What to Wear & Bring?

Wear:

  • Light / Casual clothing (traditional style recommended)
  • Comfortable shoes

Bring:

  • Camera / phone
  • Light jacket (cool at night ~15–20°C)
  • Marker (to write wishes on lantern)

Alcohol allowed?

No — alcohol is NOT allowed at the CAD Lantern Festival.

🚫 Official rule (very strict)

  • No alcohol allowed inside the event
  • No drinking & no smoking
  • Alcohol is listed as a prohibited item along with weapons, fireworks, no outside lantern to bring in, No lighter and smoke Cigarettes at the venue.
  • Fire risk + crowd control
  • Very strict enforcement

🌱

Environmental Care at CAD Lantern Festival (Chiang Mai)

✅ What CAD does to reduce environmental impact

1. 🌿 Uses more eco-friendly materials

  • Lanterns are typically made from:
    • Rice paper
    • Bamboo frames
  • These are biodegradable or partially biodegradable

👉 Compared to random street lanterns, this is much better controlled

2. 🔥 Short burn-time lantern design

  • Lanterns are designed to:
    • Burn for ~8 minutes
    • Fall closer to the event area

👉 Reduces:

  • Fire risk
  • Distance of debris spread

3. 🧹 Organized cleanup system

  • After the event:
    • Staff collect lanterns within ~48 hours
    • Cleanup teams work inside and outside the venue
    • Nearby villagers are encouraged to collect and return lantern debris

👉 This is one of the biggest differences vs uncontrolled releases

4. ♻️ Waste management onsite

  • Recycling bins with staff helping sort waste
  • Food areas monitored for trash separation

5. 🌾 Sustainable materials beyond lanterns

  • Extensive use of bamboo instead of plastic:
    • Seating
    • Decorations
    • Market stalls
  • Supports local communities + reduces synthetic waste

6. 💧 Controlled Loy Krathong system

  • Krathongs are:
    • Made from banana leaves + flowers
    • Released in a controlled artificial canal
  • Staff collect and reuse them

👉 This avoids river pollution (unlike city celebrations)

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