What began in Koh Phangan, Thailand is now a celebration found in many places, especially in South East Asia and Australia, so if you’re heading to the region, you’d do well to be armed with some tips for surviving Full Moon Parties. And actually, these tips for surviving Full Moon Parties can be generic to anywhere in the world you’re attending an all night beach celebration.
It is so tempting to head to the beach to start partying early. If you want to avoid being partied out before the height of the festivities, one of the best tips for surviving Full Moon Parties is to delay your arrival. Stay in a bar and watch the sunset and head to the beach about 11pm.
Bring your own beer! It’s a festival, so you can guarantee that prices of drinks on the beach are going to be expensive. Plus, the little supermarkets close to beaches that hold Full Moon Parties are clued up to the event too, so they crank up their prices a few days ahead of the event. Stock up on drinks either a week beforehand if you’re there, or just buy it as cheaply as possible in shops away from the beach.
Bring your own paint! To really throw yourself into the event, you need fluorescent t-shirts and UV body paint. Every Full Moon Party will see rows of stalls and sellers on the sand and the road leading to the beach, ready and waiting to take your money in exchange for decorating your body with UV paint. Don’t bother! Buy your own paint at a fraction of the cost and be in control of what patterns and slogans you and your friends adorn yourselves with.
Seriously! It might seem such fun to jump rope when the rope is on fire or dive through blazing rings, but one of the ways to survive Full Moon Parties without injury is to be a spectator, not a performer. Just watch to avoid being one of the many that wake up the next day with scorch marks and burns!
Unless you’re going to be among the many revelers that pee in the sea, make sure you carry enough change for when those cocktails and buckets of beer take their toll on your bladder. You can bet that the bars, restaurants and other establishments along the beach area will charge for the bathroom even if they don’t on any other day.
It really shouldn’t need saying because staying hydrated is one of the most obvious tips for surviving Full Moon Parties, but when you’re caught up in the whole experience, it’s so easy to forget that you should be throwing as much water down your neck as booze. You’ll be able to keep dancing all night long and might just stave off a terrible hangover.
I know, I know – yawn! But, not taking important measures for your own safety and the security of your belongings can totally spoil the event if you fall foul of a mishap. Remember that no matter how clean the beach is during the daytime, during a Full Moon Party it is going to become littered with all kinds of nasty debris – including broken glass. This is not the time to be barefoot on the sand. Also, there’s nothing like a crowd with their focus on fun that is more inviting to pickpockets and petty thieves. The beach during a Full Moon Party is no place for your valuables and designer gear/handbag. Just take the minimum essentials in a cross-body bag you can wear while frolicking and dancing.
With these tips for surviving Full Moon Parties, you’ll have the time of your life. We’d love some more tips from Full Moon Party alumni. Who’s got some?