Full Moon Party

When is the next Full Moon Party?

The next Full Moon Party is Tuesday 24 November 2026 on Haad Rin Beach, Koh Phangan, the same evening as Loy Krathong. Then it's Thursday 24 December, Christmas Eve, and the New Year countdown on Thursday 31 December.

The party follows the moon, so the date changes every month. Since 10 March 2026, the Haad Rin organisers move any party that falls on a major Buddhist holy day to the next day, as their official dates page says (checked November 2026).

New Year's Eve is the biggest Full Moon of the year, and February to April is the sweet spot for weather and space to dance.

The Full Moon Party 2026 dates end with the New Year countdown, and the full 2027 calendar is out, with four nights moved off holy days, so you can lock in your month now.

What to book first

Places to stay sell out first, then the boats home. Here is the order to book.

Places to stay on Koh Phangan for party week go first. Hotels near Haad Rin double their prices and often ask you to stay at least two or three days.

Pool villas on Koh Samui for Christmas and New Year go next, so ask Tanner early.

The boat home comes next: regular ferries stop between midnight and 5am, and early-morning seats sell out fast.

Flights into Samui for 24 and 31 December fill after that.

The entry wristband is never sold online; you pay at the gate on the evening.

Hold the villa and the boat this week; the wristband you buy on the night.

What it's like on Haad Rin

The Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan is a beach party on Haad Rin from sunset until late, where more than a dozen bars along the sand each run their own sound system: EDM, house, techno, drum and bass, hip-hop and reggae.

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It started as a small backpacker gathering in the 1980s and grew into Thailand's most famous party.

The crowd runs into the thousands, and Christmas and New Year are the busiest.

By 8pm the beach fills up, with neon paint and the first buckets.

At midnight the giant fire sign is lit, and the party peaks until about 2am.

Late in the night the party runs until late, and the last ones standing stay down by the water with the music still on.

Fire shows, fire skipping ropes and UV body paint run all along the beach.

See the Koh Phangan nightlife guide for the other parties of full moon week, then pick the evening to add.

What it costs

Entry to the Full Moon Party is ฿200 in cash at the gates on the road into Haad Rin, and you get a wristband for the night.

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There's no advance ticket: you pay at the gate on the night.

The organiser's official Full Moon Party site says entry is ฿200 at the gate, collected by the Haad Rin Business Association for the beach clean-up and Haad Rin's upkeep (checked November 2026).

Buckets are cheaper in the shops on the road in than on the beach.

A pool villa on Koh Samui runs from ฿18,500 a day, with the whole group under one roof.

A private boat over and back is quoted for your group and your times.

A party week for 12 runs from about ฿300,000 all in, with the villa, the boats and the parties.

Bring cash in small notes for drinks on the beach. Ask Tanner to price your week.

From Koh Samui, by your own boat

The best way to do the Full Moon Party from Koh Samui is a pool villa on Samui and your own boat across to Haad Rin, about 30 minutes each way.

The public route is harder than it looks: the ferries stop in the small hours, and the late boats back are packed.

Your own boat fixes both. It takes the group across in the evening and waits until you're ready, at 1am or later.

Since 12 May 2026, alcohol has been banned at public piers and on public passenger boats, under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee's notice (checked November 2026). The rule names public boats, not private charters, so on your own boat the drinks start on board.

For the run from the villa to the pier: a luxury van for up to 4 from ฿6,500 for 10 hours, a party van for up to 10, or a coach for 20 and more.

See Koh Samui to Koh Phangan for every way across, then book your own boat for the night.

Where to stay

The best place to stay for the Full Moon Party is a pool villa on Koh Samui, with a private boat across. Haad Rin is loud until late.

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Haad Rin means you walk to the party, but you won't sleep, and minimum stays apply.

Ban Tai, about 10 minutes from Haad Rin, is quieter, with the same price jumps.

Koh Samui has better villas for the money, a chef and a pool, and no full-moon surcharge on the villa.

Most groups pick Bophut or Chaweng on Samui, close to the piers.

See Koh Samui pool villas, and pick the villa while the good ones are free.

Is the Full Moon Party safe?

Yes, for a group that keeps it smart: good shoes, sealed drinks, a step back from the fire, and everyone together.

The quick version is in the checklist above; the details are below.

The law is clear: since June 2025, cannabis flower needs a prescription from a licensed Thai doctor, TAT News says (checked October 2026), so leave it at home.

Drink water between buckets. Book the boat to wait, and getting home is the easy part.

Is it worth it?

Yes, once, if you do it the easy way. The Full Moon Party is loud, crowded and like nothing else, and a villa and your own boat take away the worst parts.

It's worth it if the group wants a huge, all-night beach party with music everywhere.

It's less fun if you hate crowds, or if you're stuck on Haad Rin with no boat home.

The trick is to make it one big evening in a bigger week. Plan it with Tanner.

Which full moon to pick

The best Full Moon Party for a group is New Year's Eve if you want the biggest crowd, or February to April if you want good weather and space to dance.

New Year's Eve, 31 December, is the biggest of the year, with the countdown and fireworks.

Christmas Eve, 24 December, is a huge party with the Christmas week around it.

February to April brings the driest weather in the Gulf, the Thai Meteorological Department's records show.

October to December are the wettest months in the Gulf, with November the peak, so arrive a day early in case ferries are delayed.

Tanner's tip: on a holy day the beach bars stay dry, so when a party moves a day, make that first night a villa dinner and cross the next evening.

See Thailand in December and the Thailand party calendar for every date this season.

A Full Moon week

A Full Moon week that works: land on Samui and settle into the villa. Ang Thong Marine Park is closed from 1 November to 15 December 2026, so in that window take the catamaran day to Koh Tao instead. Then cross for the Full Moon, and finish with a villa pool party.

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Add a DJ from ฿8,000 a day, a chef at the villa, and hosts and performers for your party to keep the pool party going.

Want another party? The Half Moon Party runs about a week either side of the full moon in Ban Tai.

Christmas Eve 2026 is a Full Moon date, and New Year's Eve has its own countdown, so one December week can have both.

See Koh Samui yacht charter for the boat day.

The other moon parties

The Full Moon Party isn't the only moon party on Koh Phangan. The Halfmoon Festival runs in the jungle at Ban Tai about a week either side of the full moon, with three stages until late.

Tanner's pick: the Full Moon for the size, the Half Moon for the sound. With a week on Samui, do one of each.

Insider tip: the Half Moon sells passes online, so it's the one you can lock in before you fly.

Next: the whole Full Moon on one screen.

The Full Moon Party in short

Full Moon Party Koh Phangan: Haad Rin Beach, once a month.

Next dates: 24 November, 24 December, the 31 December countdown, then 22 January 2027.

Entry: ฿200 cash at the gate; no online tickets.

Crowd: thousands on the sand; biggest at New Year.

Best base: your own pool villa on Koh Samui.

Getting there: your own boat, about 30 minutes; public ferries stop from midnight to 5am.

Safety: shoes, sealed drinks, stay back from the fire.

Checked November 2026.