You wake up covered in god knows what, on a couch you’ve never seen before in your life. The sun is shining brightly into your eyes with an unmatched, blinding intensity. You can’t remember what happened last night, or how you got to where you are this morning. That’s probably because you attended one of the best parties ever. Want to get an idea about where you can find these epic bashes? They’re all over the world, and we’re happy to tell you.
No. 10 – El Tunco, El Salvador
Many people have never heard of El Tunco, but rest assured, when sun starts to set this small Salvadoran coastal town knows how to party. Backpackers, surfers, and locals all come together every afternoon on the beach to party as they watch one of the most beautiful sunsets imaginable. The beach gets quite lively as the sun gets closer to setting. Many different types of music can be heard and any kind of alcohol imaginable is sold along the beach to make for a great time.
As night time begins everyone makes their way to the many bars located along the main strip of the town. What makes this town so fun to party in is the unity of the people. El Tunco feels as though it is an extended family that has gotten together for a family reunion. To top it off beers only cost about a dollar and mixed drinks only two. If you get the drunk munchies El Tunco has some great little restaurants that make pupusas and other traditional Salvadoran foods until the bars close.
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No. 9 – Mardi Gras (New Orleans, USA)
This annual festival is celebrated on Fat Tuesday and has the reputation of being one of the most out of control parties in the world. Alcohol is being consumed in the streets, girls are flashing their breasts for beads, and people are dressed up in crazy costumes. Mardi Gras is often referred to as the “Greatest Free Show On Earth,” because of the abundant free parades and constant circus atmosphere. Every Mardi Gras parade Krewe has its own theme, with some of them being in existence for decades.
The locals of New Orleans absolutely love their celebration. The city goes as far as shutting down streets to ensure the celebration goes down as a success. The celebration is so popular that experts estimated that 90%-95% of hotels in the metro area were booked with a month left before Mardi Gras started in 2015. The colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold, and are the traditional colors worn during the celebration. Purple represents justice, green is faith, and gold depicts power. If you can manage to book a hotel for this world renowned party make sure you wear the colors to fit the part.
No. 8 – Mallorca, Spain
This Spanish island is often overlooked because of its proximity with Ibiza, a destination we’ll get to shortly. Although not as famous, Mallorca may be just as much fun as its neighbouring party island. Magaluf is the area most go to party and it’s much more of a bar scene. The bars are in a very compact area, and while the venues may be a bit on the small side the people attending are some of the craziest partiers in the world. The close proximity of the bars only enhances this night long party, ensuring everyone easy access to cheap drinks that fuel the drunken debauchery going on each night.
Something else to mention is how many diverse cultures all clash together. There are Swedes, British, Australians, Germans, French, Americans, and every other European nationality you can imagine all partying and having fun in unison. Everyone in Mallorca partying has such a great night that the party typically doesn’t end until the sun starts to rise. Partying during the day is not as common in Mallorca as it is many other party islands, but the beaches are gorgeous and there are occasionally some parties on yachts anchored in the coves. With cheaper airlines becoming more popular this destination can be a great party vacation on a budget.
No. 7 – Las Vegas, USA
Sin City truly deserves its place on this list due to having some of the craziest pool parties in the world. Why go to a strip club and pay all that money when you can just go to a pool party and see girls already stripped down. When night falls pools start to clear out as party goers head back to their hotel rooms to prepare for the long night ahead. Vegas is well known for having some of the most spectacular clubs in North America. Huge DJs and artists are booked each weekend so there is always fun to be had.
Many people suggest getting bottle service to skip long waiting lines at the clubs, but if you do be prepared to spend a nice chunk of cash. What makes partying in Las Vegas stand out is that you can do whatever you want at anytime you want. You can party all day and night if you please and if you get tired of that there countless other activities for you, including getting some good old fashioned rest. Las Vegas is an experience like no other.
No. 6 – Beirut, Lebanon
Based on history, you might not have expected this one. Beirut is a beautiful coastal city that has great parties all summer long from early afternoon until sun up the next morning. It’s common for people to grab breakfast before getting some shut eye after a hard night of partying. There are many clubs along the beach, many of which rank as some of the most stylish clubs to step foot in. Many of the big clubs in Beirut are of the rooftop variety, and light up the night all over the city. The atmosphere and music of rooftop clubs really enhances the partying and drinking each night.
One thing to note is how the people of Lebanon dress really elegantly when they go out. It’s imperative that you make sure you wear something nice when you go out at night in Beirut; otherwise you could have trouble getting into some of the top clubs. There’s a lot of fun to be had in Beirut, and the city definitely lives up to the title “Party Capital of the Middle East.”
