The Full Moon Party at Haad Rin Beach is the original and most legendary of all full moon celebrations, having started in the mid to end-1980s. The Guardian described it as "the largest beach rave in the world," drawing crowds of 5,000 to 50,000 people every full moon. The beach transforms into a pulsating playground with multiple sound systems playing everything from EDM to reggae and techno, running until sunrise. Fire shows, UV body paint stations, and massive dance floors have made this party a bucket-list experience for travelers to Southeast Asia. Find more on the original Full Moon Party website.
The Full Moon Festival on Paradise Beach is the largest beach party in Phuket, successfully imitating the Koh Phangan concept with better organization. The party runs from 7 PM until late, featuring international and Thai DJs, fire dancers, five bars, and restaurants serving various cuisines. Entrance is approximately 1,000 baht including a complimentary cocktail, with free shuttle service from Patong every 30 minutes. Paradise Beach also hosts half-moon and foam parties throughout the month.
Goa has developed its own full moon party culture, blending the Thai beach party concept with local flavor and the region's historic connection to psychedelic trance music. Anjuna Beach is particularly popular for full moon parties, where people gather around bonfires and dance under the moonlight. Palolem Beach offers more relaxed celebrations featuring live music, bonfires, and unique silent headphone parties. The parties feature fire performers, acrobats, neon lights, and UV decor throughout.
Since 2004, Magnetic Island has been labeled the "Koh Pha Ngan" of Australia, hosting Full Moon Down Under for two decades. The party attracts up to 3,000 people featuring fire twirlers, body paint, and great music acts. Accessible by a 20-minute ferry from Townsville, the event takes place at beachside venues on this Great Barrier Reef island. In 2017, it evolved into "IslandLife," a weekend-long festival combining beach parties with yoga, massages, and snorkeling.
The Philippines doesn't have institutionalized full moon parties like Thailand, but Boracay comes closest. Boracay hosts full moon beach parties where hundreds dance on the sand to international DJs, featuring fire dancers and celebrations until dawn. La Plage in El Nido, Palawan also hosts Full Moon Parties in a cozier, more relaxed setting. While not at the same scale as Koh Phangan, Boracay's White Beach provides an excellent backdrop for lunar celebrations.
Full Moon Party on Xiaoliuqiu is a well guarded secret. Let’s keep it this way.
The Kendwa Rocks Full Moon Party has been a monthly tradition since 1996, held on the first Saturday after each full moon. The tradition began with friends watching acrobatics shows and dancing to drums by the beach fire. Today it draws thousands, featuring international DJs, live music, fire dancers, and acrobats against stunning natural backdrops. The celebration captures true "hakuna matata" vibes with warm Indian Ocean breezes and Afro-beats.
Montañita hosts Full Moon Parties on its beach, lit up with bonfires while DJs play music late into the night. The beach parties feel like a smaller-scale version of Thailand's famous celebration, with the town known as one of Ecuador's best party destinations. Beach parties are common and often free, featuring fire dancers, drum circles, and fun under the stars. The surf village has earned the nickname "Little Amsterdam" for its anything-goes atmosphere.
Full moon parties in the BVI began in 1989 at the infamous Bomba Shack, celebrating the lunar phase with tourists and locals alike. The Trellis Bay Full Moon Party on Beef Island is a family-friendly celebration featuring Moko Jumbies (stilt walkers), fire dancers, and delicious food. Known as the "Fireball Moon Party," a massive fireball is lit in the bay at midnight creating a spectacular sight. The Paradise Club in Cane Garden Bay hosts more adult-oriented events with DJs, glow sticks, and barefoot beach dancing.
Gili Trawangan is known as the "Ibiza of the East," famous for legendary full moon parties and psychedelic dance atmospheres that last until dawn. Every month, partygoers dance barefoot on sand under star-lit skies with volcanoes in the backdrop and the full moon reflecting on the ocean. The monthly all-night beach rave features heavy basslines, glow sticks, lasers, and fire dancers. The car-free, bohemian island atmosphere creates a unique setting for these celebrations.
Cala Benirràs hosts a famous weekly drumming celebration rather than a traditional full moon party, with visitors gathering every Sunday in summer for a hippy drum festival at sundown. The tradition dates to 1991's "Day of the Drums," an anti-war protest, and drummers have continued gathering ever since. During full moons, it becomes part ritual, part party, part spiritual experience with hypnotic rhythms. Fire dancers and performers continue late into the night with an atmosphere of freedom and inclusion.
Key West's Full Moon Experience on Higgs Beach features music, dancing, local performers, and the Key West Junkanoos—a Bahamian-style parade band. At Morada Bay in Islamorada, the monthly Full Moon Party features bonfires, fire jugglers, a junkanoo band leading conga lines, and fireworks. Events may include limbo dancing, drumming, face painting, and artists painting live on the beach. Both destinations offer unique Florida Keys interpretations of the full moon celebration.
Santa Teresa hosts "jungle parties" on full moon nights in the jungle with house and techno music—a unique Costa Rican twist on the beach party concept. Ranchos Itauna is popular for hosting famous full-moon parties and electronic music nights by the beach. In Jacó Beach, the Copacabana Hotel organizes full moon parties with bonfires and people dancing in white-washed clothes. Costa Rica's "Pura Vida" culture shines through in these celebrations blending surf culture with nightlife.