TL;DR: The Full Moon Party happens monthly on Haad Rin (Sunrise) Beach, Koh Phangan, tied to the lunar calendar, with 2026 dates from July onward running July 31, August 28, September 26, October 27, November 24, December 24, and December 31 (New Year’s Eve). Entry is cash-only at the gate, roughly ฿200 (US$6); there’s no advance ticket, so online “tickets” are a scam. Most visitors base on Koh Samui or Koh Tao and cross by speedboat or ferry for the night, or stay on Phangan itself, where Haad Rin room rates surge to ฿800-1,500+ (US$24-45) and need booking weeks ahead. Buckets run roughly ฿200-500 (US$6-15). Three pre-parties (Half Moon Festival, Jungle Party, Waterfall Festival) fill the days around it. The honest risks are real: drownings from swimming drunk, drink spiking, severe fire-rope burns, Thailand’s harsh drug laws with undercover police on the beach, and theft in the crowds.
The Full Moon Party is Thailand’s biggest recurring beach party: one long stretch of Haad Rin Beach turned into open-air sound systems, fire shows, and bucket bars for a single night a month, pulling anywhere from a few thousand to over 30,000 people depending on the date and season. Running since the late 1980s, it’s as mythologized as it is searched for: a genuinely fun, chaotic party with a real, documented set of risks most guides gloss over. This one doesn’t. Below: the 2026 dates, what it costs, how to get there, the pre-parties worth knowing, and a frank rundown of what goes wrong.
Every price and date below comes from official Full Moon Party schedule sites, ferry and speedboat operators, and current 2026 travel guides, listed in Sources. Prices are in Thai baht (THB) with US dollars in parentheses, converted at ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026); treat every figure as a range, not a fixed number.
Table of contents
- What is the Full Moon Party?
- Full Moon Party 2026 dates
- How much does it cost to get in?
- Where exactly does it happen?
- How do you get there?
- What does a night actually cost?
- The pre-parties: Half Moon, Jungle, and Waterfall
- Honest safety section
- FAQ
What is the Full Moon Party?
It’s a monthly all-night beach party on Haad Rin Beach, Koh Phangan, timed to the full moon and running roughly 9pm to sunrise. Sound stages line the beach playing EDM, hip-hop, and reggae, fire performers work the sand between them, and dozens of bars sell buckets of mixed drinks to a crowd that skews young, international, and backpacker-heavy. There’s no single promoter or ticket system — it’s independent beach bars operating the same night, coordinated through the Haad Rin Business Operators’ Association, which sets the calendar and handles date shifts around Buddhist holidays.
Full Moon Party 2026 dates
Dates follow the lunar calendar and get bumped a day later when they’d otherwise land on a major Buddhist holy day. Under the Haad Rin Business Operators’ Association’s standing policy, any date coinciding with a significant Buddhist observance (Wan Phra Yai) moves to the day after.
| 2026 date | Day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| July 31 | Friday | Shifted from the July 29 full moon, which fell on Asalha Bucha Day, into the start of Buddhist Lent |
| August 28 | Friday | Standard date |
| September 26 | Saturday | Standard date |
| October 27 | Tuesday | Shifted from October 26, End of Buddhist Lent |
| November 24 | Tuesday | Standard date |
| December 24 | Thursday | Coincides with Christmas Eve, expect a bigger crowd |
| December 31 | Thursday | New Year’s Eve edition, the single busiest date of the year |
Confirmed via the official Full Moon Party schedule and independent 2026 party calendars; see Sources. Reconfirm the exact date close to your trip.
The busiest dates are New Year’s Eve and the December/January window, followed by the July-August peak when European and Australian summer holidays overlap with Thai high season. An off-peak midweek date outside those windows draws a noticeably smaller crowd.
How much does it cost to get in?
Entry runs approximately ฿200 (US$6), paid in cash at booths along the road down to the beach, for a wristband covering the night. There’s no pre-sale and no app booking — everyone pays the same cash price at the gate, so any site or seller offering an advance “ticket” is running a scam.
Where exactly does it happen?
The party runs the length of Haad Rin Beach, also called Sunrise Beach, on Koh Phangan’s southeastern tip. Haad Rin town sits directly behind it, a dense strip of guesthouses, bars, tattoo parlours, and 7-Elevens that fills fast on party nights. The beach splits loosely by sound — reggae and chilled bars toward one end, harder EDM toward the other, fire shows and the busiest bucket bars in the middle. For picking a place to sleep beyond the one night, our where to stay in Koh Phangan guide covers how Haad Rin compares to the island’s quieter bays, and our Koh Phangan beaches guide covers the rest of the coastline.
