How to Fully (And Folly) Do the Full Moon Party

Full Moon Party has turned Koh Phangan island to one of the world’s most famous party destinations. The Full Moon Parties took place first in the middle of 1980s and the festivities have grown steadily over the years. Today, once a month, the party’s venue Had Rin Beach gathers a crowd of an average of 30 000 partygoers.

This is Nemo Guides’ official guide how to do the Full Moon Party the right way:

The party is on! Photo: Thomas sauzedde, Flickr CC — The party is on! Photo: **Thomas sauzedde**, Flickr CC

1 Check the Date

Check the Full Moon Party date ahead of time. Despite its name, the festivities do not often coincide with the exact time of the full moon: celebrations are moved by a few days, if the full moon coincides with one of Thailand’s many religious festivals – and traditionally sacred Buddhist days take place on the full moon day.

2 Book Your Lodging in Advance

If you want to stay in the center of the party on Had Rin Beach, book your lodging well in advance, either online or by arriving to the island the week before. Many of Had Rin’s hotels and guesthouses will require a minimum five-night stay during the Full Moon Party period.

Keep in mind that you don’t need to stay in Had Rin Beach to enjoy the parties. You can stay anywhere in the island or even in the neighboring islands Ko Samui or Ko Tao and still join the Full Moon Party.

Share pickup taxis transfer partygoers to Had Rin from around the island. Lodging in the other beaches tends to be cheaper and less noisy than in Had Rin.

There are plenty of speedboats transferring party people also from Ko Samui. Take a boat in the morning or afternoon, party through the night and return to Ko Samui the next morning. Be aware though, that at nighttime some of the speedboats can get dangerously overcrowded; during the years a few boats have sunk with fatal results.

There is often speedboat or longtail-boat transportation from Ko Tao too.

3 Don’t Exhaust Yourself too Early

Don’t exhaust yourself too early in the evening. The Full Moon Party reaches its climax at sunrise, when the heaviest drinkers have long since passed out. The dance becomes more and more ecstatic towards the morning, the revelers cheering and dancing ankle deep in the waves facing the rising sun. When the sun has risen, the festivities have been turned to pure joy.

4 Don’t Be Stupid

Do not be stupid. Keep your shoes on, since the beach is a full of broken glass. The beach has also a lot of police officers in disguise busting drug users. Therefore, do not use anything stronger than alcohol or you can get into serious troubles.