Skip to content

Koh Samui, by people who live here

Night crowd on the beach at Haad Rin under a glowing Welcome to Thailand sign at a Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan

Photo: joestump https://www.flickr.com/photos/joestump/ (CC BY 2.0)

Full Moon Party post-pandemic peak (February 2023)

Source
  • 5 February 2023
  • Haad Rin beach, Haad Rin
  • Parties Koh Phangan

By

About 50,000 tourists attended the Full Moon Party on 5 February 2023, the largest post-pandemic crowd reported.

About this event

By early 2023 the Full Moon Party was back at pre-pandemic strength, as Khaosod noted when Thailand lifted its travel restrictions. The party takes place on Haad Rin Nok, the beach at the south of Koh Phangan, and guides have long put a big night at 30,000 to 40,000 people. The February 2023 figure sits above that range, which explains the press attention.

The party's history helps explain the crowds. It started in the 1980s as a small gathering at Paradise Bungalows, and attendance rose sharply after The Beach film in 2000. Today the beach is lined with sound systems and bars, and many visitors cross from Koh Samui by boat. Bangkok Post covered both the January and February parties of 2023 as signs of tourism returning. If you read this as a record, remember that estimates of crowd size are rough counts from officials and the press, not ticket sales.

The facts

  1. About 50,000 tourists attended the party on 5 February 2023. Na Thon pier on Samui was crowded for days with people waiting for speedboats.
  2. The first party of 2023, in January, drew about 20,000 international visitors and was estimated to bring in up to 100 million baht in one night.
  3. Khaosod reported that the party was again drawing pre-pandemic numbers once Thailand lifted its travel restrictions.

Why it matters

The largest reported post-pandemic crowd, confirming the party's full recovery.

More nights like this

Parties on Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan is where Thailand's party reputation comes from. The Full Moon Party fills Haad Rin's Sunrise Beach once a month, with bars playing different music along the sand, fire shows and a start around 21:00. Dates sometimes move a day when the full moon falls on a Buddhist holy day, as with 27 October 2026. Smaller Half Moon and Jungle parties run in forest clearings inland from Ban Tai, and a weekly Friday jungle party runs there too. Haad Rin is reached from Thong Sala pier by shared taxi, tuk-tuk or minibus, and an entry ticket is sold at the beach alleys on the night.

Around Haad Rin

Haad Rin is the peninsula at Phangan's southern tip, with Sunrise Beach (Haad Rin Nok) on the east and quieter Sunset Beach (Haad Rin Nai) on the west. Sunrise Beach has hosted the monthly Full Moon Party since the late 1980s, and bars line its roughly one-kilometre length, each with its own sound system. Sunset Beach sees far less foot traffic outside party nights. From Thong Sala pier, shared taxis, tuk-tuks and minibuses go to Haad Rin, and boats leave from here for Haad Yuan.

Other dates of this event

Guides for your trip

The Samui69 letter

A free email about Koh Samui now and then: new guides, events and seasons.

Free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime. Read our Privacy.

Dates and prices change, so check the source before you go.