What Are The Most Epic Full Moon Festivals?
Full moon festivals are most notably associated with the Chinese and Vietnamese people, who have been celebrating the annual Mid-Autumn Moon festival for centuries to celebrate the successful reaping of their crops.
What are the most epic full moon festivals? The most epic full moon festivals are spread across the globe, and attending these festivals are a bucket-list must. While you’ll have to travel to attend these festivals, there’s no doubt that they’re well worth the trip.
Today, full moon festivals are celebrations that occur once a month during the full moon, which signifies peace and harmony. These celebrations take place all over the globe, notoriously in spiritual earth communities and drum circles. However, anyone can partake in these festivals to celebrate the values that the full moon represents.
The Most Epic Full Moon Festivals
There are so many epic full moon festivals that take place all over the world. These 5 Full Moon Festivals are some of the most epic celebrations that you should definitely be a part of.
The reason that these festivals are the most epic is that they are the largest and take place in gorgeous, scenic locations. Many of them feature performances from big name artists and DJ’s, and cocktails and music keep the party going all night long.
The Most Epic Moon Festivals:
- Haad Rin Beach – Koh Phangan, Thailand
- Anjuna Beach – Goa, India
- Benirras Beach – Ibiza Spain
- Kendwa Beach – Zanzibar, Tanzania
- Magnetic Island, Australia
Thailand is the absolute first place that should come to mind when you think of a full moon festival. Party-goers flock from all over the beach to enjoy spectacles like fire dancing and body painting.
Fireworks are lit over the beach where you are allowed to swim during the festival. The beach is so large that there are multiple areas to listen to different types of music and engage in different activities. This party hosts over 30,000 people, making it the most epic moon festival in the world.
The full moon festival in Goa, India is an epic all-night rave painted with unforgettably bright colors on white sand beaches. People often begin the celebration by enjoying singing and dancing around large bonfires the night before the full moon.
The next morning, party-goers gather in the street and throw and spray vivid die at each other and straight up into the air, making each guest covered in a rainbow of colors. The large beach is separated into three different areas, where attendees can enjoy the parties on white sand beaches with crystal clear water.
Benirras beach is the party capital of the Mediterranean, and the parties here begin with large drum circles that evolve into wild parties. The isolated location and scenic views make this the perfect place to host crazy, monthly full moon parties.
The parties at Kendwa beach in Tanzania are attended by thousands of people from around the world looking for a wild and crazy night.
A local hotel, bar, and restaurant coordinate the evens, such as lighting up a statue similar to the Burning Man Festival. This festival takes place on the Saturday closest to the full moon, so this is a festival for people more interested in all night dance parties than the traditional celebrations of the moon.
Magnetic Beach in Australia is home to the Full Moon Down Under party, which is fairly new with it’s first celebration taking place in 2004.
This full moon party draws its inspiration from our most epic moon party in Thailand. Local and international DJ’s perform while attendees enjoy cocktail buckets, body-painting, and playing with fire.
All About Full Moon Music Festivals
While each full moon festival is unique in some ways, full moon festivals almost all begin with traditional celebrations and transform into full-blown parties.
There are many things that you can expect to find at most moon festivals, from small celebrations to the most epic parties.
What to Expect:
- Drum Circles
- Lanterns
- Drinking
- Rave Style Music
- Body Painting
Most moon festivals will begin by having traditional drum circles, usually around a bonfire and/or with fire dancers. You can either join in the singing and dancing around the fire or if that’s not your thing, just sit back and enjoy.
Many moon festivals include the attendees releasing lit lanterns that rise up to display a gorgeous spectacle in the night sky
Once the drum circle turns into a full blown party makeshift bars pop-up all around the location where party-goers can get buckets of alcohol. These parties definitely aren’t designed for children or those under the legal drinking age.
You won’t find calming and tranquil music here. DJ’s spinning trap and EDM style music keep the party going all night. At the bigger festivals, you can expect to see some big name artists.
While there may not be people there specifically to paint your body (although some due), the party-goers often paint themselves and each other. People throw paint and dye into the air, so expect you and your clothes to to be covered in bright, glowing colors.
