Rediscovering Loy Krathong Magic: A Super Full Moon Night at Wat Dan Samrong

November 10, 2025 Not Your Typical Tourist

After living in Thailand for so long, I confess I had become somewhat Loy Krathong-jaded. But when my sister and niece visited, the chance to celebrate a local festival coinciding with a Super Full Moon was too perfect to pass up, and I know they like to partake in local culture and celebration. Their enthusiasm gave me a mission: find a local, authentic place near their Samrong apartment.

The Best Travel Guide? A Motorbike Taxi Driver

My initial attempt—searching Google Maps for “Loy Krathong park”—gave me the Dan Samrong Municipality Park, a 4km taxi ride away. But when I asked a couple of friendly motorcycle taxi drivers for a nearby celebration spot, they pointed us towards the real destination: Wat Dan Samrong (วัดด่านสำโรง).

Not only did they give the direction, they went the extra mile by typing the temple name into my phone for the exact location pin. They confirmed it was less than 1km away, easily walkable, and started around 6:00 PM—a perfect insider tip!

The Temple Vibe and the Bread Krathong Paradox

Having only experienced the festival at major tourist spots like Chatuchak or Lumphini Park before, celebrating Loy Krathong at a temple was a revelation. Being among throngs of Thai locals really made the evening feel special and deeply rooted in culture. Outside and opposite the temple, sellers were everywhere, but we noticed a scarcity of bread and fish food-krathongs.

We happily bought our 20-baht krathong, predominantly made of fish food, proud of our biodegradable choice. Floating it and watching the fish immediately fight over the food made us feel validated.

However, a post-festival read confirmed the painful truth: not all biodegradable materials are created equal.

The Problem with Edible Floats The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)’s Environment Department cautions that materials like bread (and large quantities of fish food) are strongly discouraged. While fish eat some, if too many are released into ponds or enclosed water bodies, the high organic content in the rotting remains quickly reduces oxygen levels, threatening fish and damaging the ecosystem.

The Cost of One Night: The department noted that after just one night of fun, a pond required four months of intense restoration—draining, scooping sediment, and refilling—to recover from the pollution.

It was a humbling reminder that sometimes, the seemingly simple, “green” solution isn’t the whole story. The lesson in ecological humility definitely stuck. We hoped that our fish food krathong was fully consumed, though we did float it with the joss sticks and a candle—a practice that, upon reflection, should not be repeated due to the non-biodegradable waste generated.

Good news! BMA reported a significant decrease in krathong waste collection this year. A total of 391,027 krathongs were collected in 2025, a 24% decrease compared to the previous year. Crucially, 82.76% were made from natural materials, 10% from bread, and only 7.23% from Styrofoam. Data from the past two years shows a steady decline in both the total number of krathongs and the proportion made from non-biodegradable materials. This gives us hope!

Better Alternatives for Zero Waste

If you’re looking to minimize the festival’s environmental footprint, here are three alternatives:

Share or Minimize: Families should share a single krathong or choose smaller floats with minimal decorations.
Traditional Materials: The Pollution Control Department (PCD) recommends traditional materials like banana leaves, lotus flowers, or ice krathongs that dissolve naturally.
Go Virtual: For those wanting zero waste, many online platforms now allow you to float a krathong virtually.

Tradition or trash, what do you think? I’ve long stopped celebrating, and there was one year I even floated the krathong on my bathtub: https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/1791719/tradition-vs-trash-on-loy-krathong

Essential Loy Krathong Primer

What it means: “ลอย Loy” means “float,” and a “กระทง krathong” is a special Thai floating sculpture. After lighting candles and joss-sticks and making a wish, the krathong is gently put on the water and allowed to drift away.
The Belief: It is believed that the krathongs carry away sins and bad luck.
When it happens: The date for Loy Krathong does not stay the same every year; it follows the Thai lunar calendar, always falling on the night of the 12th full moon, typically in November.

Practical Tips for Your Visit

We arrived around 6:00 PM, enjoyed the initial quiet, and returned later. The second trip, after 7:00 PM, definitely offered a better atmosphere with more people and more krathongs already floating—a much more visually impressive sight for first-timers.

Timing is Key: Arrive after 7:00 PM for the best atmosphere and visual experience, though earlier is better if you want to avoid peak crowds.
Dress Code: While I worried about wearing shorts, plenty of others wore similar attire. General discretion applies: nothing too revealing, but no need to panic over casual wear.
Food Tip: While there are food sellers, vegetarian-friendly options were limited within the temple compound. Plan to eat dinner nearby beforehand.
The Final View: The night was perfectly wrapped up by the Super Full Moon. We were lucky to capture a spectacular shot of the moon hanging over the MRT Lat Phrao yellow line platform on the way back, solidifying a memorable evening that brought a jaded local back into the fold of Thai tradition.