No. 5 – Ibiza, Spain
Often referred to as the dance music capital of the world, Ibiza thrives during the summer months, and is definitely one of the most fun places to party. Tourists drinking all day at clubs along the beach keep you entertained, but it is the nightclubs that really stand out. With top notch DJ’s at all the clubs you party hard until sun up every night of the week. What separates this island from other electronic music meccas is that every night during the summer months there are multiple world famous dj’s performing.
Ibiza is not only the electronic music capital of the world, but also holds the biggest club in the world. The name of this club is “Privilege” and can hold around 10,000 people. Make sure to drink heavily before going to the clubs or be prepared to spend a lot of money because Ibiza is an expensive town to go out in. If you love electronic music and aren’t afraid to spend some money Ibiza is an unforgettable party experience.
No. 4 – Ios, Greece
Ios, Greece is a tiny island located between the islands of Mykonos and Santorini. Of all the Greek islands, Ios takes the gold medal for the best partying. During the summer, tourists from all over the globe come to the island and drink from noon until the sun rises the next morning. It’s a non-stop, alcohol fueled extravaganza. During the day, everybody goes to the beaches and the booze flows freely. At night, the drunk vacationers head back to the town of Chora, where they resume their heavy drinking at hostels and bars.
Because the island is so tiny, a ferry must be taken to arrive at Ios, and even on the ferry absurd amounts of alcohol are consumed by many of the passengers before they’ve even arrived to the island. The people partying in Ios may be hammered, but easy going and extremely friendly. There are bars everywhere throughout the town, and like Mallorca, Ios is on the cheap side, so it’s a great party destination when you’re on a budget. Because Chora is situated on a massive hill, you’ll see some pretty spectacular sunsets, which is a huge bonus.
No. 3 – Carnival (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Over a million people attend Carnival in Rio de Janeiro each year making it the largest carnival and parade in the world – basically, it’s Mardi Gras on steroids. It is a five day celebration finishing on Fat Tuesday before Lent. Carnival has lavish parades featuring dancing and beautiful exotic costumes. Many of the dancers and floats took months to prepare so when parading down the streets they are perfect. One of the more popular activities to attend is the samba competitions. Here you will witness some of the best samba dancers the world has to offer.
Obviously there is also a lot of drinking during the festival throughout the city. Street parties are pretty common and the bars and clubs are a ton of fun in Rio. This event has some of the most amazing parties showing off Brazilian culture all day and all night. Lapa is often considered the heart of nightlife in Rio, but Copacobana throws down hard as well. Rio can hold its own even when Carnival is not being celebrated, but this festival makes the city that much more enjoyable.
No. 2 – Full Moon Party (Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand)
As the name suggests, this party occurs for a few nights around every full moon on the Thai island Koh Pha Ngan. All night, tourists from all around the world party along the beach, sometimes with more than 20,000 people boozing and dancing the night away. Once the full moon is over, the island becomes tranquil until the next full moon is getting close. Just like much of Southeast Asia, everything from drinks to housing accommodations are very cheap and affordable.
When it comes to alcohol, you buy it typically by the bucket and it usually contains a soda, energy drink, and about eight shots worth of liquor. Two of these and you’ll probably be done for the night, especially when you’ve had a hot sun beating down on you all day. Speakers aligned on the beach blast all different types of music until the sun rises in the morning. There are people dancing, skipping rope that’s been set on fire, and skinny dipping in the ocean. Crazy to think that the full moon events started off as a couple backpackers throwing a party along the beach on the night of a full moon. Koh Phangan is another party island that has no airport, so you will need to take a ferry to attend this epic bash.
No. 1 – Spring Break (Cancun, Mexico)
Hands down, for one week of the year, the most drunk people in the world are college spring breakers and those who decide to trek to Cancun to party with them. There are a lot of famous (or should we say infamous?) spring break destinations, but none can match Cancun. Spring breakers in Cancun are the craziest partiers in the world, drinking all day, every day during the stay. Massive amounts of alcohol are consumed, leading to some potentially regrettable decisions but unparalleled stories.
With all-inclusive resorts, students and other spring breakers can drink as much alcohol as they’d like without having to worry about spending any more cash. Free liquor aids in the party that goes on at all times, but because it gets so crowded around the bar, having a bottle of liquor in your hotel room is suggested. At night, many students take buses to the “Party Zone” that’s home to clubs and bars that are just as much fun as the resorts, and they often don’t close until the sun comes up. If you’re looking for the craziest party in the world, you can’t do much better than Cancun during spring break.
This feature originally appeared in Toptenz.