Skip to content

Koh Samui, by people who live here

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)

Full Moon Party suspended over COVID-19 (March 2020)

Source

By

In early March 2020 the Full Moon Party on Haad Rin beach was called off until further notice to prevent COVID-19 from spreading.

About this event

The Full Moon Party has run for decades as a monthly event on Haad Rin beach. The cancellations earlier in this history were for royal mourning. The Covid-19 stop in March 2020 was different: it was a health measure, and it came with no end date. Khaosod, Nation Thailand and Bangkok Post all reported the decision from the Koh Phangan district office.

The party began in the 1980s at Paradise Bungalows and grew into one of the best-known beach nights in Asia, with tens of thousands of visitors on a peak night. A suspension therefore had a wide effect on the bars, boat operators and guesthouses that built their calendars around it. In the event the pause lasted two years, and the party came back in April 2022. For a reader looking back, the March 2020 announcement marks the end of the pre-pandemic era of the party.

The facts

  1. Acting Koh Phangan district chief Somchai Somwong called off the party on Rin beach until further notice to prevent COVID-19 spreading.
  2. The party at the time drew about 10,000 people a month.
  3. The last party before the hiatus took place on 8 February 2020.

Why it matters

Began the longest break in the party's history, about two years with no Full Moon Party.

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.