Koh Samui Entertainment

Koh Samui is a party island, and bars and discos can be found all over, with Lamai and Chaweng having the highest density of nightlife. Parties continue late into the night and the nightlife caters for a wide variety of tastes.

However, if you fancy some time away from the beach and nightlife, there are other more sedate offerings. You can learn more about Thai food and how to cook it at the Culinary Institute at Chawen, or you can learn about other aspects of Thai culture by studying Thai massage or language.

Nightlife

Samui is a small island with two main areas for nightlife: Chaweng and Lamai. Lamai is the choice if you want a quieter time: it is smaller, cheaper and some say friendlier than Chaweng. For something different at the right time of the month, the famous Full Moon Party on nearby Koh Phan Ngan can be worth the short boat trip.

The action in Chaweng is centred on the very lively area around the Green Mango disco and the short soi (lane) that leads to it. This bar area is compact and transportation is not needed to get around. There are a truly amazing number of venues in a small area. It is also renowned for change, with any new trends in music being quickly catered for in Chaweng.

Discos offer the opportunity to dance the night away or to just sit and watch others reveling in the party centre of this tropical island. The Reggae Pub, which was Koh Samuis first disco, can also be found at Chaweng. These days it caters more for an older clientele, with the younger crowd opting for the more crowded Green Mango.

Smaller and quieter, there is less going on in Lamai than in Chaweng, but there is still lots to do here. In Lamai, the action is centred on either side of a central road that runs through the middle. There are two main bar areas: the Night Plaza, which is near to the landmark of the Bungee Catapult, and the Round Bars, which surround an open-air boxing ring. At the latter, you can drink and catch the boxing, and on some nights, there is even womens boxing, which attracts a large crowd. The Bikers and Rock Pub offers live music rock of course, but the bands tend to be good quality, while the main disco in this area is Bauhaus.

Koh Samui and the surrounding islands have also become famous for their all-night beach parties. These parties are really for the wild at heart and younger tourists. The famous Full Moon Party on Koh Phan Ngan is still probably the biggest beach party in Thailand. However, if you want to go, you need to get a boat there and back.

Other beach parties include the more restrained Black Moon Party, which can be found on Koh Som and which is a far shorter boat trip away than Koh Phan Ngan. There is also the more restrained and well organised Freedom Beat beach party on a small beach near Chaweng, which is probably worth trying before taking any boat trips. All-night taxis will take you home from this event at any time.

Theatre and music

There are no theatres on Koh Samui. Live music performances on Koh Samui are usually of the modern music variety and found in some of the islands bars. There is however an annual music festival, which is held from late September to early October, and which generally draws some big international bands and singers.

Festivals

It has been said that the Thai people just love a party and in keeping with this, the three New Year celebrations on Koh Samui are big events.

• The European New Year is welcomed in with all-night parties and a countdown, which starts on December 31 and finishes on January 1.
• In February, the Chinese New Year is celebrated over several days.
• Songkhran, the traditional Thai New Year, officially starts on April 13 and finishes on April 15, but often a few extra days are added to the start and end. It has become a celebration that is characterised by huge but good-natured water fights which last during the daylight hours of the festival. As this is a time of intense heat, being doused by water can be a welcome relief.
• Later in the year, the celebration of Loy Krathong is a particularly beautiful and quieter festival. It falls on the day of the full moon in November. On this day, Thai people launch little floats with flowers, a coin and candles onto the water. As the night falls, thousands of little lights can be seen rippling on the water.