Is Thailand's Full Moon Party over for good?

[webfact]

 

Duncan Forgan, CNN. Top image by George Henton/EPA/Shutterstock

 

Koh Phangan, Thailand (CNN) — It's approaching sundown on a full moon Saturday, but revelry is in short supply in Haad Rin, home of Koh Phangan's legendary Full Moon Party.

 

The deserted streets of this small town are a study in neglect, an impression brought cruelly into focus by the ongoing global pandemic.

 

Shabby shops offering cheap Thai massages or advertising bamboo tattoos are shuttered, their doors fastened by heavy chains. The only things missing from the eerie scene are giant balls of tumbleweed: not a possibility in this verdant tropical paradise.

 

Full story: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/full-moon-party-thailand-covid-koh-phangan-cmd/index.html

 

 

-- © Copyright CNN 2021-03-29

 

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[ukrules]

I hope so.

[Maha Sarakham]

Most likely will attract much smaller crowds going forward into the future.  It was already dwindling pre-pandemic.

[Albert Zweistein]

Absolutely, no more full moon according to Prayut.

[WineOh]

with a bit of luck, yes.

 

The kind of people these party's attract are the dregs of the bog brush! 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

One can only hope.

 

The beach is one of the best in LOS and can become a successful beach destination without catering to thousands of inebriated youths.

The only people regretting would be the ones profiting from the FMP.

[ChipButty]

The party is over, Full stop

[crazykopite]

Without the parties the island will struggle having lived here for many years I’m not a fan of the parties the last 3 to 4 years it got crazy there seemed to be a party happening every week but I believe that if local government control the amount of parties 2 to 3 per month those of us who have made our home here would be happy . One thing that is good is that there is far less plastic and rubbish on the beaches . Only time will tell maybe in 2022 will will see a return to normality as I write I think that 2021 will be the same as last year extremely quiet with very few visitors ☹️

[connda]

Globally that seems to be the plan.  Farang countries are locking their citizens up behind their own borders in what are becoming Orwellian dystopia gone 'live.'  Up next will be rules that only businessmen and the rich will be able to fly as we're told that the all other classes must remain at home to save the planet from <Covid, Covid variants, new pandemics, CO2, Man-made-global-warming, etc> 

Yep.  It's over. 

[connda]

Just now, connda said:

Globally that seems to be the plan.  Farang countries are locking their citizens up behind their own borders in what are becoming Orwellian dystopia gone 'live.'  Up next will be rules that only businessmen and the rich will be able to fly as we're told that the all other classes must remain at home to save the planet from <Covid, Covid variants, new pandemics, CO2, Man-made-global-warming, etc> 

Yep.  It's over. 

Unlike the West, so-called totalitarian China will allow it's growing middle-class to travel, however, the Chinese middle-class will not be coming for full moon parties.  Farangs with the exception of those from perhaps Eastern Europe, South America, and Russia will be a dying breed.

[Burma Bill]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

are a study in neglect,

 

[ukrules]

3 hours ago, connda said:

Globally that seems to be the plan.  Farang countries are locking their citizens up behind their own borders in what are becoming Orwellian dystopia gone 'live.'  Up next will be rules that only businessmen and the rich will be able to fly as we're told that the all other classes must remain at home to save the planet from <Covid, Covid variants, new pandemics, CO2, Man-made-global-warming, etc> 

Yep.  It's over. 

There is no plan, they're making it up as they go.

 

[khunPer]

There was Full Moon Party on Haad Rin's Sunrise Beach last evening (Sunday 28th March), however announced as "Back to the root"-party...

[rasmus5150]

The Full Moon Parties will only close if the government stops it.

 

All over Europe, pre-Covid, the music festivals have been attracting a bigger and bigger crowd.

 

And when the population of the world will be vaccinated, there will be a craving to party "like it's 1999".

 

Pretty sad to see the grumpy comments - some posters must surely have forgotten their own youth, or maybe they are just jealous that they have never really lived at all.....

[Tropicalevo]

2 hours ago, khunPer said:

There was Full Moon Party on Haad Rin's Sunrise Beach last evening (Sunday 28th March), however announced as "Back to the root"-party...

 

It was advertised as 'old school'.

No booze buckets, no DJ's and no Dikheads.

(I did not go ????)

[khunPer]

5 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

It was advertised as 'old school'.

No booze buckets, no DJ's and no Dikheads.

(I did not go ????)

Me neither.
To my knowledge, what you say about the roots is right. 

The root-story is a bit more detailed here, which might even include the true legendary story of the origin:

"The first Full Moon Party was celebration of someone's birthday. and that was such a great experience that the partygoers decided to meet again next full Moon, and so folks have done ever since, but no one can any longer remember whose birthday that was celebrated"...

Quote

I lived on Koh Phangan and worked in Samui from 1978 until 1987.
 
In 1985 Koh Phangans population was just around three/four hundred people.
(You can go and check in the Civic Office). There was no pier, no roads (apart
from a couple of miles down towards Bantai), no cars (just one Jeep) ,
no electricity (apart from a few hours a day in Tongsala), no hospital, no police
station and for sure, no organised Full Moon Parties. 

 

The only way to get down to Hadrin, which was just part of the jungle, was either
along the beach at low tide or a few hours hiking over the mountain. Much easier
was to get there from Samui by longtail boat.
 
