The Ultimate Conduct To The Sum Luna Party
When my friends began planning their trip to Thailand, they had 1 requirement: that nosotros attend a Full Luna Party. They didn’t know a lot well-nigh the party, but they’d heard thence much well-nigh it over the years, they knew they had to go. After all, the Full Luna Party is infamous. The mere elevate of it conjures upwards images of a wild, alcohol-fueled beach political party where people from around the footing receive got a groovy fourth dimension in addition to trip the low-cal fantastic toe until sunrise.
But what is this party? How did it come upwards about? Why is it thence popular? And most importantly — how tin you lot acquire in that location yourself? I’ve been to 7 Full Luna Parties over the years, in addition to I tin tell you lot that there’s a for sure means to experience this party. You wish to avoid overpaying or getting injured, abide by skilful accommodation, in addition to brand for sure you’re all the same upwards at sunrise.
What is the Full Luna Party?
Legend has it that inwards 1987 (or perhaps ’86? or ’88?) a grouping of backpackers threw a birthday political party for their friend on the dark of the total moon. They had such a skilful fourth dimension that they came dorsum the next twelvemonth to produce it 1 time to a greater extent than in addition to and thence the next calendar month in addition to and thence the calendar month after that. Word got out, in addition to to a greater extent than people started coming each month.
At first, it was similar a pocket-size menage political party on the beach: a few hippies in addition to backpackers playing guitars, smoking weed, in addition to having a few beers. But every bit give-and-take spread in addition to to a greater extent than people showed up, it changed. The 1990s brought the rave scene in addition to all the drugs that went along alongside it. By 2000, this political party was squarely on the locomote map, in addition to hordes of immature people inspired past times the painting The Beach flocked to Koh Phangan, where the political party is held. The Full Luna Party has entirely gotten bigger since then.
Now the Full Luna Party is a giant festival-like political party alongside a lot of drinking, dancing, drugs, in addition to sec. Each bar has its ain audio system, thence you’ll hear dissimilar music loudly blasting onto the beach every few feet. The beach itself is lined alongside people selling alcohol, move dancers putting on shows, in addition to piddling booths selling glow-in-the-dark human face upwards paint. By the cease of the night, you’ll run across people passed out on the beach, the odd dyad having sec, in addition to lost flip-flops littering the beach looking for novel owners.
Despite the party’s obvious commercialization, it’s all the same a lot of fun. It’s rare to run across whatever of the problems (i.e., fights) you lot powerfulness commonly associate alongside 40,000 young, boozer people. People hither are only looking for a skilful time, in addition to the liberate energy is rattling positive.
When is it?
As the holler would suggest, the political party is on the dark of the total moon. It you lot fille it, there’s ever the half-moon party, quarter-moon party, in addition to black-moon party. Really, every dark is a political party hither on Koh Phangan.
This website has the dates of all the Full Luna Parties.
Accommodation
There’s accommodation all over the island, but you’ll wish to remain inwards Haad Rin (where the actual political party is) thence you lot tin live unopen to the action. If you lot wish to abide by accommodation, you’ll take away to come upwards hither at to the lowest degree FOUR days earlier the political party inwards guild to abide by a inexpensive (and nice) house to stay. The closer you lot acquire to the actual dark of the party, the to a greater extent than you’ll take away a miracle to abide by something — at whatever cost range. I’ll never empathise the travelers who only demonstrate upwards the solar daytime of or the dark earlier in addition to intend they’ll abide by a place. They never do. I’ve sat at restaurants in addition to watched the same people wander upwards in addition to downwardly the street many times inwards fruitless attempts to abide by something.
How much does a room cost?
Here’s what you lot tin await to pay for your bed per dark ($1 USD = thirty baht):
Dorm room (there are at nowadays a lot of dorms here, which wasn’t the instance a few years ago): 300 baht
Regular room alongside A/C in addition to hot water: 500–800 baht
Really overnice room: 1,000–1,500 baht
Basic bungalow: 800 baht
Really overnice bungalow: 2,000–3,800 baht
The closer you lot acquire to the total moon, the to a greater extent than the prices become up. The solar daytime of or the solar daytime earlier the party, whatever accommodation left is going to live double the cost listed. And if you lot come upwards hither for New Year’s, you lot tin await the cost to triple, alongside many places also including an expensive, mandatory vacation dinner. (Just some other means to acquire to a greater extent than coin from you!)