How do you get there?
From Koh Samui: the most common base. A dedicated round-trip party-night speedboat transfer, booked through a tour operator or hotel, takes roughly 20-30 minutes each way and costs ฿300-500 (US$9-15) round trip, a premium over the standard scheduled catamaran ferry (roughly ฿200-350/US$6-10 one-way, the same boats used for a normal daytime Samui-Phangan crossing), because the party transfer includes pickup and runs on-demand with open-ended, hourly returns from 1am to 5am rather than a fixed daytime timetable.
From Koh Tao: longer, typically 1.5-2 hours by ferry, with fewer late returns. Book a dedicated party-boat package or stay overnight on Phangan instead.
Staying on Koh Phangan itself: skips the boat, at the cost of Haad Rin’s surge pricing (below) and several noisy nights around the date.
What does a night actually cost?
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Beach entry | ฿200 (US$6) |
| Bucket (spirit + mixer, often Red Bull) | ฿200-500 (US$6-15) |
| Bottled beer | ฿100-150 (US$3-5) |
| Party-night speedboat transfer from Koh Samui (round trip, premium over standard ferry) | ฿300-500 (US$9-15) |
| Haad Rin room, normal night | ฿400-600 (US$12-18) |
| Haad Rin room, night of the party | ฿800-1,500+ (US$24-45) |
Compiled from current 2026 Full Moon Party guides and Koh Samui/Phangan tour operators; see Sources. Bucket and room prices vary widely.
Buckets are the party’s defining drink: a spirit (usually cheap whisky or rum), a mixer, and often Red Bull, poured into a small plastic bucket with straws to share. Quality varies a lot bar to bar; buying from a stall that mixes it in front of you is the only real way to know what’s in it.
Accommodation is where the real cost swing is. Haad Rin rooms that run ฿400-600 (US$12-18) most nights jump to ฿800-1,500+ (US$24-45) on the party date, often with 3-5 night minimum stays, and sell out weeks ahead in high season (December-April) and the July-August peak. Book at least a month out; earlier for New Year’s Eve.
The pre-parties: Half Moon, Jungle, and Waterfall
The Full Moon Party anchors a week-long circuit on Koh Phangan, not a standalone night. Three recurring events fill the days around it, all in the jungle around Ban Tai, roughly 8km from Haad Rin:
- Half Moon Festival — two nights, about a week before and after the full moon, across three stages (tribal/techno, house-focused “Funky,” urban hip-hop/R&B).
- Jungle Party — one night, the evening directly before the main event, with house, techno, lasers, and its own fire show.
- Waterfall Festival — several days around the main event at a jungle venue built around a waterfall, running over 15 years.
Most repeat visitors treat the week as one circuit rather than a single night.
Honest safety section
This is the part most Full Moon Party content skips. It’s genuinely fun for most who go, but it carries specific, documented risks worth knowing before you’re on the beach at 2am with a bucket in hand.
- Drownings. The most serious recurring risk. Real currents, pitch darkness past the shoreline lights, and thousands of people drinking heavily beside the water all night. Alcohol plus a dark ocean is the single most consistent cause of serious injury and death here. Don’t swim at night, drunk or not.
- Drink spiking. Hard to police across dozens of independent bars. Buy from a stall that mixes your bucket in front of you, never accept an already-poured drink from a stranger, and don’t leave a drink unattended.
- Fire-skipping burns. Professional performers run kerosene-rope jump shows; the danger is intoxicated tourists joining in. Severe burns are a recurring, documented outcome, including reported neck and leg burns in recent years when a flaming rope wrapped around someone mid-jump. Watch; don’t join.
- Thailand’s drug laws and undercover police. Among the strictest laws anywhere: possession can mean years in prison, trafficking can carry the death penalty. Undercover police work the beach and the jungle pre-parties looking for buyers and sellers. Avoid drugs entirely.
- Theft and pickpocketing. Dense, drunk, dark crowds are exactly what pickpockets look for. Carry only the cash you need, leave your passport at your accommodation, and use a zipped pocket or dry bag rather than an open one.
- Fake tickets. There’s no legitimate advance ticket at all; you pay cash at the gate. Anyone selling a “ticket” online or on the street is scamming you.
None of this is a reason to skip the party. Go with people you trust, agree on a meeting point, watch your drink, stay out of the water, and skip fire tricks and “special deals” from strangers — the real risk to you personally is low.
FAQ
What are the Full Moon Party dates for the rest of 2026?
July 31, August 28, September 26, October 27, November 24, December 24, and December 31 (New Year’s Eve). July and October shift a day later than the literal full moon to avoid overlapping Buddhist holy days. Reconfirm close to your trip, since dates can still move a day for Thai public holidays.
How much does it cost to get into the Full Moon Party?
Around ฿200 (US$6), cash only, at booths on the road into Haad Rin Beach, in exchange for a wristband. There’s no advance sale, so any “ticket” offered online is a scam.
Where exactly does the Full Moon Party happen?
Haad Rin Beach, also called Sunrise Beach, on Koh Phangan’s southeastern tip, with Haad Rin town’s guesthouses, bars, and 7-Elevens right behind it.
How do you get to the Full Moon Party from Koh Samui or Koh Tao?
From Samui, a dedicated round-trip party-night speedboat (20-30 minutes, ฿300-500/US$9-15, a premium over the standard ฿200-350 one-way daytime ferry) built around the party schedule, with open returns roughly hourly from 1am to 5am, is the easiest option. From Koh Tao it’s a longer ferry (1.5-2 hours) with fewer late sailings, so book a dedicated party-boat package or plan to stay over on Phangan instead.
How much do buckets and drinks cost at the Full Moon Party?
A bucket (spirit, mixer, often Red Bull) runs ฿200-500 (US$6-15); bottled beer ฿100-150 (US$3-5). Buy from a stall that mixes it in front of you.
What are the pre-parties before the Full Moon Party?
The Half Moon Festival (two nights, a week either side of the full moon), the Jungle Party (one night, the evening before), and the Waterfall Festival (several days around the main event) — all in the Ban Tai jungle, about 8km from Haad Rin.
Is the Full Moon Party safe?
Safe for most of the tens of thousands who attend, but the real risks are drowning (never swim drunk, at night), drink spiking, severe fire-rope burns if you join in a fire show, Thailand’s harsh drug laws with undercover police working the beach, and pickpocketing in the crowd.
Do I need to book accommodation in advance for the Full Moon Party?
Yes, especially in Haad Rin, where rooms jump from ฿400-600 (US$12-18) a night to ฿800-1,500+ (US$24-45) around the date, often with 3-5 night minimums. Book at least a month out; earlier for New Year’s Eve.
Conclusion
The Full Moon Party earns its reputation both ways: a great night if you plan for it, and a party with real, documented risks. Lock in your date against the table above, book your base early, pay cash at the gate, and treat the safety section as practical planning, not a lecture.
To build the rest of the trip around it: outthailand.com’s things to do in Koh Phangan pillar guide, the where to stay in Koh Phangan guide, the Koh Phangan beaches guide for calmer coastline, and things to do in Koh Samui if you’re routing through first. For what’s actually on right now, check outthailand.com’s live events listings.
Sources
- Official Full Moon Party: Upcoming Event Dates: 2026 date schedule, Buddhist holiday shift notes
- Fullmoon Party Thailand: Full Moon Party Schedule 2026: full 2026 date list, holiday-shift policy
- Full Moon Party Koh Phangan: Dates 2026: full-year 2026 date list, party hours (21:00-05:00)
- Fullmoon Party Thailand: Safety Tips for Koh Phangan: drug law enforcement, undercover police, fire-rope injury warning, drowning risk, drink spiking
- Backpacklife: The Ultimate Guide to Thailand’s Full Moon Party: Haad Rin accommodation pricing and surge, transport notes, general safety advice
- Gap 360: Thailand Full Moon Party Dates & Guide: entry fee, bucket pricing context
- Gap 360: Thailand Half Moon & Jungle Party Dates & Guide: Half Moon and Jungle Party format and scheduling
- Halfmoon Festival official site: Half Moon Festival stage lineup and scheduling pattern
- Waterfall Festival official site: Waterfall Festival format, jungle venue, running duration
- Siam Island Hopper / Coconuts: Jungles, waterfalls, beaches — the epic lead-up to the Full Moon Party: pre-party circuit overview, Ban Tai location and distance from Haad Rin
- Kohsamui.tours: Full Moon Party Transfer, round trip Koh Samui to Koh Phangan: speedboat transfer pricing, schedule, hourly return window
- Phanganist: Recommended speedboat, Koh Samui to Koh Phangan on Full Moon Party night: crossing time, return schedule detail
- Discovery DCODE: The Dangers Behind the Fun of Full Moon Parties: drowning statistics context, fire-rope burn incident reporting
- Phanganlife: Full Moon Party Koh Phangan Guide — Tickets, Price, calendar: confirmation that tickets are gate-only cash, fake-ticket warning
- Trading Economics: USD/THB exchange rate: ฿33 = US$1 rate confirmation (July 2026)