Trellis Bay Full Moon Party: How to Get There by Boat

The first time you hear the Moko Jumbies’ drumbeat carry across Trellis Bay, you’ll understand why people build entire trip itineraries around a single night. Once a month, when the moon comes up full over Beef Island, a quiet anchorage on Tortola’s eastern end turns into one of the best parties in the territory — fire dancers, a steel pan band, a buffet, and a beach full of people who sailed, motored, or ferried in just for the night.

We get asked about this one constantly, usually by guests trying to figure out whether it’s worth rearranging a Virgin Gorda evening or a Jost Van Dyke day to make it happen. Here’s what we tell them, plus how we get our own charter guests there without the logistics headache.

What the Full Moon Party Actually Is

Trellis Bay Market Bar & Grill hosts the party on the night of the full moon, roughly once a month, on the beach at Trellis Bay near Beef Island — a short hop from Tortola’s east end and directly across from the airport runway. The night runs on a rhythm: live music starting around 6:00 PM, a Caribbean buffet, fire dancers, and Moko Jumbie stilt performers working through the crowd later in the evening, with a DJ carrying things into the night. There’s a signature “Moon Punch” cocktail that shows up on most tables, and the whole scene has the loose, unstructured energy of a beach bar that just happens to be having its best night of the month.

One BVI regular summed it up well in a Tortola travel forum thread: it’s “a fun diversion, not Burning Man” — meaning don’t expect a rave, expect a genuinely good island party with fire, food, and music that’s worth the trip without needing to build your whole week around it.

What makes it work is the setting as much as the entertainment. Trellis Bay is a naturally sheltered anchorage ringed by hills, so the water stays calm even as boats pack in for the night, and the beach itself is small enough that the crowd never feels spread out or disconnected from the music. It’s the kind of scene where you end up talking to whoever’s sitting next to you on the sand, whether they sailed in from Virgin Gorda or flew in that afternoon and walked over from the airport next door.

Getting There by Water

Trellis Bay sits on open water off Beef Island, which means the party is naturally set up for boat arrivals — you can see the anchorage fill with dinghies and tenders as the sun goes down. If you’re staying anywhere else in the BVI, whether that’s Road Town, Nanny Cay, or over on Virgin Gorda, getting there by private boat beats the alternative of chasing down a taxi to the airport side of Tortola after dark.

This is exactly the kind of night our Sunset & Dinner Charter was built for. We run three to four hours, timed so you’re arriving as the light changes and the party is just getting going, and we can build the pickup around wherever you’re staying. It also means no worrying about the return trip after a night of Moon Punch — we handle the water, you handle the dancing.

What to Know Before You Go

• It happens monthly, not weekly. The party follows the lunar calendar, so confirm the exact date before you plan around it — Trellis Bay Market posts upcoming dates, and it’s worth double-checking as your trip gets closer.
• Buffet pricing is separate from any charter cost. The Caribbean buffet is sold directly by Trellis Bay Market at the venue; it is not included in our charter rate. Check current pricing with them directly, since food costs shift.
• Dress code is casual. This is a beach bar party, not a formal night out — think what you’d wear to any BVI dinner stop.
• It gets busy. Between locals, charter guests, and the monthly regulars, Trellis Bay fills in fast on a clear night. Arriving with the early crowd around sunset tends to mean better anchorage space and a shorter line at the buffet.
• Reservations help. If you want a table rather than standing room on the sand, it’s worth reserving ahead through the venue.

Alternatives If the Timing Doesn’t Line Up

Not every trip lands on a full moon night, and that’s fine — Trellis Bay isn’t the only worthwhile evening out on the water. If your dates miss the lunar calendar, our regular Sunset & Dinner Charter partners with several of the same caliber of restaurant across the territory, including Cooper Island Beach Club, Foxy’s on Jost Van Dyke, and options on Virgin Gorda like NOVA and Bitter End Yacht Club — all worth an evening on their own, full moon or not. And if you’re the type who plans a trip around an event, we’d point you to our guide on the BVI Emancipation Festival, the territory’s biggest annual celebration, which runs in late July and early August.

Making a Full Day of It

Because the party doesn’t kick off until evening, a lot of our guests pair it with a full day out on the water first — snorkeling in the morning, a beach stop for lunch, then a slow cruise over to Trellis Bay as the light starts to change. If that sounds like your kind of day, our guide to the BVI’s best snorkeling spots is a good place to start building the itinerary, and our Full Day Charter gives you the eight hours and four stops to make it happen without feeling rushed toward the end.

If you’d rather keep the day simple and treat Trellis Bay as its own evening out, that’s exactly what the Sunset & Dinner Charter is built for — no need to pack the whole day around it. Either way, packing light matters more than people expect on an evening charter; check our packing list for a BVI boat charter if you’re not sure what to bring for a night on the water.

Practical Details

• Location: Trellis Bay, Beef Island, near the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport.
• Schedule: Monthly, on the night of the full moon. Live music from around 6:00 PM, with fire dancers and Moko Jumbies later in the evening.
• Cost: Buffet pricing is set by Trellis Bay Market and paid at the venue; check current rates before you go. Charter pricing for the ride there and back starts at $900 on our Sunset & Dinner Charter.
• What to bring: Cash or card for the buffet and drinks, a light layer for the evening breeze, and a camera for the fire dancers.
• Good to know: The party is weather-dependent like anything outdoors in the islands — a rough forecast can shift plans, so build in some flexibility if this is the centerpiece of your night.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often does the Trellis Bay full moon party happen?
Once a month, timed to the full moon. Exact dates shift year to year with the lunar calendar, so it’s worth confirming before you build a trip around it.

Is the full moon party included in a charter booking?
The boat ride and evening on the water are what we provide through our Sunset & Dinner Charter. Buffet tickets and drinks at Trellis Bay Market are handled separately, directly with the venue.

Is it worth rearranging a trip to catch the full moon party?
If your dates already line up, it’s an easy yes. If they don’t, we wouldn’t recommend reshuffling a whole itinerary for it — the party is a fun night, not a once-in-a-lifetime event, and the BVI has plenty of other strong evenings out.

What if I’m staying on Virgin Gorda — is it worth the trip to Tortola?
It depends how much you want that specific atmosphere. Some travelers prefer a closer option on Virgin Gorda itself rather than crossing to Beef Island for the night; others say the trip is part of the fun. If you do want to make the crossing, arriving by private charter is the easiest way to do it without worrying about the ride home in the dark.

Do kids do well at the full moon party?
Families do attend, and the early part of the evening — live music, buffet, fire dancers — tends to work fine for kids. It gets more of an adult, later-night energy as the DJ takes over, so an earlier arrival and departure works well for families who want the highlights without the late crowd.

Book Your Full Moon Night

If the dates line up with your trip, reach out and we’ll build your Sunset & Dinner Charter around getting you to Trellis Bay in time for the music and back again after. And if you’re weighing whether a private charter or a shared tour boat makes more sense for a night like this, our guide to private water taxi versus the public ferry lays out the tradeoffs.