My friends in addition to I arrived 5 days earlier the total Luna in addition to flora a lot of inexpensive accommodation all the same available. We settled on a room nosotros would all part for 1,500 baht. H5N1 few days later, the inexpensive accommodation was gone, in addition to entirely the high-end rooms that cost to a greater extent than than the Hilton (minus Hilton quality) were left.
Lesson: come upwards early, acquire a room, relish the party, in addition to tell no to stress.
Should you lot mass online inwards advance?
No, non fifty-fifty if you’re going in that location for New Year’s. The accommodation you’ll abide by online volition live the most expensive on the isle in addition to require long minimum stays (sometimes every bit many every bit 10 nights). There are a lot of accommodation options inwards Haad Rin, in addition to most aren’t on online booking services similar Hotels.com or Agoda. You’ll entirely abide by them past times showing up. Just come upwards early, in addition to you’ll receive got no work finding a room.
A skilful alternative to Haad Rin is Ban Tai beach. It’s the beach over from Haad Rin in addition to is where a lot of people remain when rooms start to create total up. It’s a brusque in addition to inexpensive taxi from Haad Rin. If you lot remain on the northern purpose of the island, you’ll live very, rattling far away from the party. Though boat taxis in addition to normal taxis run frequently, they are expensive.
How to Get There
There’s no aerodrome on the island, thence everyone comes past times ferry. You tin come upwards via Surat Thani on the mainland or from the nearby isle of Koh Samui. From Surat Thani, round-trip tickets cost 600 baht in addition to you’re dropped off at the master copy pier inwards Thong Sala. From there, it’s a 100-baht taxi ride to Haad Rin. From Koh Samui, boat tickets cost 200 baht in addition to acquire out from Big Buddha Pier or Maenam Beach. The Samui ferry volition driblet you lot off at the master copy dock of Thong Sala or Haad Rin, depending on fourth dimension of solar daytime in addition to ferry company. During the Full Luna Party, boats become from Koh Samui to Haad Rin every hour.
A lot of companies run overnight buses from Bangkok to Koh Phangan for 450–600 baht. This cost also includes the ferry. You’ll accept an overnight motorcoach to Surat Thani, sit down at the ferry terminal for a few hours, in addition to and thence accept the ferry to the island. It’s a long, long night/day, but it’s much cheaper than flying. (Note: Some motorcoach companies become to Chumphon in addition to pose you lot on a ferry from there. Either road is all the same a lot of travel, but the ferry from Chumphon is usually nicer.)
If you lot create upwards one's take away heed to fly, flights from Surat Thani by in addition to large cost around 2,000 baht (with taxes in addition to fees) from Bangkok on Air Asia. Flights from Koh Samui are at to the lowest degree 3,200 baht, since Bangkok Airways in addition to Thai Airways proceed a monopoly on the aerodrome in addition to run across no argue to lower prices alongside need thence high. During the high flavor in addition to around New Year’s Eve, ticket prices tin acquire every bit high every bit 5,000 baht.
The Full Luna Party Itself
The political party begins days earlier every bit people trickle onto the island. On the solar daytime of the party, you lot run across people from the neighboring Koh Samui in addition to Koh Tao in addition to from other parts of the isle adding to the crowd. You’ll run across people start drinking inwards the afternoon, in addition to most people start heading to the beach around 9pm. The crowd peaks around midnight to 2am. On New Year’s Eve, the beach volition live total past times 8pm.
Costs
Here’s what materials costs on Haad Rin:
Average Thai meal: 120 baht
Average Western meal: 200 baht
Banana pancakes: thirty baht
Cheap nutrient sold on the beach: 40–50 baht
Beer: 80–100 baht (30 inwards a 7-11 store)
Cigarettes: lxxx baht
Buckets: 200–300 baht, depending on what sort of alcohol. They tin live upwards to 400 baht on New Year’s Eve.
Toilets: 5–10 baht
Money-Saving Tips
Alcohol: Buy your beer at the 7-11 or purchase buckets away from the beach, where they are every bit inexpensive every bit 180 baht.
Food: Food is expensive inwards Haad Rin, but in that location are some skilful budget choices. Paprika, the Israeli restaurant, offers a falafel sandwich in addition to fruit milkshake combo for 100 baht. In the center of town is a parking lot, in addition to if you lot walk downwardly the street behind it, you’ll abide by pocket-size Thai restaurants that offering 50–60 baht meals, well-nigh one-half the cost of most other restaurants. Across from “Planet Hollywood” (just a eating theatre that ripped off the name) is some other skilful in addition to inexpensive Thai place.
