The Full Moon Party (Thai: ฟูลมูนปาร์ตี้) is an all-night beach party that originated in Haad Rin on the island of Ko Pha-ngan, Thailand in 1985. The party takes place on the night of, before, or after every full moon.

History

The first Full Moon Party is said to have been improvised at a Paradise Bungalows on the beach in 1983 as a token of thanks to about 20–30 travelers, though the accuracy of this is disputed, as is the date of the original event. The parties gained fame through word of mouth, and the event now draws a crowd of about 5,000–30,000 every full moon. The party finishes at

sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...

the next day. The bars on Sunrise Beach of Haad Rin play music such as

psychedelic trance Psychedelic trance, psytrance, or psy is a subgenre of trance music characterized by arrangements of rhythms and layered melodies created by high tempo riffs. The genre offers variety in terms of mood, tempo, and style. Some examples include full ...

, R&B,

drum and bass Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast Break (music)#Breakbeat (element of music), breakbeats (typically 165–185 Tempo, beats per minute) with heavy Bass (music) ...

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

. The event has become a part of the itinerary of many travelers to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. The ruling military government in late 2014 banned all but the Full Moon Party. A police colonel summed up the attitude of the government when he said, "The sort of tourist that comes here to drink too much and take drugs are not the type that Thailand wants." The ban may not have been observed by local authorities, as on 5 April 2015, all parties except the Full Moon Party were again banned on Ko Pha-ngan. This was ordered by the district chief officer, Krirkkrai Songthani, after a meeting with local leaders on 3 April to discuss complaints from residents about noise pollution from the various large parties taking place up to 25 times each month. However, these bans are short-lived and lapse once they have served their purpose. With the stated political goal of attracting higher-class tourists, it is unclear how much longer the Full Moon Party will be permitted to continue. Already, the Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) webpage for Ko Pha-ngan makes minimal mention of the Full Moon Party. In 2020, the event was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Parties resumed on 16 April 2022 with the easing of restrictions by the government.

Frequency

The monthly Full Moon Party takes place on the night of the full moon, or one night earlier or later, if there is a significant religious holiday on the night of the full moon. It involves a wide spectrum of music, ranging from trance, to drum and bass, to reggae, with events taking place in various clubs along Hat Rin beach. The October 2017 event and all other parties and music activities on Ko Pha-ngan was canceled out of respect for the cremation ceremony of the late king

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 192713 October 2016), titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 1946 until Death and funeral of Bhumibol Adulyadej, his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any List of Thai mo ...

Safety issues

Although

drugs A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...

are consumed by many partygoers, drug laws are strict and police enforcement is stepped up during the parties. There are undercover police on patrol and even the

drug dealer A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...

s themselves may report drug users to police. In recent years, there has been a number of assaults and robberies at the party and in bars in the surrounding area, leading the British government to officially warn tourists to exercise caution at Full Moon Parties. Break-ins at hotel bungalows while partygoers are away from their rooms sometimes occur as well.Tips and tricks for the Full Moon Party

In popular culture

The Full Moon Party has been featured in films such as '' The Beach'', '' Last Stop for Paul'', and the Thai film ''

Hormones A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs or tissues by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones a ...

''. It was also featured in the first episode of the

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

TV show '' Gerhard Reinke's Wanderlust''. In 2011, the island's parties featured on '' Tourism and the Truth: Stacey Dooley Investigates'', a documentary investigating the negative impacts of tourism on local people and the economy. It was featured in episode 4 of E4's

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

series ''

Gap Year A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is a period of time when students take a break from their studies, usually after completing high school or before beginning graduate school. During this time, students engage in a variety of educatio ...

''.

Gallery

Fullmoon-party-originator wDSC03487.jpg, Full Moon Party creator Sutti Kursakul. Poster at Paradise Bungalows, Haad Rin, Ko Pha-ngan, 2016. Full-Moon-Party-2016 DSC03418w.jpg, Full Moon Party, 23 February 2016, front of ''Paradise Bungalows'' at Haad Rin Sunrise Beach, Ko Pha-ngan Alcohol buckets Ko Pha Ngan.jpg, Buckets of alcoholic beverages for sale at the Full Moon Party Full-Moon-Party-fire-skipping-rope DSC03279w.jpg, Playing fire skipping rope at Full Moon Party Full Moon Party.jpg, Fire dancers at Full Moon Party

References

External links

* {{Electronic music festival Rave Tourist attractions in Thailand Full moon 1985 establishments in Thailand Electronic music festivals in Thailand Music festivals established in 1985