Venue
Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand
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Poy Sang Long Festival, Mae Hong Son guide
Young novices dressed as princes.
In short
Poy Sang Long usually runs from late March into early April in Mae Hong Son, but each temple and village sets its own dates, often only a few weeks ahead. Shan boys in costume ride high above the crowds with music and gilded parasols before ordination. It suits respectful travellers flexible on dates; ask locally before photographing.
In the hot season, Shan families in Thailand's far north-west turn their young sons into princes for a few days before handing them to the monastery. Poy Sang Long is that ordination, and Mae Hong Son, a small town in the hills by the Myanmar border, holds it on a larger scale than anywhere else in the country.
What a visitor sees is a whole town taken over by a family rite: music, gilded parasols, and small boys in costume riding high above the crowd. It is a religious occasion first. Outsiders who watch with care are welcome to share it.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Ends: Monday, 5 April 2027
Where: Mae Hong Son, Thailand
Venue: Mueang Mae Hong Son District
Held: Every year
Type of event: Cultural Events, Religious Festivals, Parade
Currency: Thai baht (THB, ฿)
Time zone: Indochina Time, UTC+7
Language: Thai
Map
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Dress code at the temples and in the street
These ordinations are religious ceremonies, and the temples expect visitors to dress for one. Cover your shoulders and knees for the whole day, not only inside, because the processions start and finish at temple grounds. Shoes come off before you step into any temple hall, so sandals that slip on and off easily save a lot of fuss.
Inside, keep your voice low and let family members take the places nearest the boys.
Asking before photographing the boys
The boys in their finery are hard to resist as subjects, and most families are proud to have them photographed. Ask first all the same, with a smile and a gesture at the camera, before taking close-ups of a boy or his relatives.
- Never walk out into the path of a procession to get a shot.
- Give the guardians carrying the boys plenty of room; they are working hard in the heat.
Coping with April heat during the processions
April is the hottest month here, with an average daily maximum of 38.7 °C. The processions set off in the morning, and by midday the streets are punishing. Be out early, carry water and refill it often, and wear a wide hat.
Plan to spend the middle of the day indoors or in temple shade, then head out again in the late afternoon, when families gather and the light improves.
Where and how it is celebrated
The main cities where the festival is celebrated.
What happens on the day
- Day one
Heads shaved, princes dressed
The boys' heads are shaved and they are washed in blessed water, then made up and dressed in silk, jewellery and flower headdresses. From now on they are Sang Long, and they ask their elders for forgiveness.
- Day two
Krua Lu procession
The great procession leaves in the morning with musicians and offerings, the boys riding on their guardians' shoulders. Follow it on foot.
- Day three
Ordination
At the temple the finery comes off and the boys are wrapped in saffron robes.
- The weeks after
Life as novices
Most stay at least a week in the monastery; a few stay for years.
Etiquette and dress
Dress for the temple
Cover shoulders and knees, men included; nothing see-through. Shoes, hats and sunglasses come off before you enter a hall (TAT).
Near the monks
Women should not touch a monk or hand him things directly, and nobody should point their feet at a monk or a Buddha image.
Photographs
Ask before close-up portraits, keep clear of the procession's path and use no flash inside temple halls.
Waiting for the dates and booking a room
The dates come late. Each temple and village sets its own, usually only a few weeks ahead, so ask your guesthouse or the provincial tourism office before buying any transport. Aim to arrive the evening before the first day, when the heads are shaved, and stay until the ordination itself. Three full days is the minimum. A fourth gives you slack if a temple shifts its schedule. Our Thailand travel guide helps with the rest of a trip north.
Why Tai Yai families hold the ordination
For a Tai Yai family, paying for a son's ordination is among the most meritorious acts there is, and the merit is shared between the boy and his parents. The princely costume is not decoration for its own sake. It recalls Prince Siddhartha, who left a palace and its riches behind and became the Buddha, so each boy repeats that renunciation in miniature when he trades silk for a robe.
Watch who carries the boys. They ride high on the shoulders of the Tae Pae Sang Long, the men assigned as their guardians, because the boys are not meant to set foot on the ground during these days. The town sits on the Pai River in hill country near the frontier, and the ceremony here is as much a statement of Shan identity as a religious rite.
Eat what the town eats. The evening food market near the old jail, beside the Shan king monument, is the easiest place to start, with northern dishes such as khao soi, kaeng om, sai ua sausage and nam phrik num chilli dip. Salween River Restaurant, run by a Shan owner, cooks Shan dishes alongside Thai ones.
Getting there
Flying in
Most visitors start from Chiang Mai International (CNX), reached on Bangkok to Chiang Mai flights. Check entry rules on our Thailand visa page.