Full Moon Festival Essential Packing List
Winging it when it comes to packing is definitely not a thing you want to do with this type of festival. You don’t need to pack suitcases on suitcases of things, but there are some major essentials that you should bring with you.
You don’t want to be stranded in potentially a foreign country with nothing but paint-soaked clothes and $20.
Festival Essentials:
- Your ticket! (if you need one)
- Cash
- A tent
- A sleeping bag and pillow
- Earplugs
- Reusable Water Bottle
- Portable Battery Pack
- Blanket
- Rain Poncho
- Change of clean clothes and clothes you are okay with throwing away afterwards
- Wet Wipes
If your festival requires a ticket, this it THE MOST IMPORTANT thing to remember. Otherwise you can’t get in, and then nothing else matters.
Bring enough cash with you and then some to buy food and drinks. Make sure to convert the currency if you’re traveling to another country.
You’ll need a sheltered place to sleep most likely for a few days before and after the festival. There is probably a 0% chance you’re getting a hotel room, so a tent is a must.
You’ll need a sleeping bag to either sleep on top of if it’s hot or sleep in if it’s not. This is especially important if you’re going to be somewhere that gets cold at night. Bringing a pillow is for your own comfort.
People are going to be partying at all hours of the day and night, so if you want to get any sleep at all, you’ll need some quality earplugs.
If you’re going to be dancing and drinking alcohol, you need to stay hydrated. Bring a refillable water bottle with you or you’ll spend a fortune on water.
Remember, you’re going to be in huge crowds, and in that kind of environment it’s crazy easy to lose your friends. So bring a portable battery pack to keep your phone charged to find your friends or in case of emergency.
Bring a blanket to cover up with at night and to lay on the ground during the festival so you don’t have to sit on the ground.
For the love of god bring a rain poncho. You will hate yourself if it starts pouring and you don’t have one. Not only will you be soaking wet, you’ll probably be freezing cold and could be putting yourself at risk for hypothermia.
The night of the festival, no matter where you are, you are guaranteed to be covered in paint and dye. So pack clothes that you are totally cool with throwing away afterwards.
There’s no rescuing them after the fact. Also remember clean clothes to change into, or you’ll be sleeping in paint clothes for days.
Full moon festivals aren’t all located on beaches where you can just go to rinse off. Wet wipes will save your life if you’re landlocked, because there’s not really another good way to get all that paint off.
Tips For Beginner Festival-Goers
Even if you’ve never been to a festival before, you can still have a great experience. Being a new festival goer doesn’t mean you have to have a bumpy ride if you follow these tips.
These are tips and tricks for professional festival-goers, so this is a solid way for you to learn from their mistakes.
Festival Tips:
- Get your ticket as soon as they go on sale.
- Join a camp
- Account for traffic en route
- Bring a small bag
If you festival requires a ticket, be prepared to buy them immediately when they go on sale. These festivals are popular and you don’t want to miss out. If you do, join online forums where you may be able to buy them from someone else.
Use social media to find a camp. This is a group of people that camp out together and often hang out together at the festival. It’s a great way to meet new people, and it’s so true that there’s safety in numbers.
Try to find people who share your interests, or if you’re going to a foreign country, speak your language.
Don’t forget to account for traffic getting to the festival, no matter how you’re getting there. It’s probably going to take you hours to get to the festival grounds from your house, your hotel, an airport, or wherever you are.
Your best bet is to get there days ahead of time, and camp out before the festival. This will also help you get a primo campsite.
The most important thing is to remember a small bag to carry things like your water bottle and rain poncho. Small backpacks are good for this, but remember that it won’t be hard for people to steal things if there are small zippered pockets or an easily opened top.
The best thing to keep your belongings safe, secure, and on your person is a fanny pack.
And there’s everything you need to know about how and where to attend the best full moon festivals. With this guide, you should know exactly where to go, what to expect when you get there, and how to ensure that you have a seamless festival experience.
Whether you’re traveling across the globe or staying somewhere local, you’re bound to make lifelong memories as you celebrate the waxing and waning of the full moon.
