Ko Phangan Nightlife

This Bar is Located about 1 1/2 blocks off the beach. This is where people usually wound up later on in the evenings. It is a good bar to get a bucket. (explained in a later tip w/ picture) I liked the way it was set up, there is a small bar area where you could sit on a bar stool and hang near the bartender, there are mats and short tables all over the floors so you could grab a couple mats and hang with a intimate or large group of friends, or there are the hammocks - the people that were in thier "own little world" usually hung out in those. every night it seemed something different would happen here, some nights it seemed everyone just came to hang out and listen to the loud music, and other nights people were up and dancing and making fools of themselves and even on another night there was a large birthday party with a *deliciouse* cake that got passed around. Its a rather small bar and I really liked that, its just one big room and pretty much the same crowd every night so it was cool to get to know people.

Dress Code: No requirements other than you have to take your shoes off before you go up. It was funny because we always seemed to go home with someone elses sandals, but somehow we always ended up with our own again after the next day or so.

I enjoyed this bar on those nights when you just want to hang out with a couple of friends and RELAX. This bar totally discourages loud people. They play really mellow music like Bob Marley etc. This is another good bar to get a Bucket (explained later on in another tip with a picture) The way it is set up is pretty unique, they have these small little open "room" areas - depending on the size of group you are with, they have rooms to accomodate your group. the rooms consist of floor mats and short tables and very dimmed lighting. This is definately one of those places that stands out for me.

Dress Code: No special requirements other than no loud noise.

If you have read some of my other tips about the game bar or the dolphin bar, you would have read something about a BUCKET.... (a bottle of Thai Rum/Whiskey , red bull, cokes, limes, and a bunch of straws...)

This is a Bucket. ENJOY.

but try to make it to your bungalow at the end of the night, I woke up underneath ours in the sand. hmmph! those buckets! theyll get ya every time!

One of the main reasons thousands of people flock to Ko Pha Ngan is for the Full Moon Parties, held every month on the full moon. The party is held on Had Rin beach. The beachfront is lined with restaurants and bars, and with the addition of huge speakers and pumping sounds systems, the beach becomes a huge outdoor nightclub. Early in the evening there are tables and mats along the beach for people to have a quiet drink at dusk. By 10pm the beach is packed with thousands of people sharing "buckets of joy" and dancing their hearts out. Amid the fire twirlers, glowing tattoo's and flashing paraphenalia sold by the locals, you can find a bar cranking music that you fancy (anything from trance to Kylie Minogue to Eminem and everything between). By 5am there are a lot of bodies passed out around the beach but the party is still cranking. At midday the next day, the beach is littered with debris, of the human and rubbish form, and there are still a few people carrying on the party.

We had a fantastic time at the FMP, but if you're after a quiet night out, it's probably best to avoid Had Rin in the days around the full moon.

Some tips:
- check the date of the full moon party as there is sometimes a Buddhist holiday on the actual day of the full moon, so the party is the day after. There is a website that lists all the dates.
- There are limited toilets at Had Rin, and every business owner charges at least 10 Baht for use of their facilities. As the night goes on, the ocean becomes a communal toilet (eww).
- There are bars all along the beach selling alcohol. One of the novelty drinks are the "buckets of joy", made up of a bucket of ice, straws, coke, red bull and Sang Song, a Thai whiskey.
- Be aware drugs illegal and if caught you face large fines. There are also road blocks along the way to Had Rin where police search everyone in the vehicle. It is also common for people to require hospitalisation (for Psych issues mostly) after using at the party.

Dress Code: Whatever takes your fancy!!! Shoes are recommended, as there can be glass in the sand. I know of someone who cut his foot at the FMP and spent a few days in hospital. Nasty way to spend your holiday! It's also advisable to leave valuables at home (or in one of the lockers around Had Rin).

World famous party, must to visit if you are there at the right time.

Cheap drinks. A bucket of rhum+coke+ice+red bull for 250bahts(about half an liter).

Avoid mushrooms...:-)

Dress Code: Anything goes(not naked, though)

This is a place where I just discovered on my third to last day in Phangan. It is perhaps one of the coolest bars in Phangan, imo. Its in the shape of a pirate ship, complete with flags all over the place. Its a nice sit down kind of place that has great upbeat music pumping(not deafening) off to the side. The 'dance floor' is the sand of the ocean. At high tide, the only way to get there is to walk around on a plank of sorts to avoid getting soaked. If I go back to Phangan, Ill definately be back there.

Dress Code: umm, wear something? probably the only dresscode and Im sure its negotiable too.

Very cool atmosphere, good music, hammocks, excellent drinks. I also spottted some chilums changing hands....:-).
Also food available, but we never ate there, so dunno the taste of it.

Also few huts for rent.

Dress Code: Are you kidding? Well, lets say this way; the waiters didnt wear any shirts.
So, basically very casual...

For wild, uninhibited nightlife there's only one place to go on the island : Hat Rin!!!
The famous Full Moon Party is a huge dance event on the beach, which shouldn't be missed if you have the chance, but even on other nights, there's always something going on. The atmosphere on the beach is great, you sit on bamboo mats, listen to music (it's not only techno) and drink a couple of 'Buckets of Joy'.
Even though Hat Rin is not a 'prole-free' zone, the crowd is pretty mixed.
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Warning:
If you consider yourself sophisticated you need to have the ability to switch off your brain while you're in Hat Rin, otherwise you won't be able to enjoy yourself.
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