Venue
Ko Pha-ngan, Surat Thani 84280, Thailand
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Full Moon Party, Koh Phangan guide
Dancing until dawn on Haad Rin.
In short
Young travellers after an all-night beach rave can join the Full Moon Party on Haad Rin Sunrise Beach, held each month around the full moon plus New Year's Eve; the 2027 schedule runs from 22 January to 13 December, and dates can shift around Buddhist holidays. Expect loud, crowded nights with fire shows and a sunrise finish.
The Full Moon Party is an all-night beach rave held once a month on Haad Rin Sunrise Beach, on the Thai island of Koh Phangan. Thousands of travellers dance on the sand from dark until dawn, with sound systems from each beach bar competing along the shore.
It began as an informal gathering of backpackers and grew into what the Guardian once called the largest beach rave in the world. Fire shows, buckets and a sunrise over the sea have made it a rite of passage for young travellers for decades.
It is loud, crowded and unapologetically hedonistic. Go for the spectacle and the sense of a whole beach dancing together, but go well prepared: the night rewards those who plan their stay, their money and their way home.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Where: Koh Phangan, Thailand
Venue: Haad Rin Sunrise Beach
Held: Every year
Type of event: Party Events
Currency: Thai baht (฿ THB)
Time zone: UTC+7, no daylight saving
Language: Thai
Map
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Paying the cash entry fee at the beach
Entry is collected in cash at the gates onto the beach, 200 THB per person. There are no online tickets, and anyone selling one in advance is running a scam. Bring enough baht for the whole night, including entry, drinks and the ride back, because ATMs in Haad Rin can empty around party nights. Leave cards, passport and spare cash in your room safe.
Thai drug laws and police checks
Drug laws in Thailand are strict, and enforcement is stepped up around each party. Plainclothes officers work the crowd, roadblocks appear on the road between Thong Sala and Haad Rin in the week before, and travellers have reported being made to take urine tests. Dealers have been known to tip off police about buyers. The only safe choice is to stay clear entirely.
Drink spiking, glass and getting back safely
The famous buckets are shared cocktails mixed from bottles that are often unsealed, and drinks can be spiked. Watch your drink being made, keep it in your hand, and stay with your friends. Assaults and robberies have been reported at the party and nearby bars, and some bungalows are broken into while guests are out, so lock everything.
- Wear closed shoes: the sand hides broken glass.
- Keep away from the fire ropes unless you know what you are doing.
- Agree a meeting point, since finding friends in the crowd is hard.
- Do not ride a scooter after drinking. Police also fine riders without helmets.
What happens on the day
- From about 21:00
Bars crank up
The crowd builds steadily through the night.
- Late night
Walk the shore
A few metres takes you from psytrance to house to reggae, with fire dancers swinging burning ropes and staffs near the waterline.
- Around 07:00
Sunrise
The official end; many watch it from the water's edge before the long walk home.
Arriving early to secure a room in Haad Rin
The single biggest mistake is arriving on party day without a bed. Decent rooms in Haad Rin sell out several days ahead, and anyone turning up on spec has the best odds around 09:00. Book ahead if you can, for at least two nights, so the morning after is not spent hauling a bag to the pier.
Choose your base by how much sleep you want. Staying in Haad Rin itself means walking home at dawn. The resorts on the sunset side of Haad Rin are close enough to stroll over but far enough from the speakers to rest in the days around the party. Thong Sala, the island's port town with its night market, gives cheaper rooms and an easy ferry connection, at the cost of a shared taxi ride across the island each way. Quieter coves such as Haad Yao, Sri Thanu or Bottle Beach suit those who want the party for one night and the island for the rest.
The week around each full moon is busy island-wide, so plan the whole stay, not just the night. Our Koh Phangan island guide helps with the quieter beaches once the party is over.
How the Full Moon Party began
The origin story has as many versions as tellers. The commonly cited account sets the first party at Paradise Bungalows in Haad Rin, an improvised night for somewhere between twenty and thirty travellers, either in 1983 or in 1985. Nobody agrees on the exact date. Word spread along the backpacker trail, and within a generation the beach was drawing thousands every month.
The modern party sits inside rules that shape its character. When Thailand's military government cracked down on island parties in 2014, and again in April 2015 after complaints about noise from events being held up to 25 times a month, the Full Moon Party was the one event left standing. The schedule bends to Thai religious life: when a significant Buddhist holiday falls on the full moon, the party moves to the night before or after.
National events can stop it outright. The October 2017 party was cancelled out of respect for the cremation of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and the pandemic halted the parties in 2020. They returned on 16 April 2022. The music has always reflected the beach's origins in psychedelic trance, with drum and bass, house, R&B and reggae added as the crowd widened.
