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Full Moon Party

A monthly all-night beach party at Haad Rin that has been running since the late 1980s and shows its age

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On now
26 September 2026
Where
Haad Rin Beach, Koh Phangan
Public holiday
No
Alcohol sales
Normal

In short

Once a month, on the night of the full moon, between five and thirty thousand people fill a half-kilometre of sand at Haad Rin on Koh Phangan for an all-night party built around sound systems on the beach, buckets of spirits and fluorescent paint. It is cheap to enter, well established and heavily policed at the margins. It is also a place where drink spiking, methanol poisoning, theft and serious injury are recurring rather than exceptional.

The view from the John-Suwan viewpoint on Ko Tao: a granite ridge thick with coconut palms dividing two turquoise bays, small boats moored off the beach on the left, resort roofs scattered through the jungle and green hills running back to the horizon.
kallerna / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Go if

  • People who want exactly this and know what they are getting
  • Arriving two or three days early and staying on the quieter north and east coasts
  • Ban Tai and Ban Kai, which are far enough from Haad Rin to sleep and close enough to get back

Be aware

  • Buckets. A mixed bucket from a beach cart is unmeasured, unsupervised and sometimes not the spirit on the label. Methanol poisoning is a documented cause of death in the region
  • Drink spiking is reported consistently. Watch drinks being poured, keep them in hand, and do not accept open drinks from strangers
  • The fire skipping rope and flaming limbo are a reliable source of serious burns every single month
  • Theft is endemic on the beach. Bring the night's cash and a copy of your passport, nothing else
  • The sand is full of broken glass and the beach is visibly degraded. Wear shoes
  • Ferries the following morning are packed and the last boats before the party sell out. Book both legs in advance
  • Entry is ฿200 in cash at the gate. Nothing is sold online, and any site claiming to sell tickets is not official

Dates

The night of every full moon, running from around 21:00 until sunrise. Events falling on a major Buddhist holy day are pushed to the following night, and there is always a party on 31 December regardless of the moon.

  • 31 July 2026Moved from the 29th and 30th, which were Asalha Bucha and Khao Phansa.
  • 28 August 2026
  • 26 September 2026
  • 27 October 2026Moved from the 26th, which was Ork Phansa.
  • 24 November 2026The same night as Loy Krathong.
  • 24 December 2026
  • 31 December 2026New Year countdown party, held regardless of the lunar date.

Sources

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