Full Moon Party

Thailand had a reputation for being fantastic fun for the younger set in search of the ultimate party experience, and to them the tiny island of Koh Phangan is a mecca. This island’s Full Moon parties are legendary. Imagine an event so famous, it attracts backpackers and British royalty to the same shore for one purpose only – drink and dance til you can’t anymore!

LUNAR LEGEND
The monthly Full Moon Party recipe is easy to comprehend: take a pretty beach on an exotic island, pour in plastic buckets of Thai whiskey, mix in around ten thousand partygoers from all over the world, and you have yourself the world's hottest and largest beach rave. And it all happens, month after month.

Throughout the day of the party you will see club owners setting up their 'venues' for the big night. Every shop and street vendor would be selling glow-in-the-dark bracelets and body paint. The bar-lined beach is decorated with black lights, bright paints, and large sound systems. Some of the clubs are more to the point – just plastic chairs for the drinker, and open sand for those who want to dance.

HOWLING AT THE MOON
As daylight fades, the beginnings of the party make its way to Had Rin Noi. Club owners, who have already started serving booze to the pre-party crowd, are now pulling out all the stops. There are mixes, jello shooters, and the buckets. Ah yes, the buckets – cheap and lethal, the sang som has been the blood pumping through the Full Moon Party veins. At each beach-side venue are little blue or red buckets sitting side by side on long bars. The buckets hold a bottle of local whiskey, an energy drink and your choice of soda. Once you have made your choice of concoction, the bar staff throws in the ice and straws before serving it to you. Once you’ve consumed copious amount of this party elixir, then it is time to hit the sand dance floor.

There are international DJs spinning tracks. There are several entertainers twirling fire batons or spinning flaming balls on chains. Best of all there are all the people giving the party its unique vibe, and the party and dancing goes on all night and into the morning. Even when the sun has risen over Koh Phangan, the experience of the night before stays with you – the sound, the sights, and the sang som.

MOONING FOR MORE
Those who think that once a month is enough have devised other ways to keep on partying. The Half Moon Party is held twice a month, at the intervals between full moon and new moon. It happens in the decked out Ban Tai jungle with resident DJs playing progressive and quality trance.

The Black Moon Party is held in the same area as the Half Moon Party, but rather than being in the jungle, it is held on Ban Tai beach at the Mac Bay Resort. The black lights and fluorescent paint gives a different glow, perhaps because the Black Moon Party is held on the darkest night of the month.

The same sort of entertainment as the Full Moon Party is put on but on a smaller scale - fire dancers, DJs, light shows. About 3, 000 people attend the parties, and unlike on Had Rin Noi, both the Half Moon and Black Moon organisers charge for admission. The Admission for Black Moon Party is about THB 300 per person, and the entry coupon is good for one free drink.