Loy Krathong Thai Night Market 2026 in Harvard Square

Harvard Square Business Association lists a Loy Krathong Thai Night Market on Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Brattle Street. The Boston events calendar calls admission free. Nathika Events is the host on the Eventbrite page, which pins the corner at 4 Brattle Street, in the middle of the square.

Loy Krathong is Thailand's festival of lights, held on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month. People set little baskets on the water, made from leaves, flowers, a candle, and incense, to thank the river and let the year go. The Harvard Square page tells that story. It does not say anyone will float a basket on the Charles. What the market actually promises is Thai food, handmade goods, decorations, performances, and music.

Eventbrite also lists a beer garden, a DJ, and photo spots. If you are bringing kids, the street and the food are the plan. The beer garden is the adult corner. No one has posted a separate ID rule, so ask at the stall if that matters for your group.

Who this is for: people who want a free outdoor night in Cambridge, with Thai food as the reason to stay out. Nathika's other Boston date this fall is the Asian Food and Beer Tasting Festival on City Hall Plaza, October 24, and that one costs $15. This is the later, free, after-dark version, on a shopping street instead of a civic plaza.

Diwali at the Museum of Fine Arts is Sunday, November 1, the weekend before. That is an indoor museum afternoon. Brattle Street is the Saturday after, outside, until 10:00.

Harvard's other street fairs close the roadway and put tents between the brick blocks. Expect that kind of setup, after dark. Harvard station on the Red Line opens into the square. Brattle Street runs off the west side, past the Coop. At 4:00 p.m. in early November the light is already going, and the square is windy. Eat near the start, before the offices and the Yard let out. If the street plan changes, the association's number is 617-491-3434.

Brattle is the retail side of the square, past the Coop, not the bus tunnel. Six hours is a long time to stand outside in November. Eat in the first stretch, then stay for the stage only if you are dressed for it.

The garages under the square fill when Brattle closes. The Red Line is the way in. From Quincy or Dorchester, stay on that line the whole way.

Our take: come out of Harvard station around 4:00, start at 4 Brattle, and eat first. Stay for the performances if you are dressed for a November night. The market runs until 10:00.

When: November 7, 2026, 4:00–10:00 p.m. (free)
Where: Brattle Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA