Haad Rin & the Full Moon Party
The beach that made Koh Phangan famous — empty most of the month, and packed with 10,000 people once a month.
Haad Rin is the beach on the southern tip of Koh Phangan that hosts the Full Moon Party, roughly every month on the night of the full moon. Entry is 300 baht and it runs from dusk until sunrise. The rest of the month it is a quiet beach.
Prices and hours are our current best information, not a published rate. Confirm on the day before you travel.
The beach that made Koh Phangan famous — empty most of the month, and packed with 10,000 people once a month.
The party started in 1987 as a farewell beach gathering for a group of travellers and grew into an event that draws up to 30,000 people. The beach itself is a 700-metre curve with two sides — Sunrise Beach where the party happens, and Sunset Beach on the other side of the headland. Outside the full moon the village is quiet and considerably cheaper.
Whatever you think of it, the Full Moon Party is one of the world's great spectacles: fire skipping ropes, bucket cocktails, sunrise swimming. Go once, leave before dawn.
What you’ll actually see
- The beach at 2am, packed from the waterline to the bars
- The bucket stalls, which sell the drink the party is famous for
- Sunrise over the water from the east end of the beach, when the crowd thins
- Sunset Beach on the other side of the headland, which stays quiet all night
How to visit it well
- Book accommodation months ahead for full moon dates.
- Do not swim at night, and watch your drink.
- The sunrise boat back to Samui is the civilized exit.
Mistakes worth avoiding
- Booking accommodation in Haad Rin for the party — it is noisy, expensive and booked out months ahead
- Swimming drunk; there are drownings every year
- Leaving valuables on the sand; theft is the most common problem
Is it worth it?
Worth doing once if this is your kind of night, and worth avoiding entirely if it is not. The party is genuinely enormous and the atmosphere is unlike anything else. Stay somewhere else on the island and take a songthaew home at 4am.
Common questions
Every month on the night of the full moon, weather permitting. Dates are published a year ahead and sometimes shift for religious holidays.
300 baht per person on the night. There is no advance ticket — you pay at the entrance to the beach.
Anywhere on the island except Haad Rin. Bottle Beach, Srithanu and Thong Sala are all within a 20–40 minute songthaew ride.
Generally yes, with caveats: watch your drinks, do not swim, keep cash and phone in a zipped bag, and expect to pay inflated songthaew prices at 4am.
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Last updated: October 2026 · Prices and hours checked by Nattapong Srisuwan