What the F$%^$ is a bucket?
Remember when you lot were a youngster in addition to you lot built a sand castle using a piddling pail? Picture that pail filled alongside a tin of Coke, Thai Red Bull, in addition to 375 ml of alcohol. Now you lot receive got a Thai bucket. H5N1 few of these, in addition to you’ll live having a truly interesting night.
Party Survival Tips
Drugs: There are a lot of drugs here, peculiarly during the total moon. All drugs are illegal inwards Thailand in addition to punishable past times fourth dimension inwards some pretty bad prisons. Undercover police describe volition examine to sell you lot drugs entirely to arrest you. Locals volition rat you lot out for a reward. Thais honey to scissure downwardly on foreigners who are dumb plenty to live doing drugs inwards the open. However, most cops receive got no existent wish to lock you lot away for smoking a articulation or doing a pill. It’s likewise much hassle in addition to paperwork. They produce receive got a existent wish to accept a bribe, though. Expect to pay upwards of $1,000 USD for your get-out-of-jail-free card. (Actual bribe varies depending on the cop in addition to your powerfulness to grapple downwardly the bribe.)
Skip the boundary rope: Picture this. We’re at bar. I plough to you lot in addition to say, “Hey friend, let’s become outside. I’m going to soak a rope inwards gasoline, low-cal it on fire, in addition to and thence you lot in addition to some boozer strangers are going to skip rope.” You’d aspect at me similar I was crazy in addition to tell me to acquire lost. But people on this isle produce precisely that — they boundary over a rope of fire. It’s stupid. You may live the world’s best boundary roper, but the boozer guy who decides to bring together you lot powerfulness non be. At my concluding Full Luna Party, I saw a lot of people acquire burned. The rope wrapped around 1 guy’s arm in addition to burned all the peel off. He had to live rushed to the hospital. It was non a pretty scene. It’s non how you lot wish to holler upwards your holiday. Here’s a tiny example:
Buckets: They’re deadly! One, two, three, passed out on the beach! Every total Luna piece I consume dinner, I run across newbies drinking buckets earlier the Sun has fifty-fifty gone down. They’re the same people I run across passed out on the beach past times midnight. H5N1 few buckets volition acquire you lot very, rattling drunk, thence I receive got a hard-and-fast dominion that I in addition to other experienced total mooners follow: no buckets earlier midnight. If you lot wish to truly run across the sunrise, I’d follow it too. (Note: The Red Bull sold inwards Asia contains ephedra. This amount is similar speed. It also negates the termination of the alcohol quickly, keeping you lot from feeling drunk. Be careful, in addition to sentinel your consumption of both liquids.)
Hydrate: You’re going to live drinking a lot, in addition to fifty-fifty though it’s nighttime, the weather condition is all the same hot in addition to humid. Drink a lot of H2O earlier in addition to during the event! It volition also assistance your hangover the adjacent day.
Stay out of the ocean: It may seem similar a skilful view to play inwards the ocean. It’s not. Not entirely produce you lot run a peril dr0wning (there tin live rigid waves), but everyone uses the body of body of water every bit their personal lavatory during the party. There’s a argue the H2O is warm, in addition to it’s non because you’re inwards Thailand. Stay sanitary. Don’t become in.
Wear footwear: Partying on the beach without footwear may seem fun, but every bit the dark goes on, broken beer bottles in addition to other abrupt objects litter the beach. I’ve had many friends piece opened upwards their feet after stepping on a bottle. You’re drunk, it’s dark, in addition to you lot aren’t ever looking where you lot are going. Avoid a human foot injury in addition to only vesture something on your feet!
Personal belongings: Theft is rife during the party. Bring every bit piddling every bit possible. Bring plenty coin for drinks in addition to your room key. You don’t truly take away anything else.
The Full Luna Party is 1 of the biggest in addition to best-known parties inwards the world. The vast bulk of travelers inwards Southeast Asia attend at some point, in addition to I receive got seen people of all ages in addition to nationalities (as good every bit a few families) here. The political party is definitely a unique in addition to interesting time, but if non done right, it tin also live expensive in addition to dangerous.
So political party — but political party smart.
Continue planning your trip to Thailand alongside these articles:
Thailand Travel Guide
How Much Does Thailand Cost?
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