Phi Ta Khon Festival : Dan Sai’s Ghost Festival in Loei Province
Phi Ta Khon: Thailand’s Most Colourful Ghost Festival
In the small town of Dan Sai in Loei province, once a year the spirits come out to dance. The Phi Ta Khon festival, sometimes called the Ghost Festival or the Thai version of Halloween, though it predates that comparison by centuries, is one of the most visually spectacular and genuinely joyful celebrations I’ve seen anywhere in Southeast Asia. If you’ve spent time in Thailand but only know the sanitised tourist version of Thai festivals, Phi Ta Khon is a reminder of how weird and wonderful Thai folk culture can be when it’s left to itself.
What Phi Ta Khon Actually Is
The festival is rooted in the Buddhist legend of Phra Wetsandon (the penultimate incarnation of the Buddha), whose return from a long journey was celebrated so enthusiastically by the townspeople that even the spirits of the dead joined in. Today’s festival re-enacts that celebration: participants dress as phi (spirits) wearing tall carved masks made from bamboo steamers, painted in bold geometric patterns, and topped with a pointed hat. They carry wooden phalluses, carved and painted, sometimes enormous, and chase bystanders through the streets in mock pursuit. The noise, colour, and choreographed chaos is unlike anything else.
The festival runs over three days. The first day is a merit-making procession to the temple. The second day is the full ghost parade through Dan Sai town, this is the one you want to be there for. The third day involves Buddhist ceremonies and a rocket festival (bun bang fai) to call for rain.
The Masks
Each mask is handmade and unique. The base is the top half of a huad (sticky rice steamer basket), shaped into a face. Eyes are cut from coconut shells; teeth from bamboo; the features are painted in bright reds, blacks and whites. Some families have been making these masks for generations. After the festival, the masks are traditionally thrown into the Loei River, which is why antique Phi Ta Khon masks are rare and valuable. In recent years many participants keep their masks as souvenirs, and you can buy newly-made ones from craft shops in Dan Sai year-round.
When and How to Go
The festival date is set each year by the town’s medium (jao por Guan) based on astrological signs, usually falling in June or July. Check the official date for the current year before booking, it shifts. Dan Sai is about 80 km south of Loei town; the drive from Loei takes around 1.5 hours on Highway 203. Accommodation in Dan Sai itself is limited; most visitors stay in Loei town and drive in for the parade day. Book well ahead, the festival draws thousands of visitors from Bangkok and abroad.