Phi Ta Khon in Dan Sai: The Ghost Festival, Its Dates and How to Go

Published 9 November 2026 · By the Visit-Thailand editorial team · Editor: Terje Moy

Phi Ta Khon is the masked "ghost festival" of Dan Sai, a small district town in Loei province in the northeast. It lasts three days, usually in June or early July, and the dates change every year: the 2026 festival ran from Saturday 20 to Monday 22 June, and no date for 2027 had been announced when we checked on 9 November 2026.

The masks and the parade are what visitors come for, but the festival is part of a Buddhist merit-making event called Bun Luang, built around the story of Prince Vessantara, one of the Buddha's past lives. This page explains how the dates work, what happens on each day, and how to get to a town with no railway and little spare accommodation at festival time. For the rest of the province, including Chiang Khan and Phu Kradueng, see our guide to Chiang Khan and Loei; Phi Ta Khon is not held in Chiang Khan.

Why the date moves every year

Thai press coverage describes the event as the merit-making festival of the seventh lunar month, so it moves with the lunar calendar, and TAT wrote in 2016 that the dates are chosen each year by the mediums of Dan Sai. The result is a festival that can fall in June one year and July the next, and can start on any day of the week. The dates TAT has published show how much it moves:

So "always the first weekend of July", which many websites repeat, is wrong. TAT's announcements have come between about two months and a few weeks ahead: the 2018 dates were published in April, the 2023 dates in early May, and the 2024 dates in mid-June for a festival in July. Watch TAT's monthly festival calendar in spring, and do not book anything you cannot change until the dates are official.

Day one: rites and the spirits of the river

The first day is the quietest for spectators and the most religious. In TAT's programmes for recent years it starts with food offerings to the monks at the temple, followed by a ceremony to summon the spirits, a cultural ceremony and stage shows in the evening. TAT's 2016 feature explains that people ask for protection from the spirit Phra Upakut, believed to live in the nearby river. In 2026 the Loei governor's programme added a Brahmin ordination rite and the procession that brings Phra Vessantara into the town.

If you can, arrive on this day. The town is less crowded, you can watch the preparations, and you have a better chance of seeing the museum before the parade crowds arrive.

Day two: the masks and the great parade

The second day is the one most people come for. It begins with the official opening in front of Dan Sai District Office; in 2026 the Prime Minister opened the festival there at 09:30 on Sunday 21 June. A second spirit ceremony follows, then the grand Phi Ta Khon parade, merit-making and the firing of bamboo rockets. The 2026 parade had about 1,000 "ghosts" from more than 50 groups, according to the governor.

The masks are the festival's symbol. TAT's 2023 and 2024 announcements describe huge masks carved from coconut-palm trunks and topped with a woven sticky-rice steamer, which makes the dancers look taller and stranger. TAT's 2016 feature describes costumes of colorful tasseled rags with bells hung from the belts, farmers smeared in mud walking with wicker buffaloes and ploughs, and phallus symbols in every size, carried as fertility charms. It is boisterous and good-humored, and families with small children should know what to expect.

The bamboo rockets link Phi Ta Khon with Isaan's rain rituals; the biggest of those is the Bun Bang Fai rocket festival in Yasothon in May.

Day three: the sermons at Wat Phon Chai

On the last day the masks are put away and the focus moves to the temple. TAT's programmes describe 13 consecutive Buddhist sermons at Wat Phon Chai, telling the story of Vessantara, the prince who gave everything away, with processions from all the villages of the district. In 2026 the governor's programme listed religious ceremonies at Dan Sai's main temples for 22 June.

This is a religious service, not a show. Dress as you would for any Thai temple, with shoulders and knees covered, remove your shoes where others do, and keep your voice down; our guide to temple etiquette and dress codes covers the rules.

The museum at Wat Phon Chai and the festival markets

TAT's 2016 feature points visitors to the Dan Sai Folk Museum at Wat Phon Chai for displays about Phi Ta Khon, and notes that it gets busy during the festival, so a visit a day or two before is a good idea. We could not confirm its current opening hours or fee; check locally before you go.

