Koh Phangan Full Moon Party: Dates, Cost, Safety and Getting There

Featured image: Per Meistrup, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

When is the next Koh Phangan Full Moon Party?

Check a live full-moon calendar first, then match it against the organizer's announcement. Party night usually follows the lunar date, but it can move by a day around it. Past event listings have shown a start at 6 PM and a finish at 6 AM. Do not lock in ferries or rooms from a blog post's date list. Competitor-style date tables go stale within months, and several still show 2025 events. Book refundable rooms until the date is confirmed.

Is the Full Moon Party worth it? Who should go and who should skip

It is a loud, crowded, alcohol-heavy night on sand. Electronic music plays across several beach bars, from house and techno to trance. Use the checklist to decide before you commit nights of accommodation.

• Go if you like dance music, late nights and meeting strangers in groups.
• Go if you can sleep through the next morning and keep your ferry for a later day.
• Skip if you are a light sleeper staying within earshot of Haad Rin.
• Skip if you travel with young children or want a quiet beach evening.
• Skip if you plan to ride a scooter home after dark.
• Try the Koh Phangan Night Market: Pantip & Saturday Market instead for a calmer evening with food and no wristband.

Full Moon Party costs and entry fee

Sources disagree on entry. One guide lists ฿100, while an events site lists ฿200 with a wristband and door sales only, with no presale. Budget for ฿200 and treat anything lower as a bonus. A claim of free entry before 18:00 is unverified, so do not plan around it. Buckets reportedly cost about ฿200 on the way to the beach and roughly double on the sand. Treat that as relative markup, because prices move. Neon body paint is priced by design and size, so agree the price before the brush touches you.

How to get to Haad Rin (and back at 3 am)

There is no airport on Koh Phangan, so you arrive by boat. Ferries run to Thong Sala pier from Surat Thani, Chumphon, Koh Samui and Koh Tao. From Thong Sala, the drive to Haad Rin Guide: Beaches, Where to Stay & Getting There takes about 30 minutes. Shared vans at the start of the pier charge ฿100 per person and leave when full. After a ferry lands, they usually fill fast. The hard part is the return. Shared transport thins out in the small hours, so settle your plan before you walk onto the sand.

Where to stay for the Full Moon Party

Staying in Haad Rin puts you a short walk from the beach and solves the 3 am return. It also means noise until morning and the highest rates around full moon week. One events site says every spot on the island is within about 30 minutes of the party, though you should verify the route. Beaches such as Leela Beach, Malibu Beach and Haad Salad are common alternatives. Thong Sala works for ferry access. Book early, because rooms near the beach sell out first. Ask each property about late shuttles and whether it can arrange a pickup.

A realistic night plan

Treat these steps as a flexible flow, since timing depends on that month's lineup. Past listings ran from 6 PM until 6 AM, so you do not need to arrive early.

• Before: eat a full meal, drink water, charge your phone and fix your ride home.
• Before: carry only the wristband fee, some cash and a copy of your accommodation address.
• During: keep your drink in sight and share a bucket only with people you know.
• During: set a leaving time and a meeting point with your group.
• After: sleep, hydrate and keep the next day free of ferries or long rides.

Safety and mistakes to avoid

Most problems come from drinking, scooters and lost belongings. Check the current Thai government and national travel advisories for official safety advice before you go.

• Riding a scooter after dark, with or without alcohol.
• Booking a ferry out the morning after the party.
• Carrying passports, spare cards or valuables onto the beach.
• Accepting open drinks or buckets you did not see poured.
• Swimming at night while intoxicated.
• Buying unverified wristbands or party deals from strangers.

Half Moon, Jungle Party and other parties

Haad Rin hosts events between full moons, including a Half Moon Party. One guide places the Jungle Party on the night before the Full Moon Party. Lineups and venues change, so check the live events calendar for the month. Pick a smaller party if you want music without the largest crowd.

Make the trip bigger

Use daytime to recover and see more of the island. Bottle Beach Koh Phangan: Boat, Hike & Day Trip Guide is a calmer swim stop. Pair it with the island viewpoints for a slower morning. For the rest of your itinerary, start with our guide to 30 Best Things To Do In Koh Phangan (2026 Guide).