6 best party islands in Thailand

Six islands that party

Six islands, picked for a group of 8 to 20 that wants big parties and a good base.

• Koh Phangan: the Full Moon Party on Haad Rin, plus the Half Moon
• Phuket: Bangla Road, Illuzion and the west-coast beach clubs
• Koh Samui: Chaweng, ARKbar and the best villas in the Gulf
• Koh Phi Phi: car-free, small and loud every evening
• Koh Tao: sunset bars on Sairee Beach between dives
• Koh Chang: Lonely Beach, the east coast's party strip

Phuket and Samui are the only two with airports, which makes them the easiest bases for a group.

Pick your base first, then the parties around it.

Koh Phangan: the Full Moon and every other moon

Once a month, Koh Phangan throws the biggest party in Thailand: the Full Moon on Haad Rin beach.

The crowd reaches about 10,000 people on the sand, painted in neon, with music from every bar along the beach.

The rest of the month, the island has the Half Moon Party and a much quieter north and west coast.

A group does better sleeping away from Haad Rin: a villa on Samui or the quiet side of Phangan, and a boat in for the party. Read our Full Moon Party guide.

Phuket: Bangla Road, Illuzion and the beach clubs

Phuket is the long-weekend island: its biggest club, a party street and the west-coast beach clubs.

Illuzion in Patong is the big evening out on the island.

We get you in, with your own VIP section and bottles already on ice; a prime section at Illuzion runs from about ฿20,000, billed by the club. See Illuzion.

Bangla Road runs back from Patong Beach, with bars, clubs and live music until late.

By day, the beach clubs take over: Café del Mar in Kamala and Catch Beach Club in Bang Tao, with DJs at sunset. Yona Beach Club runs a shuttle from Patong from mid-November to late March, and from Royal Phuket Marina the rest of the year.

Start with our Phuket nightlife guide, then ask Tanner to add the yacht day.

Koh Samui: Chaweng, ARKbar and the villa base

Samui is the villa base: Chaweng's nightlife on the doorstep and the Full Moon a short boat ride away.

Chaweng is the island's party beach, with ARKbar running beach parties from the afternoon and the clubs behind the sand after dark.

The big pool villas are on Samui, not Phangan, and Samui has the airport. Our Koh Samui villas start at market price, with the party layer on top.

From Samui, Koh Phangan is about 30 minutes by ferry, so the Full Moon is an easy night out and back.

Book the villa first, then the boat to Haad Rin.

Koh Phi Phi: small, car-free and loud

Phi Phi is for a few wild evenings in a row: no cars, and the whole party within walking distance.

Tonsai village is dense and loud, with fire shows and beach bars running late. It's about two hours by ferry from Phuket or Krabi.

The island is small, so two or three days is plenty. Stay on the quieter beaches and walk into the party.

Go in for the day on the Phi Phi island tour from Phuket, or stay over for the evenings.

Koh Tao and Koh Chang: the smaller party islands

Smaller party islands, better for a few social evenings than a big group weekend.

Koh Tao's Sairee Beach has sunset bars and the occasional fire show along the sand, with the island's dive schools behind it. It's about two hours by ferry from Samui or Phangan.

Koh Chang, near the Cambodian border, has its party strip at Lonely Beach. It's about five hours from Bangkok by bus and ferry.

Add Tao to a Gulf trip if your group dives; pick Chang only for a quieter, cheaper week.

Which island is best for partying?

Koh Phangan for the Full Moon, and Phuket for the rest of the month.

Phuket has the clubs, the beach clubs, the party street and the yacht days, with an airport and the most hotels.

Samui is the best base if your dates hit a Full Moon, with villas, an airport and Phangan 30 minutes away.

Phi Phi is the short, loud stop between Phuket and Krabi. Match the island to your dates.

Is Koh Samui or Koh Phangan better?

Koh Samui is better as a base for a group, and Koh Phangan is better for the party itself.

Samui has the airport, the bigger villas and the easier ferries. Phangan has Haad Rin and the moon parties, with simpler places to stay.

The easy plan: sleep on Samui and spend the Full Moon on Phangan. See the Samui to Phangan boat options.

Getting between the islands

By ferry or your own boat along each coast, and by air between the two.

The Gulf chain runs Samui to Phangan to Tao, with ferries of 30 minutes to two hours. The Andaman chain runs Phuket to Phi Phi, about two hours by ferry.

Hop down one coast per trip, because crossing between coasts burns most of a day.

From Bangkok, fly to Phuket or Samui.

Our Bangkok to Koh Samui guide has every option.

When to go

Phuket and Phi Phi from November to April; Samui, Phangan and Tao are driest February to April, the Thai Meteorological Department's normals show, and good through August.

The two coasts have opposite rainy seasons: the Andaman side is wet from May to October, and the Gulf's wet window is October to December.

From December to April, both coasts are good, so you can party on Phuket and still make a Full Moon.

December is the busiest party month: Tomorrowland Thailand is in Pattaya on 11 to 13 December and EDC Thailand in Phuket on 18 to 20 December 2026. Lock your dates early.

The rules: alcohol hours, ID and vapes

Licensed entertainment venues in Phuket and Koh Samui district, and licensed venues inside hotels, may open until 4am; ordinary bars and restaurants close earlier, usually by 2am. Alcohol is sold from 11am to midnight, and the drinking age is 20.

Clubs check ID, so bring your passport out every evening.

Leave vapes at home: they're illegal to bring into Thailand, buy or sell here, the Thai government says (checked October 2026).

On a private boat, the open bar goes with you. Read our Thailand nightlife laws.

Your own private island party

The best private party on a Thai island: your own yacht to an empty beach, then a villa party back on land.

Add hosts and performers for your party to keep the energy up, a photographer and a car waiting for the club, and the island becomes your own party. A full party week for 12 starts from about ฿300,000.

See yacht parties in Thailand and villa parties in Thailand, and ask Tanner how the days run.

Pick your island and your moon

Pick one coast, one base and the next big party: a Full Moon in the Gulf, a festival weekend, or a club evening on Phuket.

Our Koh Phangan, Koh Samui and Phuket guides walk you through each island.

Plan it with Tanner, and he sends back the island, the villa and the boat for your dates.

Thailand's party islands in short

• The best party islands in Thailand are Koh Phangan for the Full Moon and Phuket for the rest of the month.

• The next Full Moon Parties on Haad Rin are on 24 November and 24 December 2026.
• Koh Samui is the villa base, about 30 minutes by ferry from Phangan.
• Phi Phi is small and car-free, about two hours by ferry from Phuket or Krabi.
• The Andaman side is best from November to April. The Gulf is driest February to April and good through August.
• Licensed entertainment venues in Phuket and Koh Samui district, and licensed venues inside hotels, may open until 4am under Ministerial Regulation No. 3, the Government Public Relations Department confirms (checked November 2026); ordinary bars and restaurants close earlier, usually by 2am. Koh Phangan isn't a 4am area.

Checked October 2026.