The Koh Phangan Full Moon Party is one of the most popular events for Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. Many visitors come from all across the globe just for these parties.
Hundreds of tourists join the party and spend the whole night celebrating with other tourists and locals, drinking, fire-skipping ropes, and dancing. Those interested in partying with the locals shouldn’t miss this event.
Koh Phangan Full Moon Party 2024/2025 Dates, Map & Accommodation
There are many legends about the origins of the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan. Nobody knows exactly when the first party occurred, although many people claim they were there.
Sometime in the 1980s, a group of tourists started enjoying the full moon nights in Koh Phangan. Since the 1970s, Koh Phangan has attracted a colourful crowd of travellers, often backpacking hippies. On their way to or from India, they stumbled upon remote Koh Phangan and discovered Haad Rin, a tiny village inaccessible without paved roads.
Slowly, the insider tip became an open secret and started attracting larger and larger crowds. Today, the Koh Phangan Full Moon Party is on the bucket list of millions of travellers. Once in your life, you should experience a full moon party.
The party starts after dusk and lasts until dawn. Many bars on Sunrise Beach stay open, serving food and drink and playing loud music until the early morning hours.
You’d find people from diverse groups at these parties: Posh, hippie, punk, rocker, and any person you can think of. The atmosphere is joyful and open to everyone. Since the beach is around one kilometre long, even on the most crowded nights with 30.000 visitors, there is enough room to move around.
Due to the growing popularity of the Koh Phangan Full Moon Party, accommodation prices rise abruptly during the event. Not surprisingly, many people stay on Koh Samui rather than in Koh Phangan and usually take a 30-minute ferry ride to the party.
Drinks and Food
If there’s one thing you don’t need to worry about, it’s going hungry during the Full Moon Party. Many food stalls are everywhere, so you can easily grab a snack or two.
You can buy drinks on every corner; there are many mobile vendors, stalls, and bars. In general, it is safest to buy at the main party venues; if you buy the drinks somewhere else, make sure it is on the beach and not in some obscure back alley.
Many come to the Full Moon Party Thailand to tick off things on their bucket list—one of these is buying drinks in buckets. These buckets contain a strong local energy drink, a small liquor bottle, soda, and ice. Bucket prices range from 250 – 500 Baht (7-14 USD).
How to Buy Tickets
The ticket is 200 Baht (around 6 USD) and is sold in the main alleys leading to the beach area. As proof of purchase, you get a wristband. The ticket gives you access to all the party locations along the beach.
You might not need a ticket if your accommodation is right on the beach and you do not plan to leave the party area that night.
Currently, you cannot buy a ticket in advance unless you book a tour package that includes the ticket.
What to Wear Out
Beware your feet. You can spend your entire vacation with Flip Flops only or even barefoot, though this is not recommended at the Full Moon Party.
There is a lot of trash on the beach, and you may not be safe walking barefoot. If you have only Flip Flops, you will likely lose them in the crowd.
Everybody wears UV paint at the party. Be careful, though, because the paint may stain your clothes and leave stains in the hotel—especially on towels and sheets. Ensure you wash all the paint off before bed; otherwise, the hotel may charge you a fine.
How to Get to the Party
Taxi
Group taxis go along the western coastline from Thong Sala to Haad Rin. While you can typically hail down group taxis in the streets, on the day of the party, you may want to book a taxi in advance to be safe. Group taxi rides start at 100 Baht (3 USD) per person.
Scooter
It´s very easy to rent a scooter on Haad Rin, but there are some pitfalls. During the full moon party, you may be safer using a taxi.
The police attend many accidents, and you may have difficulty finding a parking spot in Haad Rin.
How to Stay Safe
The Full Moon Party Thailand is a perfectly safe place if you apply common sense and stick to a few simple rules:
- Protect your feet: Wear sneakers, closed sandals or water shoes instead of flip-flops; this way, you´ll be safe from broken glass and other sharp objects
- Valuables: Make sure you only carry essentials to the party: cash for transport, drinks, food, and toilets. Avoid taking your phone and keep your valuables hidden away.
- Drugs: Drugs seem to be readily available at the Full Moon Party. However, Thailand´s drug legislation is clear and rigidly enforced. Allegedly, undercover police officers are actively looking for drug buyers at the party, and there are many stories of tourists getting trapped. You may be forced to pay thousands of dollars to the authorities when caught.
- Safe driving: Haad Rin is surrounded by steep hills. If you stay outside of Haad Rin, you must ride curvy roads and risk getting into accidents. Also, there are many police controls around Haad Rin. Police control helmet-wearing, driving licenses, and whether you carry drugs. At night, it is certainly safer to take a taxi.
- Stick close to your friends because getting lost in the crowd can be easy. Have a plan B to find yourselves in case you get lost.
- Don´t go swimming: Even though playing around in the beach water may get hot and it´s tempting, avoid going in. The sea serves as an improvised toilet.
- Drinking: Bars, stalls, and ambulant vendors offer alcohol in all shapes and sizes, including the infamous buckets. Make sure you buy only closed bottles from trustworthy vendors. Eat plenty and drink enough water.
- Hygiene: During the party, garbage can get out of control, and the beach is littered. However, the clean-up happens right in the morning, and in the afternoon, the beach looks like there never was a crowd of 20,000 people.
- Fire: There are all kinds of fire shows on the beach. If you are inexperienced or drunk, don’t try jumping the fire rope; burn accidents happen pretty frequently.
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