I love festivals. I love events and gatherings where hundreds to thousands of people flock to one place to drink, dance and do whatever. Like that is my shit. You say hoards of people and I get giddy. Events like that make me feel alive (as corny as it sounds). So when my teammate Bri went to the Full Moon Party last New Years and raved about how awesome it was, I knew at some point in my life I had to go.

What is the Full Moon Party?

It is pretty much a huge rager on the beach. Imagine a beach with beautiful blue/green water; the kind you see on a postcard. Place thousands of humans in neon from all over the world on said beach. Now, toss in buckets of alcohol (yes, the kind you made sand castles with as a child). Pump a percentage of these travelers with mystery drugs. And throw in house music being blared on massive speakers. Voila – Full Moon Party.

WHEN

The Full Moon Party is once a month – you can see all of the party dates here. They have special parties for Christmas and New Years that I hear get extra crazy. To couple the Full Moon they also have the Half Moon, Black Moon, Quarter Moon, Pink Moon…..jk. But there pretty much is a party every weekend so if you are in Thailand you can still get some type of party experience. But the Full Moon is the grand daddy of them all, so I recommend planning around it.

WHAT TO WEAR

As a girl you always wonder what is or isn’t appropriate. You don’t want to show up like you’re going to a club in Las Vegas when everyone else is en route to Coachella – and vice versa. You don’t want to look Coachella ready when everyone is wearing Vegas attire.

Let me tell you now. You can wear whatever the hell you want. My recommendation is to wear shorts and a tank top. Or a bathing suit top (that’s what I did). I saw a girl in a bikini. Go her. However, with everything going on you don’t want to think about your outfit. Or a boob falling out of your bathing suit top. Most guys wore shorts and a tank, or no shirt. Whateva whateva, it’s the Full Moon Party, no one cares!

In terms of shoes it might seem like going barefoot is the #1 option, but you just never know what nonsense you’ll find hidden in the sand. There aren’t a ton of glass bottles being sold but you really never know. I would recommend just wearing sandals. Avoid issues and unwanted pains.

HYDRATE

After laying out in the sun all day or just a ridiculous travel day, staying hydrated will be crucial for survival. If you do not drink a ton of water you will get herpes and die. Just kidding. But in all seriousness you’ll wake up like Spongebob. Just like Spongebob.

Drink all day. Drink when you don’t think you should. Drink until you are peeing every ten minutes. You’ll pat yourself on the back later.

PREGAME

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES PREGAME. Seriously you don’t need to pre game. Maybe one beer is okay, but a pregame is the most unnecessary activity you could partake in. In fact, I think when you get back from the beach (because you’ll most likely be at the beach all day) you should eat dinner, sleep until 11:30, get ready, and head out for the party around midnight. I cannot stress this enough. If you pregame you will not survive the night. You will be one of those humans who is stumbling out of the party at 1am…or 3:30. Don’t be that person. Because that just sucks.

If you insist on being hard-headed and venturing out to the party before midnight make the rule that buckets of any kind cannot, should not, will not be consumed before midnight. Do yourself a favor.

BUCKETS

The drink of choice are buckets of alcohol! You can buy them anywhere on the beach! I’m sure anyone has the ability to crush a bucket on his or her own but sharing is definitely caring. And it also couples as a bonding experience or whatever.

DRUGS

Apparently drugs are a huge part of the Full Moon Party – I didn’t have any run-ins, but I am 100 percent positive that I saw humans who were out of their minds. I’m talking buckled knees, wandering, unfocused eyes, mumbling and chatting to themselves type of stuff. Not exactly my kind of party.

If anyone offers you drugs, it would be smart to say no and walk away. Through the grape vine I’ve heard there are undercover cops who try to sell you stuff and as soon as you’ve made your purchase they will arrest you. Imagine telling your parents that story. LOL not chill.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

SWIMMING

DO NOT SWIM IN THE OCEAN. I’m that person that loves to sprint towards any large body of water when I am intoxicated. However, it would be in your best interest to keep away from the water. It may seem welcoming because it’s soooo warm and pretty, but it’s warm because the men have been using the ocean as a bathroom. At any given time you can spot an upwards of 10 – 12 men standing in a staggered row facing the water peeing. Stay out of the water.

On that note…..

BATHROOMS

Ladies, unless you fancy joining the men in the ocean and revealing your goodies to the world you will probably have to pay 10-15 Baht to use the toilet. Keep your expectations low – do not expect greatness.

THE GOLDEN RULE

This is an order. Paint your body, dress in neon, wear something weird, dance on tables, climb on speakers, meet new people, watch the sunrise, and have the time of your life 🙂