What people believe to be the first organised "Full Moon Party" in 1985, was actually
just an improvised, one off gathering of a few "Hippies" at a deserted beach that was
easily accessible by long tail boat from Koh Samui, without police but a lot of drugs
present. - I was there!!!
 
That's exactly the well known legend, you are telling - no one mentioned "organized" - and the story also says that it was someone's birthday that full moon night, but nobody remember the name... 
As you were there, perhaps you will shed more light to the tale..? 
 
Even before 1985, people went to Hadrin from Samui to see the moon rise out of the water,
play guitar, getting drunk and stoned, sleeping on the beach and being bitten by sandflies 

 

Although I been many times down in Hadrin back then, sometimes from Samui by boat,
sometimes walking from Tongsala down along the beach, I do remember Christmas 1977, 
I went to Samui to celebrate my 21st birthday as here on Koh Phangan there was nothing.
No bars, no discos. The only place close to a "nightclub" was the Lamai Inn in Samui. 

 

After spending most of the day in Samui eating Mushroom omelettes, mushroom noodles,
mushroom burgers and mushroom shakes, we decided to go over to Hadrin for the night
to have fun without the dreaded police around.  

 

I remember this Thai girl, her nick name was "Frog" who came with us. Her parents owned
the restaurant and souvenir shop just by the pier in Nathon and organised the long tail boat
for us to go over to Hadrin to watch the full moon rise out of the water and celebrate X-mas
(and my birthday) with sex, drugs, music, sand flies and gonorrhoea  

 

I reckon there must be quite a few guys remembering "The Frog", she was just so desperate
to marry a foreigner, any foreigner and has been quite a few times to Hadrin, so she might
be the right person to ask, when did the first organised and regular party started in Hadrin.  

 

BTW - we did clear up the mess and took the bottles back again, just in case some people
assume, all parties have to end up with a pile of rubbish left over. 

Summary from Thaivisa-source HERE.

[Susco]

5 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

It was advertised as 'old school'.

No booze buckets, no DJ's and no Dikheads.

(I did not go ????)

 

Did they have music?

[Susco]

12 minutes ago, khunPer said:

but no one can any longer remember whose birthday that was celebrated"...

 

They probably didn't even remember it the next morning ????

[shy coconut]

14 hours ago, crazykopite said:

Without the parties the island will struggle having lived here for many years I’m not a fan of the parties the last 3 to 4 years it got crazy there seemed to be a party happening every week but I believe that if local government control the amount of parties 2 to 3 per month those of us who have made our home here would be happy . One thing that is good is that there is far less plastic and rubbish on the beaches . Only time will tell maybe in 2022 will will see a return to normality as I write I think that 2021 will be the same as last year extremely quiet with very few visitors ☹️

How can there be 2 or 3 full Mon parties in a month?

 

Having said that, it would be a shame if these parties are ended.

 

The parties may have become more commercial and I am definitely far too old for that kind of thing, I think the kids should 

still be able to have their fun.

Edited March 29, 2021 by shy coconut
Addition

[Tropicalevo]

7 hours ago, Susco said:

 

Did they have music?

According to the advert there was to be 'live music, bonfires, fire show and BBQ' and all 'musicians, fire twirlers/dancers and performers' were invited to 'get involved and perform'.

[Patong2021]

23 hours ago, connda said:

Globally that seems to be the plan.  Farang countries are locking their citizens up behind their own borders in what are becoming Orwellian dystopia gone 'live.'  Up next will be rules that only businessmen and the rich will be able to fly as we're told that the all other classes must remain at home to save the planet from <Covid, Covid variants, new pandemics, CO2, Man-made-global-warming, etc> 

Yep.  It's over. 

Is there a sale on aluminum foil at 7-11?

[Iron Tongue]

It's not over, just on "hiatus".

 

Too many backpackers, nomads and derelicts in the world, they'll find their way in a couple of years.

[khunPer]

14 hours ago, Susco said:

 

Did they have music?

I've been told, and it's also says so in various articles, that folks brought guitars and was singing around one or several bonfires on the beach; real acoustic music it was, as there was no electricity...????

[khunPer]

13 hours ago, shy coconut said:

How can there be 2 or 3 full Mon parties in a month?

 

Having said that, it would be a shame if these parties are ended.

 

The parties may have become more commercial and I am definitely far too old for that kind of thing, I think the kids should 

still be able to have their fun.

In December there can be two or three parties, depending of the date for the full Moon, as there might be a party when the Moon is full, another Xmas party December 25th and a third party New Years Eve, with a huge firework at midnight...

Quote

• Sunday 29th November
• Friday 25th December (Xmas)
• Monday 28th December (Xmas)
• Thursday 31st December (New Year)

 

Furthermore a Moon-cycle is 28 days and a calendar month can be 31 days, however one moon-orbit according to Google takes 29.5 days...

Quote

The Moon takes 27.3 days to orbit Earth, but the lunar phase cycle (from new Moon to new Moon) is 29.5 days. The Moon spends the extra 2.2 days "catching up" because Earth travels about 45 million miles around the Sun during the time the Moon completes one orbit around Earth.

Us more simple folks just buy a locale calendar showing a moon-disc on dates where the Moon is full; but be aware, it might me a Buddha Day with alcohol restrictions, so the party is moved 24 hours, so we also need to doublecheck with an official Full Moon Party homepage...????

[Hanuman2547]

This year won't be much of a party.  Maybe in 2022 and 2023.  I won't be missing it if it does die out.