Full Moon Party Dates 2026 and 2027, Koh Phangan

In short: The next Full Moon Party is on Saturday 26 September 2026 at Haad Rin beach on Koh Phangan, Thailand, then 27 October, 24 November and 24 December. The full list for 2026 and 2027 is below, with the New Year's Eve party on 31 December each year. The organisers occasionally move a party by a day when the full moon lands on a Buddhist holy day, because alcohol sales are banned nationwide on those days; the dates here already allow for that.

In this guide

• Full Moon Party dates 2026 and 2027
• Why some parties are not on the full moon
• Best months to go
• How to get there and where it is
• What it costs
• What to expect on the night
• Staying safe

Full Moon Party dates 2026 and 2027

Dates are published by the party organisers on Koh Phangan. Every party runs from sunset at Haad Rin Nok, the beach on the east side of the Haad Rin peninsula, through to sunrise. Past parties drop off the list a month after they happen.

We update this page as soon as the organisers confirm changes. If you are booking ferries or accommodation around a specific party more than a few months out, check the date again the week before you travel.

Why some parties are not on the full moon

Four times a year the full moon falls on a Buddhist holy day, when the sale of alcohol is banned across Thailand: Makha Bucha in February or March, Visakha Bucha in May, Asahna Bucha in July and Ok Phansa, the end of Buddhist Lent, in October. The party moves to the following night. The dates in the table above already allow for this.

There are also two parties a year with no full moon at all: Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. New Year's Eve is the biggest night on the island's calendar and Haad Rin's rooms sell out weeks ahead. Between full moons the island runs a Half Moon Festival and a Black Moon Party in the jungle behind Baan Tai, so there is a party most weeks if your dates do not line up.

Best months to go

Koh Phangan is warm all year, with daytime highs of 29 to 32°C, so the question is rain, not temperature. January to April is the dry season and the best time for the party: clear skies, calm seas and the most reliable ferry crossings. May to September is hot with short, heavy showers that rarely last. October and November are the wettest months on the Gulf coast, with a real chance of a washed-out night and cancelled boats. December is a toss-up that improves as the month goes on.

The biggest crowds come at New Year, over Christmas and on any party that falls on a Friday or Saturday in high season. The quietest are the wet-season weeknights. Our Thailand weather guide covers the rest of the country, which matters because the Andaman coast and the Gulf have opposite seasons.

How to get there and where it is

The party is on Haad Rin Nok, also called Sunrise Beach, at the southern tip of Koh Phangan. Koh Phangan has no airport. Fly to Koh Samui and take a 30-minute ferry from Bangrak or Nathon to Thong Sala, or fly to Surat Thani on the mainland, cheaper, and take the bus-and-ferry combination to the island, about three hours door to door. From Bangkok the overnight bus or train to Surat Thani plus the morning ferry is the budget route. If you are still booking flights, compare fares on Skyscanner for Samui against Surat Thani; the difference is often the price of a night's accommodation.

On the island, songthaews, the pick-up truck taxis, run from Thong Sala pier to Haad Rin for around 200 baht a head on party nights. If you are staying on Koh Samui or Koh Tao, party boats run to Haad Rin's own pier through the evening and back from about 2am until sunrise; book the return in advance.

What it costs

• Entry: around 200 baht for the wristband, paid at the entrances to the beach. It funds the clean-up.
• Drinks: a bucket, a small bottle of spirit with a mixer and a can of energy drink, is 300 to 400 baht. Beer is around 100 baht.
• Body paint: 50 to 100 baht from the stalls that line the road to the beach.
• Transport: 200 to 300 baht each way by songthaew; party boats from Samui and Tao are 400 to 600 baht return.
• Accommodation: Haad Rin doubles its prices and most places impose a minimum stay of three to five nights across the party. Baan Tai and Thong Sala are cheaper and a short taxi ride away.

What to expect on the night

The stalls open at sunset and the paint goes on first. By 10pm the beach is filling, and by midnight it is somewhere between ten and thirty thousand people spread across a dozen sound systems, each bar on the beachfront running its own: trance at one end, hip-hop and drum and bass in the middle, reggae and commercial house at the other. Fire shows run all night, the slide into the sea never closes, and the fire skipping rope appears when enough people have had enough buckets. It peaks between 2am and 4am and thins out slowly until the sun comes up over the bay.

Wear clothes you do not mind losing, shoes you can dance in, and nothing you would miss. Bring cash in small notes, your phone in a waterproof pouch, and a photo of your passport rather than the passport. The beach is littered with glass and cigarette ends by 1am, which is the whole argument for the shoes.

Staying safe

• Drugs: the police are on the beach in uniform and out of it, and a good number of the people offering you something are working with them. A Thai drug conviction is a very long way from a fine.
• Drinks: buy your own, watch them being made, and do not leave them. Buckets are strong; two is a lot.
• The sea: do not swim at night. The bay has currents, the water is full of people who cannot stand up, and there are no lifeguards.
• Fire: the skipping rope and the fire limbo produce a queue of bandaged travellers at the clinic every month.
• Getting home: agree the songthaew price before you get in, and go in a group. Do not ride a scooter.
• Insurance:travel insurance that covers you is worth having on this island specifically; the clinic in Haad Rin takes cards but the hospital in Koh Samui wants a guarantee.

Going with a group

Our 5-day Full Moon Party trip is timed to the party: transfers from Surat Thani, accommodation on the island through the party nights so you are not fighting the minimum-stay rules, a boat trip to Koh Tao to recover, and a guide who knows which end of the beach to be at. Our 18-day Thailand Expedition spends its island nights on Koh Phangan too, so if your dates line up the party is part of the trip.

Frequently asked questions

Why book with Backpacking Tours?

We have been taking small groups of solo travellers to Koh Phangan since 2013. Transfers, ferries, accommodation through the party nights and a guide on the beach are all included, and the trip is held with a small deposit.

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