Take a tropical Island, a white sandy beach lined with swaying coconut palms, mix in 20,000 party animals, a dozen high powered sound systems, superb resident and international guest DJs, throw in copious quantities of alcohol and the hormones of youth, and you have yourselves the biggest beach party on the planet and best of all, it's free. Well known internationally as the Full Moon Party, these world famous gatherings take place every month around the lunar cycle. The worlds hippest party people make their way to the Thai paradise island of Koh Phangan, to party the night away under the moonlight, on the equally famous Haad Rin beach, which is to be found at the southern tip of the island.

As the sun sets, and the pale yellow moon rises over the South China Sea, bonfires, torches and thousands of lamps are lit on the beach as the DJs start spinning their techno, rave, house and trance sounds as the party gets underway. The crowds of revellers depart the dozens of temporary bars and cafe's that have sprung up and make their way down to the beach. By midnight the beach is packed with a throng of swaying bodies, moving in sync with the pounding beat. By now the scene resembles a Carnival combined with a scene from Apocalypse, interspaced with jugglers, fire eaters and the occasional firework display. The party crowd still have a full night left to party hard until the night fades back into day. With the sun rising over the water the last of the die hard revelers make their way to the food stalls and cafe's before drifting home to sleep off the exceses of the night before, and leave the beach to regain it's former tranquality, till the next full moon rising. Each year the scene grows with the party faithful returning with their friends and spreading the word.

Food

As you would expect from a developed tourist destination, theres no shortage of food and drink on offer around Haad Rin beach. It matters little; what country you're from, there's bound to be something to take your fancy. The tastiest, and by far the cheapest, is the Thai hawker food, that can be found all over the resort, in the food carts and on the BBQ's, you really owe it to yourself to give it a try, it's delicious. Thai food unlike the water, is usually pefectly safe to consume, but it's wise to be sure it's properly cooked, not just reheated. The following dishes, and many more are available for a few Baht. Be careful with the water, tap water isn't safe to drink, stick to the bottled stuff, it's cheap, be sure to check the seal's intact before you buy.

Drink

Beer
Like the food, local Thai Beers are the favourite choice of party goers, they're plentifull, cheap and usually strong, especially the beer. All the popular Thai brands are on sale as well as the more expensive imported drinks. Singha beer, Klosta beer, Chang beer and when available, Beer Lao and Heineken are all recomended.

Whiskey
Thai whisky refers to a number of distilled rice liquors, the best known being the infamous Mee Khong ("Mekong") brand and its competitor Saeng Som. The only resemblances to whisky are the brown color and high alcohol content, and indeed many people liken the smell to nail polish remover, but the somewhat rum-like taste is not quite as bad, especially when diluted with cola.

The Bucket
Something of a Haad Rin beach speciality, and very cheap too, the Bucket costs about 200-225 Baht for a small plastic bucket part filled with ice, over which is poured, a bottle of Thai whiskey, a Coke or Sprite and 2 Red Bulls or M150's. A few straws are also thrown in, so you can share the delights of this rocket fuel with your mates. Getting drunk's never been cheaper, but watch out for the hangover... its one hell of an experience! Note: If you're paying out for the more expensive imported spirits, check the seal's intact, before you buy it, many aren't, and the only logical conclusion is, it has been diluted with the cheap local fire water.

A Few Do's & Don'ts

• DO only take enough money with you for food, drink and transport for the night and keep your cash with you at all times, leave the rest of your funds and all your other valuables in the resort safe box.
• DO take a photocopy of your passport (including visa page) and the address of your accomodation written in both English and Thai. It's not a good idea to carry your passport on the beach.
• DO get some beach footwear and use it, the beach frequently becomes strewn with broken glass, and stepping on a lit cigarette butt is painful.
• DO consider buying a waterproof, disposable camera if you're planning to take photos on the beach, they're cheap, readily available and you won't get too upset if you loose it.
• DO be sure to book a room well in advance, there're never any still available on party days.
• DO use the specially roped off areas where security guards are present if you must sleep on the beach, or you may wake up to find you have been robbed.

• DON'T DO DRUGS, you may have heard otherwise, but drug use or possesion is ILLEGAL in Thailand and carries VERY HARSH PENALTIES. If you are caught, you will almost certainly go to prison. Make no mistake, plain clothed Thai Police patrol the beach, on the lookout for drug users and sellers. The police have even been known to pose as drug dealers to catch you out! you've been warned.
• DON'T USE HAAD RIN BEACH AS A TRASH CAN, Please take your rubbish with you, and leave the beach clean and safe for others. The Thai authorities can, and will put a stop these events, if the environment suffers as a result of your party nights, and nobody wants that to happen!
• DON'T accept food or drink from strangers, it may well have been drugged, with the intention of robbing you.

A Brief History of Full Moon

There are several versions of when and how the full moon party's came to be, the version I think the most credible is, they started in 1989 with a small groups of backpackers dancing the night away to the sounds of 80's pop and rock music played on a getto blaster. The original party had been thrown as a going away party for a young Australian returning home, the fact it was a full moon, was just a fortunate coincidence. The rest as they say, is history, the party's gained in popularity within the backpacking community through word of mouth, but the secret was soon out, and word was spread far and wide, Today the full moon events attract large, enthusiastic crowds of party people to dance the night away under the stars, at the worlds biggest and best beach party ever. The party's are held every month at dates to match the full moon, even in low season crowds of 10,000 are common, at peak season, crowds of 20,000+ attend, and at new year, a massive 30,000 or more can be expected to party hard all night long. Recently, local entrepreneurs have tried to expand the event with the Half Moon and Black Moon Party, I wish them well, but I hope it doesn't dilute the real thing, that would be a shame.

Scheduled Party Dates For 2008

Note: Dates may change due to Buddhist Holidays, check before traveling.