Full Moon Parties and Beach Events in Santa Teresa

For the weekly party map, not just full moons, see best parties in Santa Teresa. Santa Teresa doesn't do nightlife the way most beach towns do. There's no strip of neon signs, no cover-charge bouncers, no bottle-service culture. What you get instead is something harder to manufacture: a town that genuinely knows how to celebrate, built around the moon, the tides, and whoever showed up this week. These are the recurring events and beach gatherings worth planning around.

The short version

1. Full moon at Ranchos Itauna: the long running one, on the beach with a bonfire. Ask on WhatsApp +506 8822-8575 for the price.
2. Jungle full moons: ticketed, secret location, $28 to $55.50, announced a day or two ahead.
3. Deep Tuesday and Saturday SoundLab at Ranchos: weekly sunset parties with DJs and fire shows.
4. Banana Beach: nightly live music to 1am, with a weekly party night.
5. Getting home: no Uber or Bolt, so book a taxi before you go.

The Full Moon at Ranchos Itauna

If you ask any long-timer what the single best recurring event in Santa Teresa is, most will say the full moon party at Ranchos Itauna. This Brazilian-run venue on the beach has made the full moon its signature, and it earns the reputation. Bonfires on the sand, dancing under open sky, a sound system that somehow doesn't feel out of place next to the ocean. The crowd is international, energetic, and genuinely mixed between travelers and residents.

A few practical things to know:

• The full moon falls on a different day each month, so check a lunar calendar before you book flights or accommodation around it.
• Accommodation nearby books up weeks or months in advance for full moon weekends. If you're planning specifically for this, sort your stay early.
• Ranchos Itauna also runs Deep Tuesday, a weekly day and sunset beach party with DJs, a bonfire and fire shows, and Saturday SoundLab, a second weekly DJ session in the same format. If you miss the full moon, these are the consolation.

Ordinary full moons at Ranchos have no published price, so confirm entry and start times by WhatsApp on +506 8822-8575, and expect things to get going properly after 10pm. Its biggest ticketed night, New Year's Eve, sold at $44.50 early and $55.50 general in 2025.

After Ranchos: Tikiliano and Somos

Kika used to be the closest thing Santa Teresa had to a proper club. It is closed. La Lora Amarilla is closed too. For a crowd after 10pm, go to Tikiliano, which is open until about 2:30am Wednesday to Saturday. La Pasión, the speakeasy under Koji's, went quiet after April 2026 and Google lists it as permanently closed. Drift is a restaurant and bar that closes at 10pm, so it is a dinner stop, not an after party. Dress code is still: flip flops are fine, sandy feet are expected.

If you're newer to the area, read the nightlife guide for Santa Teresa first.

Next Full Moons

The full moons in Costa Rica time are Sunday 25 October 2026, Tuesday 24 November, Wednesday 23 December, Friday 22 January 2027, Saturday 20 February and Monday 22 March. Promoters often move a big party to the nearest weekend, so a Tuesday full moon can become a Saturday event. Follow the Ranchos Itaúna and promoter Instagram accounts, and book your stay before you buy a ticket. The December and January dates fall in the dry season and fill the nearby rooms weeks ahead. The events calendar and the New Year's Eve guide carry the high season dates.

Tickets and What They Cost

Weekly nights at Ranchos Itaúna, Somos and Tikiliano publish no regular cover. The ticketed nights are the big ones. Jungle Productions' January 2026 jungle full moon ran $28 to $55.50 through Starticket, and Ranchos' 2025 New Year's Eve sold at $44.50 early and $55.50 general. Use the promoter's Starticket page or the venue's own WhatsApp. Do not buy a ticket from a stranger's direct message.

Getting There and Getting Home

There is no Uber or Bolt in Santa Teresa. Ranchos sits on the beach between the two main breaks, and the walk back is on an unlit stretch of road. Book a WhatsApp driver or Pantera Transportation on +506 8591 9555, which runs 24 hours, before you go out, and expect $15 to $20 for a ride after midnight. Jungle parties sit up dirt roads in the hills, and the promoter usually runs a shuttle or gives a pickup point, so read the ticket page. Never ride a quad or scooter home after drinking. The safety guide and the taxis guide have the rest.

