The illuminated boat procession normally took place at night. a crowd would gather along the banks of the mekhong river to celebrate the festival. The boat would then be lit and let free to float gently down the river and out of sight. Along the way, the people in the next village along would pull the boats to the side and collect their contents.
Unfortunately,lai ruea fai was discontinued in 1975 following a political upheaval in laos, the impact of which overflowed into thailand.