10 Best Party Beaches in the World

Palm-fringed Miami Beach is home to a collection of beaches, each with its own unique character. The epicentre of the party scene is around the glitz and glamour of South Beach, where Miami is at its most unabashedly excessive. A glorious stretch of white sand lined with Art Deco clubs and bars, there's a retro flair to Miami Beach that makes it unlike anywhere else in town.

Highlights include pastel-hued Nikki Beach Club, an upscale spot attracting models and celebrities who come to sip champagne to a soundtrack of salsa and hip-hop. Elsewhere, the famous SLS Pool Party sees Miami’s most beautiful donning their swimsuits and letting loose to the latest EDM music in luxurious, poolside surrounds. This extravagant outdoor event offers a quintessentially sun-soaked South Beach party experience.

Let's get this party started

The spiritual home of Spring Break, Cancun is a buzzing resort town located at the heart of Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Composed of 2 distinct areas, the traditional Centro and the livelier Zona Hotelera, Cancun is renowned for its happening bars, booming nightclubs and wild beach parties.

One of the most famous clubs in Cancun, Coco Bongo is a must for any visitor seeking a wild night out. A kind of nightclub-cum-circus offering a smorgasbord of performances, an evening at Coco Bongo is an unmissable Cancun experience. What’s more, all tickets include access to an open bar, making this the ideal place to really let loose.

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Home to not 1 but 2 of the world’s best party beaches – Copacabana and Ipanema – Brazil’s cultural capital has developed a well-deserved reputation as a first-rate seaside party city.

Copacabana, by far Rio’s most famous beach, is definitely worth a visit, if only to enjoy the daily carnival of performance and posing that unfolds there. Yet the best parties are to be found at Ipanema beach, where a more relaxed vibe prevails and live Samba music can be enjoyed with freshly mixed caipirinha cocktails at any time of day. Relaxed and sophisticated, Bar Astor is a perfect spot for respite from the sun with stunning views across Ipanema and one of Rio’s very best gin and tonics.

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Koh Phangan is home to several lively beaches where great nightlife can be found, but there’s one that stands out among all others as the best party beach in the whole of Thailand. Haad Rin Beach, made up of Sunset Beach and the larger Sunrise Beach, has been the location for Koh Phangan’s famous Full Moon Party since 1985.

An iconic beach party famous across the globe, the Full Moon Party attracts thousands of people every month to its no-holds-barred hedonism fuelled by cheap booze that, quite literally, comes served by the bucketload. Psytrance, drum and bass and house music booms out until past sunrise as revellers dance and mingle on Haad Rin’s iconic white sand well into the next day. Expect glow sticks, body paint and a seriously wild atmosphere.

Count me in!

Perched at the very tip of Mexico’s rugged Baja peninsula, Cabo San Lucas, often known as simply as Cabo, is renowned for its stunning beaches as much as it is for excellent nightlife. The action is centred around Playa El Medano, which is filled with buzzing beach bars that serve up authentic cocktails and fresh seafood throughout the day.

By night, Cabo comes to life as the number 1 nightclub hotspot on the Baja, with multi-storey venues such as Mandala and Crush hosting events showcasing EDM DJ’s from across the world. For those seeking a more refined experience, the swanky bars around Camino Real make a great spot for cocktails and cultured conversation. One of the best is the romantic Bar Esquina, which serves sophisticated drinks in even more polished surrounds and showcases local acoustic guitarists.

Yes, I'm in

Bali’s newest beach party destination, Canggu has overtaken tired, old Kuta as the top party zone on the island. The surfing hotspot of Finns Beach Club is a must-visit for party lovers in Canggu – a chic spot decked out in bamboo with outdoor bars set around a massive pool area. Overlooking the stunning Berawa Beach, Finns is home to some of the best nightlife in all of Bali, hosting iconic names in house, techno and trance music throughout the year.

Elsewhere, Old Man’s down at Batu Bolong Beach provides an altogether more chilled nightlife experience that’s still sure to live long in the memory. Sipping on a cold Bintang beer in a traditional thatched hut, you would be forgiven for pondering why life can’t always be so wonderfully simple.

Dive in

Cascais is where Portugal’s young and beautiful people go to party. A resort town not far from Lisbon, most of the action here is centred around the gorgeous stretch of sand known as Praia da Rainha. All summer long, beach bars pump out trendy house music and serve delicious (if pricey) cocktails to sun-baked revellers from across Portugal and Europe.

By night, Cascais transforms into a hive of hedonistic activity as beach clubs, such as the Taj, Heat and the Jazz Club, throw enormous parties that continue well into the wee hours of the morning. Expect a mixture of locals and tourists jostling for space on sprawling dance floors to a soundtrack of distinctly Latin flavours including Reggaeton and Brazilian Funky.

Beach, please

Greece and its islands have long been a centre of summertime fun, and these days some of the most exciting party beaches are located on Mykonos. The hedonism here is centred on the beaches to the west and south of the island, with Buddha Bar at Ornos Bay one of the current must-visit spots. Known for cutting-edge music, tasty food and good-value cocktails, it would be easy to spend your entire party beach holiday at this one amazing spot.

That would be a mistake because, during long, warm nights on Mykonos, clubs such as the uber-hip at54 open late and close only when the rest of the island heads off to work. Every year, EDM DJ’s of the highest calibre are paid huge fees to play epic all-nighter sets for the thousands of partygoers who flock to this vibrant island. Venues such as VOID and Skandinavian are nightlife heavyweights on Mykonos that should form an essential part of any party beach holiday here.

Join the fun

Seaside Heights is quite simply the East Coast of America’s top beach party destination. Unpretentious and relaxed, the vibe here is refreshingly carefree. Legendary beach bars such as Beachcombers and Jimbo’s serve cold beer and cocktails down on the sand, making the Jersey Shore an ideal location for summertime beach parties.

Then there are the nightclubs of Seaside Heights, which remain packed all year long and are renowned for their casual, fun-loving vibe. Local favourites include Karma and Bamboo – 2 extremely buzzy spots boasting neon lights, palm trees and enormous dance floors. People flock to these clubs throughout the summer to enjoy an eclectic playlist of EDM, hip-hop and pop classics.

I'm ready to party