Thailand’s Full Moon Party is a massive festival held on the shore of a beach on Ko Pha Ngan island where they celebrate the moon with music, drinks, neon paint, and more! After reading about it, I knew I couldn’t miss it whenever I visited Thailand.
The festival can be pretty wild! Here’s a quick guide to help you survive the madness!
1) First, you have to get to the island. There are plenty of ferries running daily between all islands and are quite inexpensive. Just make sure you give yourself enough time because the ride takes two to three hours. My friend, Liz, and I learned this the hard way and ended up rushing to the festival. The festivities usually start as soon as the sun goes down and we didn’t get there until 10pm. Which could also be a good thing if you want to last until sunrise.
2) We never booked a room online while in Thailand. We read that they are more expensive online and you get better deals in person. It’s true! But the only room you SHOULD reserve is in Ko Pha Ngan if you plan on attending the Full Moon Party. Over 30,000 people attend the festival and all hotels on the island get booked pretty quickly. My friend and I made this mistake and found ourselves without a room. Luckily, we made great friends mountain trekking in Chiang Mai, which they were also planning on attending the festival and they were kind enough to let us crash with them. Thanks Ty and Sidrah!
3) Wear comfortable shoes. Do NOT go barefoot! I saw many attempt this, but with all the debris on the floor, fire jump-roping, and people crowding and possibly stepping on your toes — it’s just not a good idea.
4) The most popular alcoholic drinks are buckets. Literally, a small bucket full of hard liquor and a little bit of mixer. Please pace yourself with these! People end up passing out in the middle of the beach, even though there was a designated “sleep area.” My friend and I went around taking pictures with them (the ones who passed out) as a joke but it can actually be dangerous as the tide rises. I actually saw a guy passed out on the concrete floor and his forehead was bleeding! 🙁 I bought a bucket but I had my friend Ty help me with the last of it. I also kept drinking tons of water throughout the night and had some Pad Thai at some point.
5) Wear neon colored clothes to go along with your neon body paint. The party’s ritual is to cover yourself in neon paint, so, join the fun and get colorful!
6) Don’t purchase tickets online or from anyone else. The event is free!
Overall, prepare yourself for a wild night!
Happy Full Mooning!
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