Full Moon Party 2026 and 2027: dates, Haad Rin and how to get there

The Full Moon Party is the all-night beach party held each month on Haad Rin Sunrise Beach, on Koh Phangan. The next ones are on 24 November and 24 December 2026, and entry costs 200 THB at the gate. We checked dates, boats and prices on 14 November 2026, and we mark every figure that is only reported.

Full Moon Party trips to book

These are the GetYourGuide bookings that fit a party trip: a boat from Koh Samui, tickets for two other Koh Phangan parties and a day in the jungle to recover.

See more activities in Koh Samui

Full Moon Party dates 2026 and 2027

The party follows the Thai lunar calendar, so the date changes every month. The Haad Rin business association publishes the schedule, and the dates below match on the two main schedule sites. Three parties are left in 2026, and 2027 has 13, New Year included.

Why some Full Moon Party dates move: Buddhist holy days

Four 2027 full moons fall on a major Buddhist holy day, called Wan Phra Yai in Thai. On 10 March 2026 the Haad Rin village committee and the Haad Rin business association agreed that a party falling on one of these days moves to the day after. Earlier schedules sometimes kept the party on the holy day itself, which confused visitors and businesses.

The 2027 holy days in the table match the Bank of Thailand holiday list. Makha Bucha falls on Sunday 21 February and Visakha Bucha on Thursday 20 May 2027. The party has also been cancelled outright in the past: in October 2017 for the cremation of King Bhumibol, and from 2020 to April 2022 because of Covid.

Is there a Full Moon Party in November 2026?

Yes, on Tuesday 24 November 2026. One transfer seller on GetYourGuide listed the night of 23 November, which is the night announced for the Jungle Experience party, so check the date on any package before you pay. The next party after that is on Thursday 24 December.

What is the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan?

It is an open beach party, with a different sound system in front of each bar and the dance floor running the length of the sand. Music goes from EDM and house to techno, drum and bass and reggae. People wear neon paint from body-painting stalls, and fire dancers perform near the water.

Its origin is disputed. The usual story is a party at Paradise Bungalows in 1983 or 1985, for a few dozen travellers. In 2016 the bungalows ran a stage under an "original Full Moon Party" sign, shown above. Wikipedia gives crowds of 5,000 to 30,000 a month, and the New Year party is the biggest of the year.

The party starts at about 9 pm and runs to sunrise. The official site says it is allowed until 6 am, and the peak is between midnight and 3 am.

Haad Rin Nok (Sunrise Beach) and its bars

Haad Rin is a small town on a neck of land at the southern tip of Koh Phangan, with a beach on each side. Haad Rin Nok, or Sunrise Beach, is the wider one and holds the party. Haad Rin Nai, or Sunset Beach, is a few minutes' walk away on the other side of town.

The bars line the back of the beach. Drop-In Bar and Cactus Bar draw the biggest crowds and run fire shows, and Vinyl Club, Zoom, Orchid and Boom Boom Bar play their own styles. A tip from travel blogs is to start the night at the north end of the beach and walk south.

Full Moon Party entrance fee in 2026

Entry costs 200 THB, about 6 USD, paid in cash at the gates set up on the lanes leading to the beach. The fee goes to the Haad Rin business association for cleaning and local services, and a few older guides still quote 100 THB.

There are no official tickets online. Packages sold in advance are boat transfers, sometimes with the gate fee added, and some include it while others do not. Read what is included before you book one.

Buckets, drinks and cash at Haad Rin

The classic drink is a bucket: a small bottle of spirits, a mixer and ice in a plastic pail. In 2026 buckets are reported at 150 to 250 THB, beer at 80 to 150 THB and water at 30 to 50 THB.

Bring cash from before you arrive. Foreign cards pay 250 to 350 THB per withdrawal, and the cash machines in Haad Rin are reported to run dry on party days. Leave cards and your passport in the room.

How to get to the Full Moon Party

Koh Phangan has no airport, so every route ends on a boat. Most people fly to Koh Samui and cross in under an hour, or come from Koh Tao or the mainland at Surat Thani. Boats fill up around the full moon, so book at least a day ahead.

From Koh Samui: Haad Rin Queen, Lomprayah and Seatran

The Haad Rin Queen is the only regular ferry that lands in Haad Rin itself. It leaves from the Big Buddha pier at Bangrak, in the north-east of Samui, takes about 50 minutes and costs about 200 THB, as reported by two guides. The last regular sailing is reported at about 5 pm.

Lomprayah catamarans and the Seatran boats sail from Nathon, Maenam or Bangrak to Thong Sala, the main port on the west coast. The crossing takes 30 to 45 minutes for about 300 to 700 THB, the same fares as on our Koh Samui guide. From Thong Sala, a shared songthaew to Haad Rin takes 20 to 30 minutes and costs about 150 to 200 THB.

Boats back to Koh Samui after the party

Regular ferries stop in the early evening, but extra boats run on party night. Boonsiri Ferry reported late-night returns between 1 and 3 am in 2026, and speedboat transfer packages run back to Samui every hour from about 1 to 5 am. In the morning, the Haad Rin Queen is reported to leave Haad Rin at about 9:30 am.

A seat on a party-night speedboat costs about 600 to 1,400 THB return, depending on the company. Some sellers leave at a fixed time and refund nothing if you miss the boat, so note the pier and the hour.

How to get to the Full Moon Party from Koh Tao

Lomprayah and Songserm sail from Koh Tao to Thong Sala, and Boonsiri runs a high-speed catamaran on the same route. The crossing takes 1 to 2 hours depending on the boat, with fares from about 19 USD.

