vegetarian food and Chinese shrine processions, again centred on Yaowarat and the shrines around it. Less visited than Chinese New Year and friendlier for street photography. Early evening is the best time; ask before photographing devotees inside shrines.

General festival technique

• Scout in daylight: find the stage, the water edge or the procession route, and your exit.
• Carry two batteries and two cards; cold is not the problem here, heat and long evenings are.
• Use burst mode sparingly - you will fill cards with near-identical frames of fireworks.
• Back-button focus or manual focus on a fixed distance saves fights with autofocus in the dark.
• Wipe the lens often: incense, water and sweat all end up on the front element.

Fireworks

New Year's Eve on the river and some Loy Krathong programmes include fireworks. Without a tripod: ISO 800-1600, f/4-5.6, 1/4-1/2 s braced on a rail, fire at the first burst. With a tripod on a hotel balcony: ISO 100, f/8-11, bulb or 2-6 s.

After the festival

Many visitors buy or upgrade a camera for one festival trip and sell it before flying home. If that is you, we buy cameras, lenses and action cameras in Bangkok with a free pickup and same-day payment - the quote takes two minutes online.