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Aerial view of Haad Rin, the Koh Phangan bay where the Full Moon Party is held

Photo: zhaffsky on Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Koh Phangan Full Moon Party cancelled for the king's cremation (October 2017)

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The October 2017 Full Moon Party on Haad Rin beach was called off as Thailand prepared for the cremation of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

About this event

Haad Rin's party calendar was interrupted again in October 2017, this time for the royal funeral rites of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The Koh Phangan district chief made the decision, and the Bangkok Post ran the news under the headline that there would be no Full Moon Party in October. It was the second October in a row in which the party yielded to events connected with the late king.

For a visitor, the practical lesson is that the party follows two calendars: the lunar one that sets the date and the Thai public calendar that can override it. Haad Rin Nok, the beach where it takes place, is about 800 metres long, and the party has long run from sunset to sunrise on the full moon night. The Culture Trip reported on the wider limits on public parties in that month. If you plan a trip around a full moon date, check the local announcement close to the day, because official notices can change a plan quickly.

The facts

  1. The Koh Phangan district chief called off the October 2017 Full Moon Party as Thailand prepared for the cremation of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
  2. Loud music and festivities in public spaces were not permitted around the funeral rites, which ran from 25 to 29 October with the cremation on 26 October at Sanam Luang in Bangkok.
  3. Reports said other parties and music activities on the island were also called off out of respect.

Why it matters

The island's monthly party and its other parties were called off for the mourning period, an unusual break in the Haad Rin calendar.

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.

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