No boat goes back to Koh Tao during the night, so you need at least one night on Koh Phangan. Coming back the next afternoon is the easiest plan.

From Surat Thani and Bangkok

From the mainland, the Seatran ferry leaves Donsak pier near Surat Thani for Thong Sala. The crossing takes about 2 hours 15 minutes, and the fare rose to 320 THB in April 2026 after a diesel price rise. Raja ferry is reported at 280 THB, and Lomprayah is faster for about 550 THB.

Lomprayah also sells joint tickets with a bus from Surat Thani airport or from Khao San Road in Bangkok. The fastest route from Bangkok is still a flight to Samui, then a boat. Samui and Phangan are the Gulf stop of most Thailand itineraries after Bangkok.

Where to stay for the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan

Stay on Koh Phangan, not on Samui. Commuting means a late boat back and no room to fall into at sunrise. Book weeks ahead, because rooms within walking distance of Haad Rin sell out on party dates.

Most hotels near Haad Rin ask for a minimum of 3 nights around the party, and some ask for 4 or 5. Frommer's reports rates rising by 20% to 200% on those nights.

Haad Rin puts you a short walk from the beach, with music until morning. Baan Tai, on the south coast, is quieter and close to the Half Moon and jungle parties. Thong Nai Pan in the north-east suits a calm stay after the party, but it is a long ride at night. Its quieter beaches in the north put Koh Phangan among the best islands in Thailand outside party nights.

Is the Full Moon Party safe? Drugs, police, sea and fire

Most people go home with a headache and nothing worse, but the risks are real. The UK government's advice on safety in Thailand says attacks on tourists are most common during full moon parties and near bars late at night.

Drugs and the police at Haad Rin

Thai drug laws are severe. Possession of small amounts can mean heavy fines or prison, and the UK warns that Class A drugs can carry the death penalty. Police may ask anyone they suspect to take a urine test, and plain-clothes officers work the party.

Arrests go on all year. Police broke up a drug ring selling to island parties in January 2026, and a foreign DJ was arrested in March 2026 for selling to tourists. Cannabis is medical use only since 25 June 2025, so ignore the party sites that still describe it as legal.

Drinks and drink spiking

Drink spiking hits men and women, according to the UK. Buy sealed bottles, watch your bucket being mixed, never share a communal bucket and do not accept drinks from strangers. Agree on a meeting point with your group before midnight.

Swimming and boats at night

Do not swim after dark. Drowning is the risk most often reported at Haad Rin. Small boats carry risks too: in late December 2024 a longtail taxi boat capsized off Koh Phangan, and the body of a South Korean passenger was found near the Haad Rin pier.

Take a licensed ferry or speedboat with life jackets, and skip any boat if the sea looks rough. Before you go, check that your travel insurance covers medical evacuation, and read its alcohol exclusions. Riding a scooter drunk is excluded by every policy we compared.

Scooters on the Haad Rin road

The road into Haad Rin climbs and drops steeply over the hills from Baan Tai. Riding it at night after drinking is how many party injuries happen. Take a songthaew or a taxi, and agree on the price before you get in.

Fire games and broken glass

Bars set up burning skipping ropes and flaming limbo bars, and burns are common. Watch rather than jump. Wear closed shoes, not flip-flops, because the sand fills with broken glass by the early hours.

Alcohol on Buddhist holy days and the Full Moon Party

Thailand stops alcohol sales on five Buddhist holidays: Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asalha Bucha and the first and last days of Buddhist Lent. These are the same days the party now avoids by moving to the next night.

A notification in force since 7 November 2026 lets five kinds of places keep selling on those days: international airports, licensed entertainment venues, registered hotels, venues in designated tourist areas and major events. Shops and ordinary restaurants still stop.

Half Moon, Jungle Experience and Shiva Moon parties on Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan holds other parties between full moons, mostly in the jungle behind Baan Tai. They sell tickets, often online, and draw a crowd more into techno and trance than the beach party.

Halfmoon Festival in Baan Tai

The Halfmoon Festival runs about every two weeks, with a day at Harmony Beach Club and a night in the Magic Forest. Editions are listed for 17 November, 2 and 3 December and 16 and 17 December 2026.

Tickets are reported at about 1,500 THB for the beach day, 2,700 THB for the forest night and 3,500 THB for both days. They are usually non-refundable, and some editions are for people aged 20 and over.

Jungle Experience and Shiva Moon

The Jungle Experience is a house and trance party in the Baan Tai jungle, usually the night before the full moon. It is announced for 23 November 2026, but it has paused in past seasons, so check before you plan around it.

Shiva Moon is a psytrance party in a valley of the same jungle, reported to run one to three times a month since 2002. OXA Jungle Party also sells its entry ticket online, as in the cards at the top of this page.

Best month for the Full Moon Party and how many nights to stay

The Gulf islands have their own weather. October to December brings the heaviest rain, with November the wettest month, and rough seas can delay boats. February to August is drier, and that is the best time to visit Thailand for the Gulf islands.

December and the New Year party are the busiest and dearest. January to April gives the best weather with big crowds, and July and August fill up with European summer holidays.

Plan three nights: one to arrive, the party night and one to recover. It matches the minimum stay of most Haad Rin hotels. Koh Phangan fits easily into a two-week Thailand route through Samui and Koh Tao, and Songkran in April and Loy Krathong in November are the other big festivals of a trip to Thailand.