Your Epic Survival Guide To Full Moon Party In Koh Phangan
If there is an island in the south of Thailand that you don’t want to miss out on its surely Koh Phangan. Most of those who adventure here do so for the moon parties. One in particular, the full moon party in Koh Phangan.
A party that started in the 80’s with as little as 20 people has grown into an outrageous don’t want to miss experience in Thailand. Now with around 30,000 people coming every month the full moon party in Koh Phangan is a big bucket lister for backpackers.
As someone who has lived on the island for 9 months, I have a lot of experience with Koh Phangan parties. Luckily for you, I have made a survival guide for full moon!
What you need to know about the full moon party in Koh Phangan:
- Full moon party in Koh Phangan is all about getting drunk, hooking up, seeing how much glitter and paint you can put on your body but most of all its about having a great time!
- Its good to understand that crime does exists on Koh Phangan, people get stuff stolen all the time at full moon. I recommend leaving your passport, credit cards and any valuables you own locked up wherever you are staying.
- If you are wearing expensive rings, necklaces or bracelets, don’t wear them to full moon! It’s also a good idea to leave your keys at reception so you don’t lose them and have to pay a fine when you check out.
- Don’t leave your drinks unattended and do not accept drinks from people you don’t know! I know we learned all this in high school but you would be surprised by how many people make this mistake and end up not remembering their night.
- BE CAREFUL and stick with a friend. There have been plenty of stories of people waking up on different islands, people having valuables stolen and people who have been hurt due to stupidity at full moon. Be smart and full moon should be an epic party to remember!
- If for some reason you or your friends drink too much, get a little tired or just feel off there is a medical team on the beach. They are nice and a team of staff you can rely on if you need too. Full moon also offer a “sleeping” area on the beach so if you feel a half hour nap will be exactly what you need to kick start the rest of your partying, go for it!
Where to stay:
Koh Phangan is full of beach resorts, and hostels, almost all of them will be fully booked during high season on the island, especially when it’s full moon time. Booking a place to stay ahead of time is important if you want to stay at your top choices.
I am a hostel jumper and a traveler on a budget, so I stay at hostels. Most hostels are going to have a 5-night minimum stay. It’s inevitable! So, plan to stay on Koh Phangan for 5 days if you want to come during full moon. Five days is a perfect amount of time to party and explore the island!
If you are staying in a resort or a hostel I do not have listed, all of them are places you can come to for a pre-full moon party. You don’t have to be staying there to enjoy having fun at these hostels!
I have always been a sucker for going to Slumber Party Hostel before full moon. Every time I find myself meeting a ton of new people and seem to have the most outrageous stories after a full moon spent at slumber.
Most of the hostels will also offer taxi services to the party. It’s a great idea to jump on this option right away, as hailing one from the street won’t be as easy because all the taxis will be at Haad Rin Beach.
Slumber Party:
Biased, I know, Slumber Party is my go-to hostel for its atmosphere, great staff, pool parties and overall insanely fun nights I have had here. I have met some of my greatest friends at this hostel and if you are lucky enough to come here when I am then you will get a great paint job or glitter design somewhere on your body!
Good Time Beach:
Located right on the beach, I mean literally you wake up to the ocean every morning. Along with the ocean, Good Time has a pool, volleyball net and many hammocks around for lounging and taking naps. You can catch the sunset here every day and enjoy the chill vibes during full moon or you can walk 5 minuets down the road to Slumber Party where they will surely be raging.
Mad Monkey:
With an overall rating on hostel world of a 9.3 this newly opened Mad Monkey is taking the island by storm. They have a perfect social scene for backpackers and are a 5 min walk from the Thong Sala Pier. Mad Monkey has a pool and the awesome staff will help you find everything you need and want to do while staying on Koh Phangan.
Phangan Arena:
This is probably the most active hostel on the island. Phangan Arena has lots of cool sports extras such as a soccer, ping pong, pool, beach volleyball, basketball, a swimming pool and an outdoor gym. They even have a T.V for Netflix and PlayStation. If you are a sports-oriented person this may be the perfect place to stay!
How Much Will This Cost?
Full Moon Ticket:
100 baht (3 USD)
Food:
Thai meal- 60-90 Baht (1.8-2.8 USD)
Western- 200 Baht (6 USD)
Beer:
Haad Rin Beach- 100-120 Baht (3.5 USD)
Supermarket- 40 Baht (1.2 USD)
Hostels- 60-100 baht
Cocktail:
Supermarket- 300-900 for bottles (9.4-28 USD)
Full moon- 150-200 Baht (4.7-6 USD)
Buckets:
Hostels- 300 baht (9.4 USD)
Full Moon- 200-400 baht (6.2-12.5 USD)
What you definitely need to do:
1. Take a taxi
The number one thing you need to do is take a Taxi to and from full moon. Depending on where you are on the island you will most likely pay 150 baht to get there! That’s only 4.5 USD! I promise a taxi ride will be worth every penny if you are looking to drink or get the full experience at full moon.
