The Rundown on the Full Moon Party

Most people head to Koh Phangan for one reason, the full moon party. It happens every full moon and it draws in thousands of tourists each month. If you are traveling to the Thai islands and love music, party, and dancing we definitely recommend checking it out. 

Getting to Koh Phangan  

We arrived into Surat Thani airport and took a bus from the airport to the ferry. We purchased our tickets in advance to have peace of mind, but when you arrive at the airport you’ll see multiple bus companies. The journey to Donsak Pier takes about an hour and a half and the ferry ride is about 2 and a half hours to Thong Sala Pier. 

We used https://www.lomprayah.com/timetable because they are the most reliable company that we could find.

If you are staying on another island you can check ferry times and tickets to and from your island. You would take the last ferry to Koh Phangan and the first ferry back! Be prepared for a long night. (You can use that same link for pricing and times.)

Where to stay

The actual party takes place on Haad Rin beach on the southeast side of the island. If you really wanna go wild and party we’d recommend finding a hotel over there. You will definitely have to book in advance as these hotels book up pretty quickly.

Here’s a list of the 10 best places to stay http://www.kosamui.com/ko-phangan/hotels/best-hotels-full-moon-party.htm

We decided to stay closer to the pier since we were only gonna be on the island for 3 days. There are many hostels and hotels throughout the island so you should be able to find one to suit your needs, within your budget.

Getting to the Full Moon Party

The day of the full moon party, it will be all anyone is talking about it. For most it’s why they came to Koh Phangan. You can talk to your hotel/hostel about getting there. But around 9/10pm the shuttles will start arriving. Don’t worry about missing one too much, as they just keep coming. Check prices with your hotel as they might know what’s customary. 

What to Wear

Don’t forget that the full moon party takes place on the beach. You definitely wanna wear comfortable clothes and ones you are not worried about getting paint on. When you first arrive you’ll see neon paint everywhere most people are gonna have it on. With so many people around, you are bound to bump into people and stain your clothes. 

Shoes wise, we wore flip flops so we didn’t have to worry about wet socks (the worst!). If you have water shoes you could wear those too so you can be better protected from the debris on the floor. 

Tips to get you through the night

• Pace yourself. They have bucket drinks throughout the whole beach. They’re pretty strong so definitely pace yourself. If you’re gonna have pre party drinks try not to drink too quickly. You don’t wanna get too out of control and miss out on all the fun. 

• Only bring the essentials. A backup charger and money is really all you need. God forbid you lose your bag, It's better to have the bare minimum than lose important stuff. 

• You can buy tickets there. They cost 100 baht.

• Bring change for the bathrooms. Unfortunately you will have to pay for the bathroom so make sure you have coins. Some people opted out by peeing in the cold ocean! So don’t be surprised, you will see this happening all night. Especially because the bathroom lines are pretty long! 

• Don’t do drugs. This might seem obvious but you don’t wanna be in a situation where you took something that isn't what they said it was and now you need serious medical attention.

• Eat throughout the night. If you wanna make it all night long, delicious and inexpensive street food is the way to go.

• Bring your own body paint. Almost everyone will have some kind of body paint on. It can be expensive to get painted on the inside, so to save money buy it and do it before you leave your hotel. Also a good way to make friends.

• Dance the night away!