A two-day electronic music festival on the quieter north side of Koh Tao: international DJs, an outdoor jungle stage, and the kind of small-island intimacy that Koh Phangan's Full Moon Party lost years ago.
Hii Festival takes place on Koh Tao, the smallest of the three main party islands in the Gulf of Thailand, in a location deliberately chosen to contrast with the scale of the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan. The venue is in the jungle and beach area on the island's less-developed north coast, accessible from Mae Haad pier (the main arrival point for ferries from Chumphon and Koh Samui) by songthaew or short walk. Capacity is capped at around 2,000 people, which keeps the festival intimate. The music programme covers house, techno, and electronic acts primarily from the European and Australian club circuits.
Koh Tao's main reputation is as a scuba diving destination: it is one of the cheapest places in the world to get a PADI Open Water certification (USD 250–300 for the three-day course), and the dive schools around Mae Haad and Sairee Beach are the economic backbone of the island. The festival draws a crowd that is often already on the island for diving and extends their stay for the music. The combination works practically: dive in the morning, rest in the afternoon, festival in the evening. The island has limited nightlife infrastructure by comparison to Koh Phangan, which means the festival is the nightlife rather than an addition to an existing scene. Getting to Koh Tao involves a ferry from Chumphon (two hours, THB 250) or Koh Samui (two hours, THB 500).
Party hostels within reach of 's main celebrations. Ranked by guest rating.
Day-by-day breakdown
Most dive schools do a single morning dive and a single afternoon dive; if you are mid-certification during festival weekend, check with your dive school whether night activities after a full dive day are advisable (most schools recommend no night diving or alcohol within 12 hours of diving). Freedom Beach on the north of the island, near the festival site, is a good afternoon recovery spot: calm water, minimal crowd, and 10 minutes by songthaew from Sairee Beach. Eat properly before the evening; festival food options are limited.
The festival opens from 6pm. The jungle stage uses the natural tree canopy as the acoustic ceiling, which creates a sound environment genuinely different from a tent or open-field stage. The main DJ sets run from 10pm to 4am, with the headliner typically at 1am. The small crowd means dancefloor position is accessible throughout the night. The ferry schedule the morning after matters: the first ferry from Mae Haad to Chumphon leaves at 7am; if you are catching onward transport, the walk from the festival site to the pier takes about 25 minutes.
Getting to Koh Tao Hii Festival from Bangkok , Koh Samui , and Koh Phangan