Mae Hong Son by air
Mae Hong Son Airport (HGN) sits close to the centre, but scheduled flights had stopped by August 2025. Confirm whether a route has resumed before counting on it.
By road from Chiang Mai
Mae Hong Son is 251 km north-west of Chiang Mai. The northern route through Pai covers 236 km; the southern route through Mae Sariang is 349 km and far gentler. Either takes about 5 to 6 hours by car.
Minibus and bus
Minibuses leave Chiang Mai's Arcade Bus Terminal and take about 5.5 hours for 250 baht; book ahead in festival week. Regular buses need at least 7 to 8 hours.
In town
The centre is compact. The lake is a 10 to 15 minute walk from the bus station, or 80 baht by tuk-tuk; hire a bicycle for temples on the edge of town.
Where to stay during the festival
Mae Hong Son is small, with about 7,000 people in the town, and its guesthouses fill fast in early April. Book several weeks out, even before the temple dates are firm, and pick a rate you can cancel.
Most places sit around the lake in the centre. Rooms run from simple guesthouses such as Friend House at 100 to 350 baht to Fern Resort at 2,500 to 3,500 baht with breakfast; Piya Guest House and Pana Huts fill the middle. A night in Chiang Mai either side is useful for the long drive.
Chiang Mai
137 Pillars House5-star hotel
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from$400.00/ night
- Internet – Wifi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
5 Rooms available
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Weather and what to pack
Late March and April are the hottest weeks of the year in Mae Hong Son. The 1991 to 2020 normals (NOAA and the Thai Meteorological Department) give average highs of 36.9°C in March and 38.9°C in April, with lows of 18.2°C and 22.9°C, and only 19 mm and 60 mm of rain.
Mornings are cool and pleasant; by midday the processions are walking in full sun. The hot season is also when haze from field burning can hang over the valley.
Worth packing
- A sun hat and high-factor sunscreen
- Long, light trousers or a skirt and a top that covers the shoulders
- Slip-on shoes for temple halls
- A refillable water bottle
- A light layer for early mornings
- Travel-sickness tablets for the mountain road
Car hire in Mae Hong Son
Airport transfer to Poy Sang Long Festival, Mae Hong Son
Met at arrivals at Mae Hong Son Airport (HGN) and driven door to door to Mueang Mae Hong Son District.
- Mae Hong Son Airport (HGN) → Mueang Mae Hong Son District
- 0.7 km · 5 min
Restaurants and food in Thailand
Places to eat in Thailand before or after the celebrations.
Yamazato
24th floor, Park Ventures Ecoplex, 57 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330
Cuisine:KaisekiEdomae sushi
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
- Delivery
Vertigo
61st Floor, Banyan Tree Bangkok, 21/100 South Sathorn Road, Thung Maha Mek, Sathon, Bangkok 10120, Thailand
Cuisine:GrillInternational
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
- Bar
Khao Soi Mae Sai
29/1 Ratchaphruek Road, Chang Phueak, Mueang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand
Cuisine:Northern ThaiNoodles
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Raya Restaurant
48/1 Dibuk Road, Talat Yai, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83000, Thailand
Cuisine:Southern ThaiPhuket
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Sorn
56 Soi Sukhumvit 26, Khlong Tan, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Cuisine:Southern ThaiFine dining
- Dine-in
Jay Fai
327 Maha Chai Road, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Cuisine:ThaiStreet food
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
Usually between about seven and fourteen. They go through the ceremony as a group, so each temple ordains several boys on the same day.
Yes, on a smaller scale. A handful of Chiang Mai temples hold ordinations in the same weeks, which suits travellers who cannot make the long trip to Mae Hong Son.
Yes. Shan State, just across the border, keeps the same tradition, and the ceremonies there look much like those in Mae Hong Son.
Poy is an auspicious event or festival, sang means a novice, and long comes from along, a word for king. Together they describe the royal novice the boy becomes.
Often, yes. Shan music and dance performances fill many evenings during the ordination days. Ask at your guesthouse where the stage is that year.
Some do. Most are carried on the shoulders of male relatives, but some families put their son on horseback under a golden parasol for the procession.
Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu, on the hill to the west of town. It looks down over the lake and rooftops and makes a good outing between ceremony days.
At the night market beside the lake, where hill tribe makers sell textiles, art and handicrafts. It is a short walk from most of the guesthouses.
Timing & weather
At least a week after the ordination, and sometimes much longer. A few stay on in the monastery for years.
Booking
No. Poy Sang Long is a religious event held at temples and in the streets, and anyone can watch the processions and ordinations without paying.
Getting there
Extremely. The northern route counts 1,864 curves between the two towns. If you get travel sick, take the longer southern road instead, which is far gentler and only a little slower.