A to Z Full Moon Party

The Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan island, Thailand, is a massive celebration that attracts tens of thousands of partygoers monthly.  What follows  is an A to Z comprehensive guide to the full moon party.

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Alcohol – Lots and lots of alcohol.

Buckets – Just a way to consume large amounts of alcohol.  Take a pail that a child would use to make a sandcastle, then fill it with ice, alcohol, soda, and Red Bull. There are a variety of types of buckets on offer, with anything from Thai whiskey and Coke to Absolut and lime soda.

Crowds – So many people crowded onto the beach to party.  Locals estimated there were about 25,000 people at the party when we were there, but the previous month saw 45,000!

Dancing – Each bar along the beach blasts music, competing to be louder than the adjacent establishments, while people dance atop the hastily erected stages on the sand.

Extended partying – The celebration is not limited to one day.  While the night of the full moon is the main event, there are parties for a few days and nights before and afterwards.

Fire – Although fire and alcohol aren’t usually a good combination, fire is ever present at full moon party.  Fire throwers, fire breathers, fire jump rope, fire limbo, you name it.

Glow in the dark body paint – There are glow in the dark headbands, clothes and jewelry on sale everywhere.  Stands are set up to paint temporary tattoos with glow in the dark body paint.

 

Haad Rin – This is the town in which the party takes places.  Legend has it that the full moon party started when a group of travelers said that Haad Rin beach was the most beautiful place to view the full moon, then promised to come back annually to see it.  Since then, it has morphed into an epic monthly party.

Intact seals – It is reeaaaaally important to watch buckets being made, and insist on using only bottles of alcohol with intact seals.  Proprietors will try to switch the alcohol with something else: Smirnoff switched for water, Thai vodka, or even worse, ethanol.  We had a few encounters with sketchy vendors, and refused to pay two separate times.  Once, the seal was intact, but there were small holes in the lid.  Super sketchy.

Jump rope – Again, the fire thing.  While it may seem like fun, I don’t think it’s ever a good idea to attempt to leap over fire while intoxicated.  But maybe I’m just getting old.

Koh Phangan – The island that sees an influx of 20-40,000 tourists for 4 days a month.

Laughing gas – We saw vendors selling balloons of laughing gas for 150baht (about $4).  No one actually seemed to be laughing too much though.  We speculated that people were probably paying $4 to buy balloons full of air.

Moon – Ostensibly we are all there to view the beautiful, bright moon.  I doubt many people even looked at it.

Neon – Neon rules at Full moon Party.  90% of the people wear neon colored clothes.

Ocean – This becomes the toilet during the party, as well as the place where affectionate couples go to um, make love.

Passed out people – The beach was littered with passed out people who did not pace their alcohol consumption.

Quaff –  Most people were heartily imbibing alcohol.

Red Bull – Thai Red Bull is so much stronger than the stuff you buy in America or Australia.  It has double the taurine and caffeine than its Western counterpart, and is also more concentrated.  A bottle is added to each bucket.  Towards the end of the night, we declined the addition of this to our buckets, otherwise we would’ve been awake for another 24 hours.

Sunrise – Most people attempt to stay up until sunrise.  Most people fail.  Without proper pacing (or amphetamines) it’s difficult.

Trash – The beach is covered in trash the next day.  Broken beer bottles and buckets litter the area.

Unforgettable – Whether or not this is your scene, it will definitely be an unforgettable night.

Vomit – Watch where you step.  There are lots of puking people.

Water – It’s important to hydrate.  Heat and alcohol combine to produce a massive hangover if you don’t stay hydrated.

Xanax – Saw a guy walking around with “Xanax” written on his back in marker.  Pretty sure many people were also consuming Xanax, along with other drugs.

Youngsters – It’s basically the place to go if you’re a single 18-25 year old.  We probably would’ve loved it 10 years ago.  But now we are an old married couple.  And apparently we aren’t the only ones who think that.  When we checked into our hotel, the owner said “the old people usually stay on the other side of the island.” Ouch!  At least we made it to sunrise.  

Zzz-  Drawing on our experience in Barcelona, we decided a pre-party nap would be beneficial.  But, by 8pm, the bed in the bungalow was bouncing to the beat of the base, and we abandoned hope of getting any zzzzs.

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Beer of choice: Chang (it’s unregulated and can have pretty much any amount of alcohol).  When purchased for 1/2 price at 7/11, it’s even better.