Bungalow Resorts

Koh Phangan

Fullmoon Party on Koh Phangan

Full Moon Party Dates for 2008

22th, January '08
21th, February '08
21th, March '08
20th, April '08
20th , May '08
18th, June '08
18th, July '08
16th, August '08
15th, September '08
14th, October '08
13th, November '08
12th, December '08

Full Moon Party Dates for 2009

10th, January '09
10th, February '09
10th, March '09
9th, April '09
9th , May '09
7th, June '09
9th, July '09
6th, August '09
4th, September '09
4th, October '09
2th, November '09
2th, December '09
31th, December '09

Please note that the Full Moon Party dates do sometimes change due to the Buddhist holiday. In this case, it is mostly earlier or later than the full moon day only 1 day.

The Full Moon Party first kicked off in 1989 when the owner of Paradise Bungalows, Sutti, decided to throw a leaving party for an Australian friend who was homeward bound. And it was only by a matter of coincidence that the party fell on the night of the full moon, making it more magical and mysterious.

The one thing you have to remember was that in the good old days of ’89 there was no mains electricity, no telephones, no concrete bungalows with Air-Con and UBC, and no internet. Just good old fashion bamboo bungalows with palm leaf roofs and a breeze through the door and the window to keep you cool (a rarity on Koh Phangan today). The sound system back then was a ghetto blaster borrowed from the kitchen and when the batteries ran out they started up the generator. Then around fifty people danced around the fire on the beach to old 80’s pop and rock music until dawn and the sun began to rise.

Every body enjoyed it so much that they decided to repeat it at the night of the next full moon. And so the full moon parties began growing in numbers every month, with the parties now drawing crowds of up to 10,000 in the low season and with over 30,000 in the high season. The Full Moon Party has achieved world wide recognition with back packers and DJ’s coming from all over the globe and from all walks of life to dance, chill and have a great time. If you keep your eyes open you might even see the odd celebrity, as Jamiroquai the other famous artists have been seen trip the light fantastic every now and again.

Now the Full Moon Party has moved on from that ghetto blaster around the fire, to over ten large dance floors, with large sound systems blasting out of various bars most of the way down Haad Rin beach. They play everything from Reggae to RnB, Drum & Bass and Psy-Trance and most of them come with excellent lighting systems to match giving loads of different effects.

Most of the bars also have beach mats with tables on them on the beach, so if you’re worn out from dancing you can just sit, chill, have a drink and wait for the sun to rise. Some bars like the Drop In Club also offer entertainment on the beach with fire sticks and fire poi.

Haad Rin and the surrounding area now has over 5000 rooms available for the backpacker with a range of different budgets available, so booked in advance as towards the full moon period it all goes mental and every room is booked solid. If you arrive too late don’t worry as you can now leave you backpack at the police station in a secure room for safety. The police station is located next to the taxi drop off point in Haad Rin.

The organizers have been quick to notice that some of the backpackers who have been over doing it with the local Thai whiskey have fallen asleep on the beach and have been a victim of robbery finding all their money, passports and even jewelry stolen while they have been sleeping. Haad Rin beach now has a roped off area at the other end of the beach, where you can sleep off any excess alcohol with out being molested or robbed. They even have a security guard at the entrance to keep an eye in things.

In the early morning after the party, check out the 'Backyard Party', it's really worth, just on the way to Leela Beach ...

Full Moon Party at Haad Rin Beach, Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan's montly Fullmoon Party is worldwide famous. Please note that the date of the party is not always exactly on the lunar fullmoon date, because of buddist holidays.

Warnings

If you do arrive late to the party with no where to stay, use the secure room at the police station for you belongings and use the secure sleeping area on the beach to avoid being robbed. You should only need about 3000 baht for the night and try not to take your passport and any other important documents with you. Leave them in a secure lock box with you bungalow resort owners, not in your room.

Buckets (Thai whiskey (half a bottle), Red Bull, Coke and loads of ice); beware the bucket, the bucket creeps up on you very quickly. Pace yourself, remember it’s a party till dawn and beyond, so loads of time to eat drink and be merry.

Drugs are strictly illegal in Thailand and there are heavy penalties for even the smallest amounts. The police now set up road blocks in different parts of the island to catch people out, even on normal days when there are no parties. The police even pose as drug dealers to try and catch you out. So you have been warned.

Other Parties on Koh Phangan:

- Half Moon Party

- Black Moon Party