These best things to do after dinner in Koh Phangan include top spots where you can go for a memorable night out on this small but popular island. Until the 1990s, the island was only visited by backpackers and young travellers in search of a back-to-the-roots type of getaway. Nightlife on the island offered only a few bamboo shacks on the beachfront, at which you could enjoy a beer or a glass of Mekong while listening to folk songs played on an acoustic guitar.

The event that made Koh Phangan world-famous is the full moon party. Since 1985, it has attracted an average of 5,000 people each month. The development of Koh Phangan for tourism has also seen the creation of a great range of bars, clubs and lounges. Check out all the great places to go at night in Koh Phangan below.

What are the best things to do at night in Koh Phangan?

  • 1

    Full Moon Party

    Koh Phangan's main nightlife draw

    Full Moon Party
    • Nightlife

    The celebration of moon phases undeniably made Koh Phangan famous all around the world. Partying on the beach (or in the jungle) to modern beats of house and techno music while drinking and dancing allow revellers to fully enjoy themselves until dawn. 

    The success of the full moon party has led to the organisation of half moon, black moon, and other unbridled jungle parties. Koh Phangan has become a mecca for partygoers as such no-limit blasts take place almost every week on the island.

    Read more

    Location: Haad Rin Beach, Ban Tai, Koh Phangan, Surat Thani 84280, Thailand

    photo by Per Meistrup (CC BY-SA 4.0) modified

  • 2

    The Jam Bar

    A cool hangout on the beach of Hin Kong

    The Jam Bar
    • Food
    • Nightlife

    The Jam Bar in Koh Phangan is right on the beach of Hin Kong, just after the bridge when you come from Thong Sala. Mostly made of wood, bamboo and thatch, this cool venue has plenty of musical instruments for impromptu jamming sessions. 

    A meeting point of talented musicians in Koh Phangan, The Jam Bar is also a great sundowner spot, at which you can eat and drink at decent prices.

    Location: Hin Kong Rd, Koh Phangan, Surat Thani 84280, Thailand

    Open: Thursday from 7 pm to 1 am, Sunday from 8 pm to 1 am

    Phone: +66 (0)85 923 0337

    Map
  • 3

    Pirates Bar

    A buccaneer-themed sunset spot in Sri Thanu

    Pirates Bar
    • Nightlife

    Pirates Bar lies on a beachfront just north of Laem Son Lake in Sri Thanu. Made of wood, bamboo and thatch, it resembles a pirate ship with a terrace overlooking the sea – a great sundowner spot in Koh Phangan.

    Pirates Bar takes its pirate theme seriously, complete with skull and bones flags flapping in the breeze all around the venue. The atmosphere is pretty cool, hosting live music in the evenings. Parties usually take place a few days before the full moon.

    Location: 81 Moo 8, Koh Phangan, Surat Thani 84280, Thailand

    Open: Daily from 4.30 pm to 2 am

    Phone: +66 (0)99 284 0554

    Map
  • 4

    Rasta Baby

    A cool reggae bar in Thong Nai Pan Noi

    Rasta Baby
    • Food
    • Nightlife

    Rasta Baby is a bar-restaurant chain in southern Thailand, including Patong, Koh Phayam, and Koh Phangan. The green, yellow and red Rastafarian flags, Bob Marley portraits, and triad chords played just off the beat at decent volume makes this a great place to chill out. 

    Rasta Baby also serves excellent Thai and international dishes. It's a friendly, unpretentious venue that exceeds the average expectations one could have for a reggae bar.

    Location: 7/9 Moo 5, Thong Nai Pan Noi, Baan Tai, Koh Phangan, Surat Thani 84280, Thailand

    Open: Daily from 10 am to 2 am

    Phone: +66 (0)89 593 9410

    Map
  • 5

    Ku Club

    Dance and DJs in Baan Tai

    Ku Club
    • Nightlife

    Ku Club is an open-air discotheque right on Baan Tai Beach, a 10-minute drive south of Thong Sala. Part of The Beach Village, it hosts a good list of international resident DJs, who bring a different music style every night. 

    The small size of the venue gives it an excellent vibe. Food and drinks, ping-pong tables, very friendly staff, and affordable prices make Ku Club one of the favourite venues to party in Koh Phangan.

