The Full Moon Party (Thai: ฟูลมูนปาร์ตี้) is an all-night beach party that originated in

Hat Rin Hat Rin ( th, หาดริ้น, ) is a peninsular beach area and town on the southern tip of Ko Pha-ngan, an island in the Gulf of Thailand. Its two main beaches are Sunset Beach (Hat Rin Nai) to the south and the larger Sunrise Beach (Hat ...

on the island of

Ko Pha-ngan Ko Pha-ngan ( th, เกาะพะงัน, , ) is an island in the Gulf of Thailand in Surat Thani Province of southern Thailand. Ko Pha-ngan is best known for its Full Moon Party at Hat Rin Beach. Ko Pha-ngan has two sister islands: ...

, Thailand in 1985. The party takes place on the night of, before, or after every

full moon The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180°). This means ...

History

The first Full Moon Party is said to have been improvised at a Paradise Bungalows on the beach in 1983 as a token of thanks to about 20–30 travelers, though the accuracy of this is disputed, as is the date of the original event. The parties gained fame through word of mouth, and the event now draws a crowd of about 5,000–30,000 every full moon evening. The party carries on until the sun rises the next day. The bars on Sunrise Beach of Hat Rin stay open and play music such as

psychedelic trance Psychedelic Trance, Psytrance or Psy is a subgenre of trance music characterized by arrangements of rhythms and layered melodies created by high tempo riffs. The genre offers variety in terms of mood, tempo, and style. Some examples include full ...

, R&B, drum and bass, house, dance, and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

. The modern event has become a part of the itinerary of many travelers to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

. The success of the Full Moon Party prompted the creation of "Half Moon", "Black (New) Moon", Oxa Beach, and other parties. The ruling military government in late 2014 banned all but the Full Moon Party, but the edict may not have been observed by local authorities given that, as of 5 April 2015, all parties except the Full Moon Party were again banned on Ko Pha-ngan. This was done to stop the noise pollution which has become a constant source of irritation for the islanders. The ban was ordered by Pha-ngan district chief officer Krirkkrai Songthani after a meeting with local leaders on 3 April to discuss complaints from many residents about the various parties which are held up to 25 times a month at one coconut plantation or another on the island. However, these bans are only ever short-lived, and lapse once they have served their unstated purpose, allowing the re-proliferation of parties. Given the junta's stated goal of attracting higher-class (wealthier) tourists, it is unclear how much longer the Full Moon Party will be permitted to continue. Already, the Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) webpage for

barely makes mention of the Full Moon Party. A police colonel summed up the attitude of the new government when he said, "The sort of tourist that comes here to drink too much and take drugs are not the type that Thailand wants." In 2020, the event was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. Parties resumed on 16 April 2022 with the easing of restrictions by the government.

Frequency

The Full Moon Party takes place every month throughout the year. Its attractions include fire skipping ropes, alcohol "buckets", and drugs. There is a very wide spectrum of music ranging from trance, to drum and bass, to reggae. The party takes place in many clubs along the

beach. The Full Moon Party in October 2017, and all other parties and music activities on Koh Pha-ngan, was canceled in respect for the

cremation Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre is ...

ceremony for the late king

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

, October 25 to 29.

Safety issues

Although drugs are consumed by many partygoers, drug laws are strict and police enforcement is stepped up during the parties. There are undercover police on patrol and even the

drug dealer A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalati ...

s themselves may report drug users to police. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of assaults and robberies at the party and in bars in the surrounding area, leading the British government to officially warn tourists to exercise caution at Full Moon Parties. Break-ins at hotel bungalows while partygoers are away from their rooms sometimes occur as well.Tips and tricks for the Full Moon Party
On New Year's Eve 2012, British tourist Stephen Ashton was killed by a stray bullet.

In popular culture

The Full Moon Party has been featured in films such as '' The Beach'', ''

Last Stop for Paul ''Last Stop for Paul'' is a 2006 independent film by Neil Mandt. It chronicles the journey of two men to the Full Moon Party in Thailand. The film is notable in that there was no crew and no casting. Plot Two buddies set out on a low-budget road ...

'', and the Thai film '' Hormones''. It was also featured in the first episode of the

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programmin ...

TV show ''

Gerhard Reinke's Wanderlust ''Gerhard Reinke's Wanderlust'' is a mockumentary television comedy that was originally broadcast on the American basic cable Cable television first became available in the United States in 1948. By 1989, 53 million U.S. households received cab ...

''. In 2011, the island's parties featured on '' Tourism and the Truth: Stacey Dooley Investigates'', a documentary investigating the negative impacts of tourism on local people and the economy. It was featured in episode 4 of E4's comedy-drama series ''

Gap Year A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is typically a year-long break before or after college/university during which students engage in various educational and developmental activities, such as travel or some type of regular work. Gap yea ...

''.

Gallery

File:Fullmoon-party-originator wDSC03487.jpg, Full Moon Party creator Sutti Kursakul. Poster at Paradise Bungalows, Hat Rin, Ko Pha-ngan, 2016. File:Full-Moon-Party-2016 DSC03418w.jpg, Full Moon Party, 23 February 2016, front of ''Paradise Bungalows'' at Hat Rin Sunrise Beach, Ko Pha-ngan File:Alcohol buckets Ko Pha Ngan.jpg, Buckets of alcoholic beverages for sale at the Full Moon Party File:Full-Moon-Party-fire-skipping-rope DSC03279w.jpg, Playing fire skipping rope at Full Moon Party File:Full Moon Party.jpg, Fire dancers at Full Moon Party

References

External links

* {{Electronic music festival Rave Tourist attractions in Thailand Full moon 1985 establishments in Thailand Electronic music festivals in Thailand Music festivals established in 1985