That Luang hosts its festival from 21 to 24 November

That Luang and Boun Pha That Luang bring a four-day religious festival to Vientiane from 21 to 24 November 2026. The programme centres on the golden stupa, with processions, almsgiving, a traditional game and a final candlelight ceremony.

The landmark is the national religious monument of Laos and stands in the capital's Vientiane setting as both a place of worship and a major festival venue.

That Luang festival runs from 21 to 24 November

The published programme lists Boun Pha That Luang from Saturday 21 November to Tuesday 24 November 2026. The event is presented by Tourism Laos through the regional Mekong Tourism events calendar, which names the venue and the four-day period on the same page.

The opening programme includes a candlelight wax-castle procession beginning at Vat Simeuang. On the following afternoon, the procession continues towards the stupa, with flowers, candles, incense and decorated wax castles carried by participants. Traditional music and ethnic costume parades are also listed.

The next morning brings almsgiving at dawn, when monks from around Laos gather at the grounds. The programme also includes Ti Khee, a ball game played with a long curved stick on the esplanade. Trade fairs, concerts and fairground activities are scheduled around the religious celebrations. The published programme closes with a candlelight procession and fireworks.

That Luang links a 1566 monument with the festival

UNESCO's Tentative List records that King Setthathirath built the stupa in 1566 after moving the Lan Xang capital to Vientiane. The entry describes a three-level base, a central spire reaching 45 metres and thirty smaller reliquaries around the main structure.

The festival's programme therefore uses the monument's surrounding spaces for several different forms of participation. Almsgiving takes place at the grounds, Ti Khee is assigned to the esplanade, and the closing candlelight procession circles the stupa itself. This connects the dated programme with the architectural layout rather than treating the festival as a city-wide event without a named landmark.

The UNESCO entry places the complex in Vientiane and records it as a cultural property on Laos's Tentative List. It also describes an outer cloister measuring 85 metres on each side and a first gallery surrounding the main structure.

Visiting That Luang: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The festival and trade fair run at the stupa from 21 November to 24 November 2026, with the procession, almsgiving and Ti Khee game forming part of the published programme.
• The event uses the grounds, esplanade and stupa as named venues; the programme includes both religious ceremonies and public cultural activities.
• That Luang is in Vientiane, Laos, and the UNESCO record places the monument in the capital. The complex is on the UNESCO Tentative List rather than the World Heritage List.
• The site includes an 85-metre square outer cloister, while the central spire rises 45 metres. Visitors should therefore expect a large enclosed monument complex rather than a single freestanding tower.
• The official language is Lao and the national currency is the Lao kip.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about That Luang

When does Boun Pha That Luang take place at That Luang?

The festival runs from 21 November to 24 November 2026. Its programme includes processions, almsgiving, Ti Khee and a closing candlelight procession.

What is That Luang?

That Luang is a Buddhist stupa in Vientiane, Laos. UNESCO records its construction under King Setthathirath in 1566 and lists the site as a cultural property on Laos's Tentative List.

Where is That Luang and how do you get there?

The monument is in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. The UNESCO record identifies the complex as a Vientiane cultural property, while the festival programme names its grounds and esplanade as venues.