    Location: 100/5 Moo 1, Baan Tai, Koh Phangan, Surat Thani 84280, Thailand

    Open: Daily from 6 pm to 1 am

    Phone: +66 (0)77 238 855

    Map
  • 6

    Loi Lay Floating Bar

    A spot to chill by the pier in Baan Tai

    Loi Lay Floating Bar
    • Food
    • Nightlife

    Loi Lay Floating Bar is a cool place to relax while listening to modern beats and enjoying a drink. Floating on the sea by Baan Tai Pier, it's a great place for those who like house music and quirky venues. It opens on Sundays, with local and international DJs creating a unique musical vibe every week.

    Loi Lay Floating Bar can get pretty crowded in the high season, but its atmosphere is really cool and unique – prices are pretty reasonable, too.

    Location: 36 Moo 3, Baan Tai, Koh Phangan, Surat Thani 84280, Thailand

    Open: Sunday from 9 pm to 4 am (closed from Mondays to Fridays)

    Phone: +66 (0)84 454 7240

    Map
  • 7

    Fidel's Bar at Havana Beach Resort

    Sip cocktails or beer while overlooking the beach

    Fidel's Bar at Havana Beach Resort
    • Nightlife

    Fidel's Bar at Havana Beach Resort on the northeastern edge of Koh Phangan overlooks one of the world’s most beautiful beaches. Even so, the cool and laidback venue chooses to plant a 40” TV above its bar so that punters turn their backs on the sun sinking on the horizon as well as the colourful long-tail boats and the turquoise sparkling sea in order to watch sports feeds.

    But on any given afternoon, at Fidel's you can chill out with friends and be offered a large variety of the finest spirits and tempting cocktails along with some lighter meals and snacks.

    Location: Havana Beach Resort, 47/5 Moo 5, Thong Nai Pan Yai, Koh Phangan, Surat Thani 84280, Thailand

    Open: Daily from 10 am to midnight

    Map
  • 8

    Sand Bar

    Drinks and reggae tunes

    Sand Bar
    • Nightlife

    Sand Bar is a cool spot that stands by the massage parlours on the outskirts of town at Thong Nai Pan Beach. Sand is a little more upbeat than the simpler, nearby beach bamboo-and-thatch night venues on the same strip.

    It's a cool spot to drop by for a drink in the shade by day, and come evenings, the venue promises an 'international funky house DJ' so you’ll get more lively tunes than Bob Marley here. Sand Bar also offers various services such as tattoos and car and motorcycle hire.

    Location: 8/39 Moo 5, Thong Nai Pan Noi, Baan Tai, Koh Phangan, Surat Thani 84280, Thailand

    Open: Daily from 11 am to 11 pm

    Phone: +66 (0)96 403 2768

    Map
  • 9

    Black Moon Party

    Monthly revelry in Koh Phangan

    Black Moon Party
    • Nightlife

    Black Moon Party on Koh Phangan is a monthly celebration that brings Mac’s Bay of Baan Tai Beach (on the island’s southern coast) to life with DJs spinning underground trance and progressive dance beats. 

    The event was established by Blackmoon Culture in 1999 and has since become one of the largest parties on the island. There’s also a focus on art, which you might not find in full moon parties that take place on Haad Rin Beach.

    Read more

    Location: Baan Tai Beach, Koh Phangan, Surat Thani 84330, Thailand

    Map

    photo by mabi2000 (CC BY-SA 2.0) modified

  • 10

    Half Moon Party

    Koh Phangan's smaller monthly celebration

    Half Moon Party
    • Nightlife

    Half-moon parties on Koh Phangan – also known as the Half Moon Festival – are distinctly smaller than the renowned full moon parties of Haad Rin Beach. Even so, it remains among the most popular open-air raves in Thailand. Held in a small forest clearing about 2 km inland from Baan Tai (on the island’s southern coast), they feature a lively atmosphere and excellent local DJs spinning trance, techno and house.

    Unlike the full moon and black moon parties, the waxing and waning of the moon mean that there are 2 half-moon parties each month.

    Read more

    Location: 72/39 Moo 2, Baan Tai, Koh Phangan, Surat Thani 84280, Thailand

    Phone: +66 (0)91 445 1444

    Map

    photo by Davidlohr Bueso (CC BY 2.0) modified

Stephan Audiger | Compulsive Traveller