Meg Goes Global

a guide to koh phangan

It has become rite of passage in anyone’s Thailand adventure, but is the full moon party just overrated? The island of Koh Phangan has been hosting these parties every full moon on Haad Rin beach since the 1980s, and now it has become completely infamous for them. The event has grown from a small group of hippies on the beach back in the 80s, through the 90s bringing with it the rave scene, and by the 2000s it was already widely known. The beach is packed with bars, each with their own DJs and music genre so you can walk from bar to bar all night long and never get bored. It’s really like nothing else. Full moon is not the only party the island is known for: they have several a week including full moon, half moon, waterfall, jungle and Eden party to name a few, so no matter when you are there, there’s always an event to go to.

Say ‘full moon party’ and you immediately think of a hectic event of tens of thousands on the beach full of drink, drugs, neon paint and fire shows. While this is pretty much true, it’s generally more positive atmosphere than you would first imagine, and everyone is just there to have a good time in my experience. Although you do find the occasional passed out person on the sand.

Most people come to the island purely for this, arrive a couple of days before and leave shortly after. Although this is a big part of the experience, the island has a lot more beauty to offer and it is super quiet at other times of the month. Because of the influx of people each full moon, you definitely need to book your accommodation in advance. Any decent places book up weeks earlier so be prepared and also note it’s pretty normal for accommodation to double their prices at peak times, and even triple at times such as New Year. You’ll want to stay near the party on Haad Rin beach, or another good option is Ban Tai beach area which is just a short taxi drive away. Most people begin arriving from 9pm onwards and party all through the night into the morning so you’ll want to be close by.

The Phangan Arena Hostel is a great place to party and pre-drink before heading to the beach (or jungle for that matter) so this is where we ended up going most nights when we were on the island. They have pool tables, beer pong tournaments and cheap drinks all night before. You can buy your tickets for any party from the hostel itself, and deals with taxis straight to the beach so you don’t have to worry about it. As well as this its obviously a great place to make friends to go to the party with. My friend and I stayed at a hotel but chose to go to the hostel before and I’d definitely recommend doing this as you get to experience the social aspect but still get your own room and the luxury of a hotel.

My friend and I bought a pack of neon paint the day before not thinking much of it, but it was the best decision. We ended up painting about half of the hostel, setting up camp in the bathroom, making friends with heaps of people while doing it. Added bonus to this being that people from the hostel would buy our drinks in return for painting them so if you want to save yourself some money and make friends doing it, this is definitely a cheat code you might not think of. Neon paint is such an iconic part of the Full Moon Party so everyone will want to get involved even if you’re not an artist.

My advice

It’s a good idea to stock up on drinks from a 7/11 to take with you and not risk buying any drinks at the party. The famous buckets can seem like great fun, but getting these from the beach means they may be topped up with tap water, Thai Redbull, or anything else that is just asking for a hangover from hell the next day at the very least. Not to mention they can be ridiculously priced on the beach. I’d recommend any drinks in bottles that can easily be covered if you’re worried about spiking.

It’s probably best to stay with a group of familiar faces that you trust so you can look out for each other but apart from that, just normal common sense applies and you’ll be okay.

On the theme of common sense, I feel like this is a place it often goes out the window. Anywhere else, you ask someone if it’s a good idea to swim in the sea, fully clothed, at 2am in pitch black and they’d probably say no: but here, many people seem to think it’s a great idea. Not only is it dangerous, it’s also where a good portion of party-goers choose as their toilet. So if you want to keep your dignity (and your life for that matter) I’d probably recommend to stay away.

Similar to this, keep away from skipping ropes set on fire. Sounds obvious but so many people get too cocky, getting involved in the fire shows and get seriously burnt. It’s not a good idea, even if you think you are the most talented rope jumper the world has seen, you are not! Or at least the people around you might not be. All is takes is for the person next to you to trip and it can all go horribly wrong. Leave it to the professionals and save yourself a trip to the hospital.

So was the experience worth it? I’d say definitely yes. It’s an iconic part of the Thailand party scene and makes for a really fun night even if that is mostly down to the drinking and partying before hand. I did prefer the jungle party that we went to the day before which felt more like an insane type of festival. The rain was pouring down and there was a pretty intense storm but it kind of just added to the ethereal atmosphere. I think Koh Phangan is definitely worth a visit so why would you not want to experience these parties if that’s the scene your into. Definitely don’t miss out on everything else the island has to offer.