TAT also lists a mask-dance competition, markets selling food and local handicrafts, live music and cultural shows. If you want a mask to take home, the festival markets are the obvious place to look, but think about its size before you buy; our guide to Thai souvenirs worth buying has more on choosing handicrafts.

Getting to Dan Sai from Loei or Phitsanulok

There is no railway to Loei province. You can fly from Don Mueang to Loei airport, which Thai AirAsia serves, or come from the west through Phitsanulok, which has trains and flights from Bangkok. From either Loei or Phitsanulok, Dan Sai is reached by road. We could not confirm current bus or minivan services to Dan Sai with the government bus company, so ask at the bus station in Loei or Phitsanulok, or arrange transport with your hotel; our guide to long-distance buses in Thailand explains the terminals and classes.

With a car, Dan Sai fits a mountain route. TAT's suggested drive continues north from the Phetchabun hills into Loei, so you can combine the festival with a few cool nights at Khao Kho and Phu Thap Boek. During the 2026 festival the organizers set up 12 car parks for nearly 6,000 cars, with shuttle transport into the center.

Where to stay, and the rainy-season weather

Rooms are the real bottleneck. Before the 2026 festival, the governor and TAT's Loei office said hotels in Dan Sai and Phu Ruea were almost fully booked, and suggested staying in Phu Ruea, Chiang Khan, Na Haeo or Wang Saphung instead. Book as soon as the dates are announced, and choose a room you can cancel.

June and July are in the rainy season, so expect showers and wet roads, and bring a light rain jacket rather than an umbrella in the parade crowd. Our page on traveling in Thailand's rainy season explains what wet-season days are like and the flood risk in mountain areas. Phi Ta Khon is not a public holiday, but if it overlaps a long weekend, rooms and roads will be even busier; check our list of Thai public holidays.

Frequently asked questions

When is Phi Ta Khon 2027?

No official date for 2027 had been published when we checked on 9 November 2026. The festival usually falls in June or early July, and TAT has announced the dates only weeks ahead in recent years, so check TAT's monthly event calendar from spring 2027.

Which day of Phi Ta Khon is the best to see?

The second day has the official opening and the grand masked parade, so it is the busiest and most spectacular. The first day is calmer and better for seeing preparations and the museum; the third is a religious day of sermons at Wat Phon Chai.

Is Phi Ta Khon held in Chiang Khan?

No. Phi Ta Khon takes place in Dan Sai district of Loei province. Chiang Khan, also in Loei, has its own smaller ghost festival, Phi Khon Nam, held at Ban Na Sao in early May.

Can tourists take part in the Phi Ta Khon parade?

The parade is made up of local government, community and private-sector groups, and TAT describes it as a parade of masked villagers. We found no official information on visitors joining it. TAT notes that the ghosts like to pose for photos; in the temple ceremonies, ask first.

Sources

• Tourism Authority of Thailand – June 2026 festivals and events in Thailand (21 May 2026; checked November 2026)
• Tourism Authority of Thailand – Bun Luang and Phi Ta Khon Festival 2024 to take place 7-9 July (12 June 2024; checked November 2026)
• Tourism Authority of Thailand – Bun Luang and Phi Ta Khon Festival 2023 scheduled from 23-25 June (8 May 2023; checked November 2026)
• Tourism Authority of Thailand – Joining the annual gathering of ghosts at Phi Ta Khon festival (1 June 2016; checked November 2026)
• Tourism Authority of Thailand – Mountains, national parks and temples of Phetchabun and Loei (17 August 2021; checked November 2026)
• MGR Online – Loei governor and TAT Loei on the Phi Ta Khon festival 2026 (in Thai) (19 June 2026; checked November 2026)
• THE STANDARD – Prime Minister opens the Phi Ta Khon festival in Loei (in Thai) (21 June 2026; checked November 2026)