Phi Ta Khon Museum

The Phi Ta Khon Museum is a cultural museum in Dan Sai town, Dan Sai District, Loei Province, northeastern Thailand. Located near Wat Phon Chai, it is dedicated to the Phi Ta Khon ghost festival, part of the Bun Luang merit-making festival. The museum displays colorful Phi Ta Khon masks and costumes, historical exhibits, and information on the legend of Prince Vessantara, preserving and explaining the district's distinctive folk tradition for visitors.

Visitors can expect a small two-storey museum building in central Dan Sai, adjacent to Wat Phon Chai. Inside are exhibition halls displaying Phi Ta Khon masks, costumes made from coconut husks and sticky rice husks, colorful painted faces, festival photographs, and explanatory panels about the Bun Luang festival and the Prince Vessantara Jataka tale. The setting is compact and educational, with indoor displays, models, and video presentations explaining the mask-making process and festival history.

The museum was established to preserve and document the history of the Phi Ta Khon tradition, part of the Bun Luang merit-making festival unique to Dan Sai. The festival is linked to the Buddhist Jataka tale of Prince Vessantara's return, when villagers celebrated so joyfully that spirits joined the procession. Exhibits trace the evolution of masks, costumes, and rituals associated with this centuries-old folk tradition.

The museum is the central interpretive centre for the Phi Ta Khon ghost festival, one of Isan's most distinctive cultural events. It showcases the community's folk beliefs, Buddhist merit-making traditions, and artisanal mask-making heritage, serving as an educational resource for preserving local identity and transmitting the festival's cultural values to visitors and younger generations.