Full Moon Party

Until now, I’ve never been to a frat party. But after attending my first Full Moon Party, I can now say I have. Billed as the biggest party in the world, Koh Phangan’s monthly Full Moon Party is an all-night affair that supposedly attracts up to 30,000 people in high season. It’s high season now, but I doubt there were more than 10,000 people at last night’s party. True, 10,000 people is nothing to sneeze at, but as far as parties go, I’ve been to more interesting ones in Champaign-Urbana.

The party takes place on Sunrise Beach in the town of Haad Rin, which fortunately is on the opposite side of the island from where we are staying. Party-goers from surrounding islands start arriving at dusk and by midnight, the entire beach is packed with very drunk people. Upon arrival, you are greeted with rows and rows of vendors selling “buckets” of booze – usually a pint of hard liquor and 2 or 3 kinds of mixers inside a small plastic toy pail. The concoction is mixed for you with ice and then you stick a straw into the mix and start drinking. Next, you can hire a local artist to paint your body with designs using fluorescent paint. Then you head for the beach and dance all night long to really bad DJs playing trance music. That’s essentially the ritual. What makes this a frat party is that just about every party-goer is white, in their early 20s and doing exactly the same thing. No variation, no creativity, just the standard conformist follow-the-herd mindset you see on any college campus frat row. Even everyone’s haircuts looked pretty much the same.

As usual, the very enterprising Thais rise up to challenge of servicing thousands of people all night long with booze, food and even emergency medical help -- all for a price. Even the taxi rates go up on party night – perhaps the extra surcharge is for putting up with the drunks all night long. So I guess I can say "I went." But if we’re staying another month, I have no urge to go again.

(See more pictures of Koh Phangan)