Sunset as a Daily Event

Before any of the late-night stuff matters, there's the sunset. In Santa Teresa this is not a tourist cliche, it's a genuine daily ritual that the whole town participates in. People drift toward the beach starting around 5pm, drinks in hand, boards under arms. No one organizes it. No one needs to.

Rocamar is the most dramatic spot for this, with swings positioned directly in the sand at the water's edge. The crowd fills in around 5:30pm and the golden light lasts until roughly 6:30pm before the venue shifts into dinner mode. If you want a swing at sunset, arrive by 5:15pm.

For a full rundown of where to watch the sun go down, the sunset spots guide covers the whole stretch from Carmen to Mal Pais.

Banana Beach Bar: Mondays and Surf Culture

Banana Beach has nightly live music, a bonfire and 2 for 1 drinks, and is open until 1am. Secondary sources place its party nights on Monday, with a surf heat and fire shows, and on Wednesday. Check its Instagram for the party night that week. It is one of the more locally rooted recurring events on the calendar, less polished than the full moon parties but often more fun for exactly that reason.

If you're curious about the surf culture that feeds into these events, the surf guide for Santa Teresa gives you the full picture.

Weekly Rhythms Worth Knowing

The town runs on loose rhythms rather than fixed schedules. A few that hold up consistently as of mid-2026:

• Tuesday: Deep Tuesday at Ranchos Itaúna, a day and sunset beach party
• Saturday: Tikiliano's electronic set and SoundLab at Ranchos Itaúna, typically the biggest night of the week
• Monday and Wednesday: Banana Beach, depending on that week's party night
• Thursday Market in Santa Teresa, which isn't nightlife but is a genuine community gathering point. The Thursday market guide covers it properly.
• Weekly yoga and wellness events that occasionally cross into community ceremony territory, especially around new and full moons. The breathwork and cacao ceremonies guide covers that side of the full moon calendar.

The best way to find out what's actually happening on any given night is still the old-fashioned method: ask your server at lunch, check the community boards at The Bakery, or just walk the main road after 6pm and follow the sound.

Jungle Parties and Pop-Up Events

A few times a month, usually during high season (December through April) but occasionally in green season too, private jungle parties happen away from the main road. These are word-of-mouth events, sometimes ticketed, sometimes not. Your best sources are the staff at wherever you're staying, other travelers who've been here a few days, or the community boards at the larger cafes.

We won't pretend these are easy to find from the outside. Many now run through named promoters, Jungle Productions and Wonderland (@333wonderland333) among them, who announce locations on Instagram a day or two before. The jungle parties guide has dates and ticket prices.

Seasonal Shifts

High season brings more events, more people, and more energy. Green season (May through November) thins the crowd but doesn't kill the scene. Full moon parties happen year-round. Tuesday and Saturday at Ranchos and Saturday at Tikiliano continue through the wet months, just with a smaller, more local crowd. Some people prefer it that way.

For a full breakdown of how the town changes month by month, the best time to visit guide and the rainy season guide are both worth reading before you book.

Browse the full nightlife directory to find bars, venues, and current event listings across Santa Teresa and Mal Pais.

FAQ

Do I need to buy tickets in advance for full moon parties?

For the big dates at Ranchos Itauna such as New Year's Eve, yes, through Starticket, especially during high season. Accommodation nearby also books out fast. For Tikiliano and Somos it's usually walk-in, but confirm on Instagram that afternoon since policies shift.

What time do things actually start?

Sunset gatherings begin around 5pm. Dinner runs 7pm to 9pm. Bars pick up after 9pm. Dancing doesn't really get going until 10:30pm or later. Plan accordingly and don't show up at 9pm expecting a crowd.

Is it safe to walk between venues at night?

The main road is generally fine in groups. Solo travelers, especially solo women, should take a taxi or moto-taxi between spots rather than walking alone after midnight. See the safety guide for more detail.

What's the dress code?

There isn't one. Literally. Sandy feet, board shorts, sundresses. The only exception is if a specific jungle party specifies something, which occasionally happens.

Does the full moon scene happen in green season too?

Yes. The full moon gathering at Ranchos Itaúna runs year-round. The crowd is smaller in green season but often more interesting.