A couple enjoys a romantic moment on Haan Rin beach, the site of the Full Moon Party.
Tourists document the moonrise on their phones on Haan Rin beach, the site of the Full Moon Party.
A tourist does the limbo under a flaming rod on Haan Rin beach.
A couple share an intimate moment while revellers around then inspect the ocean water.
Two children decide to take on the "Hang-Man" Challenge, ushered onto stage by the host of the game.
A fire juggler entertains the crowds.
Writer Julien Blanc-Gras stands in awe of the "Hang-Man" Challenge.
The view from the DJ booth on Haan Rin beach.
Revellers dance on Haan Rin beach.
Revellers dance on Haan Rin beach.
Young Thai bartenders await their next order behind the informal beach bars on Haan Rin beach.
A tourist sips a bucket of alcohol outside the 7-Eleven on Haan Rin beach.
A young man received a tattoo as friends look on and a girl hold his hand in a tattoo parlour on Haan Rin beach.
A couple laugh hysterically after inhaling a balloon of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas.
A couple dances on Haan Rin beach.
Spectators watch a tourist catch the flames of a jump rope at the Full Moon Party.
Two men express glee while jumping a flaming skipping rope at the Full Moon Party.
A man with handheld fireworks poses for a photo on Haan Rin beach.
A reveller is patched up at the emergency services tent.
The sleeping area set up next to the emergency services tent for those who have had too much to drink.
A young man fans a comatose woman.
As dawn breaks, some revellers choose to sleep on the beach.
As dawn breaks, a couple watches the sunrise on the beach.
Thai beach cleaners watch with amusement as some tourists continue dancing in the daylight at dawn on Haan Rin beach.
Two men share a slurring conversation at dawn in a beach bar on Haan Rin beach.
A cuddle puddle on the beach at dawn.
Two dogs play fight on Haan Rin beach.
Love, and other drugs
Set over the course of a single night, the famous Full Moon Party on Ko Phangan becomes a lens through which to examine the contradictions of modern backpacker culture. Beneath the spectacle of fire shows, intoxication and tropical escapism lies a more complex reality shaped by overtourism, environmental pressures, social media performance, and the uneasy relationship between global tourism and local life. Shot for Le Nouvel Obs.