DO NOT think you are invincible on your motor bike. The roads in Haad Rin are dangerous especially at night. I know too many people who have been hurt by themselves or others on the road because they thought driving was a good idea. It is not worth it!
I have a friend that works at the hospital here, she said they receive at least 90 patients on full moon from scooter related incidents.
Even if you know you will spend Full Moon sober it is still a better option to take a taxi. I personally have had some of the best memories on my taxi drives to parties in Koh Phangan! You will spend a lot of time singing and laughing on your way to the
2. Use a fanny pack
If you want to risk bringing your phone, money or any other valuables I suggest a fanny pack. Something that wraps around you with a holder is perfect for full moon because you are much less likely to lose it if it’s attached to you!
Lots of people either lose or have their personal items stolen on the stretch of the infamous full moon beach. People assume they can hold onto it or keep it in their pocket but most drunk people aren’t as good at keeping tabs on their valuables as they think. Be smart, get a fanny pack, most travelers have one now a days!
3. Wear shoes
I know what you are thinking, a beach party, I totally don’t need to wear shoes. Well speaking from someone who has opted out on shoes and come home from full moon with bloody feet, you should probably consider wearing them.
With 30,000 people on the beach at one time there is bound to be broken glass, cracked plastic cups and some unpleasant other stuff you wont want to step on. If you don’t want to wear them at least bring a pair of flip flops with you. If you find a spot on the beach where its clean and you know your feet will be okay then dance in the sand as much as your heart desires!
4. Think about what to bring ahead of time
Before you leave for the night consider the things you may need. Do you want to get painted at the party? How many drinks do you want to buy? Will you want to buy a souvenir?
Don’t forget cash to get a taxi home too! I always bring a little extra cash just in case of emergencies. When I go to full moon, I bring around 800 baht to be on the safe side.
5. pick a meet up spot
With 30,000 + people on the beach it’s easy to lose your friends in the crowd. Especially if you know you don’t want to risk bringing your phone with you then a meet up spot is important.
My friends and I liked to use Drop in Bar or Mr. K seafood as our meet up location. We would meet each other right at the shore line of the beach or on the front steps so it was easy to find one
6. Stay hydrated
Its full moon, I would be shocked if you weren’t planning to go all out, save yourself the massive hangover and start drinking water early on in the night!
Drink some while you are at the pre-parties, your hostel or right when you get to full moon. If you know your trying to make it to sunrise then water will be your best friend.
This is the biggest party in Thailand, there will be lots of people! Watch out for each other, look around for your friends and see what kind of people are around you. You don’t want to be that small percent that doesn’t have a good time because you lacked responsibility.
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Helpful tips:
- Don’t eat right on the beach! Food will be expensive if you eat on Haad Rin Beach, there are plenty of places you can go near full moon that will be much cheaper. Maybe even go to 7-11 for food instead!
- Alcohol in general is going to be more expensive at Full Moon. What I like to do is go to 7-11 and buy drinks ahead of time once I get to Haad Rin. There are a bunch of coinvent stores you can buy alcohol at on the beach, use that to fill up your buckets and share with friends to make it cheaper! Be careful not to drink too much!
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- Since full moon is all about the fun, they offer lots of fire activities along the beach. If you are drunk do yourself a favor and DO NOT jump the fire rope. I know you think it’s cool and bad ass but you won’t be thinking that when you trip and the fire burns your neck, legs or hair off. I have a couple friends who paid the price of the fire ropes. If you decide to jump the fire ropes please only do it when you are sober and 100 percent confident that you can do it!
- Swimming at night is a terrible idea. You will see lots of people making the mistake of getting in the water for a late-night swim, it’s a bad idea. The beach is full of rocks and coral, your feet will regret it. Worst of all EVERYBODY pees into this water. You will see hundreds of drunk partiers who are lining up to pee in the ocean. So gross!
- For those of you that want to do drugs at full moon, know that it’s a horrible idea. I know people that have gone to jail and some that have been kicked out and can never enter Thailand again. Thailand has a strict no drug policy, follow it! The beach will have lots of police navigating looking for people using drugs, so your best bet is to just not do them at all!
Finally:
Enjoy yourself! Follow this guide and make full moon a night of unforgettable memories! Check it off your bucket list and be able to do it without having a negative story attached to it.
Keep the party going! Koh Phangan offers so many parties before and after full moon. I don’t think there is a single day on this island where a party isn’t going on. You can find a list of the other great parties on Koh Phangan here.
Koh Phangan has so much to see and do besides the parties! Rent a scooter and check out the waterfalls, beaches and even do some activities on the island like snorkeling, kite surfing and more. Eat your heart out at these western eateries. We also can’t forget the best bars to watch the sunset because when living the island life we all know we need to constantly catch the sun take its final breaths.
If you are considering renting a scooter, don’t just go anywhere. Check out my post on the best places to rent scooters on Koh Phangan!
Before heading on your infamous trip to Thailand make sure you know all the visa requirements.
ENJOY YOUR TRIP!