Getting there
Flying into Thailand
Long-haul flights land in Bangkok at Suvarnabhumi (BKK) or Don Mueang (DMK). Check entry rules for your passport on our Thailand visa page.
Flying to Samui
Most people fly into Samui International (USM), with flights from Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Samui to Haad Rin
The most direct boats leave Big Buddha pier, at least three a day straight to Haad Rin. Others run from Nathon and Mae Nam to Thong Sala, the main port: Lomprayah is quickest, the Raja car ferry slower and cheaper. Book a seat ahead around party week.
Overland
Bus or train from Bangkok to Surat Thani (or fly to Surat Thani (URT)); boats leave Donsak pier, about 65 km from town, and a night boat from Surat Thani leaves at 23:00, arriving around 06:00.
From Thong Sala
Walk about 300 m inland to the taxi stand at the roundabout: shared songthaews to Haad Rin cost around 150 baht each, far less than the jetty touts ask.
The morning after
Boats are crowded and sometimes overloaded. If one looks unsafe, wait for the next.
Where to stay during the festival
We have no hotels listed in Koh Phangan yet, so the ones below are in Koh Samui, the nearest area where we list hotels. The next date is 24 November 2026. Book as soon as your dates are fixed, since rooms close to the festival are the first to go.
Koh Samui
Banyan Tree Samui5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$645.00/ night
- Internet – Wifi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
9 Rooms available
Book Now
Weather and what to pack
October to December is the rainy season on the Gulf islands, the reverse of Thailand's west coast. Koh Samui averages about 30°C by day and 24°C at night in November, its wettest month, with over 400 mm of rain (1991-2020 normals). A downpour on party night is common and rarely stops it.
Worth packing
- Shoes you can party in on sand (broken glass is a hazard)
- A waterproof pouch for phone and cash
- A light rain jacket
- Insect repellent
Car hire in Koh Phangan
Airport transfer to Full Moon Party, Koh Phangan
Met at arrivals at Samui International Airport (USM) and driven door to door to Haad Rin Sunrise Beach.
- Samui International Airport (USM) → Haad Rin Sunrise Beach
- 56 km · 75 min
Restaurants and food in Thailand
Places to eat in Thailand before or after the celebrations.
Yamazato
24th floor, Park Ventures Ecoplex, 57 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330
Cuisine:KaisekiEdomae sushi
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
- Delivery
Vertigo
61st Floor, Banyan Tree Bangkok, 21/100 South Sathorn Road, Thung Maha Mek, Sathon, Bangkok 10120, Thailand
Cuisine:GrillInternational
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
- Bar
Khao Soi Mae Sai
29/1 Ratchaphruek Road, Chang Phueak, Mueang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand
Cuisine:Northern ThaiNoodles
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Raya Restaurant
48/1 Dibuk Road, Talat Yai, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83000, Thailand
Cuisine:Southern ThaiPhuket
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Sorn
56 Soi Sukhumvit 26, Khlong Tan, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Cuisine:Southern ThaiFine dining
- Dine-in
Jay Fai
327 Maha Chai Road, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Cuisine:ThaiStreet food
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
Estimates run from about 5,000 to 30,000 on a single night, depending on the season and the month. Haad Rin is a small village, so even the lower figure packs the beach.
Sunrise Beach, or Haad Rin Nok, the larger beach on the north side of the village. Sunset Beach, Haad Rin Nai, faces the other way and is far calmer on party night.
Yes. A party is held on 31 December whatever the moon is doing, both in 2026 and in 2027, on top of the regular monthly dates.
Vinyl Club and Zoom are the places known for psytrance, the sound the party started with. Drop-In and Cactus bars draw the biggest crowds with drink promotions and fire shows.
Not by scheduled boat. The last ferries from Samui leave in the early evening and the first one back sails at 6am, so plan to stay until morning at least.
After the 2014 and 2015 crackdowns, it was the one event exempt from the bans on island parties. Check locally for the current rules on other events such as beach parties at other times of the month.
Advertised rates are about 250 baht a day, often negotiable to 200 for longer hires, but watch for damage-fee scams and always wear a helmet, since police fine riders without one 200 baht. Many visitors simply use shared songthaew pickups instead.
That month coincided with the royal cremation of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and the island cancelled the party out of respect. It is a reminder that the event bends to Thai national life, not the other way round.
Booking
Local businesses do. The widely used schedule follows dates confirmed by the Haad Rin Business Association, which adjusts them when Buddhist holidays or national events clash with the full moon.
Getting there
Lomprayah catamarans sail from Chumphon to the island. Chumphon's airport has direct flights from Bangkok of about 60 minutes, which makes this a useful route if Samui flights are full or expensive.