REVIEW: Filthy Friday Island Pub Crawl in Bocas Del Toro

If you’re passing thru Bocas Del Toro try to make sure you’re there on a Friday so you can take part in one of their Filthy Friday, island hopping parties. The island bar crawl take place every Friday (rain or shine - it rained all day when we were there).

When I first learned of it, I honestly wasn’t sure if I’d attend or not. It seemed like a LONG day of drinking and I didn’t want to be surrounded by all 18 year olds. But I decided I’d rather try it (and worst comes to worst, I could boat back by myself early if I was miserable).

Well I made it to the final island and wasn’t miserable. In fact, I went to the after party and after after party as well lol.

But let’s start at the beginning.

Tickets are available on the Filthy Friday website - but you can also just pick them up the day of in town as well. Their shop is right across from Selina Isla Colon. I bought my ticket online, but my friends waited until day of and there really wasn’t any difference in wait time or anything.

Even if you buy your ticket online, you need to go by the day of to their booth and grab your wristband and shirt - and hear a safety briefing (which included a rule that you could NOT swim back from the islands - which seems ridiculous but I’m guessing drunk people have tried it!) Everyone gets a Filthy Friday shirt and it’s honestly the best form of publicity because you constantly see people wearing the shirts all around Panama (and Central America). Half the folks at Filthy Friday will be wearing their shirts so you all look like twins.

Dancing at Filthy Friday

The first stop is at Barco Hundido on Isla Colon (if you’re staying at Selina it’s only a few doors down). This is considered the “pregame” and is advertised as lasting from 11:30-1pm (but in actuality the boats didn’t start taking people to the next island until 1:45pm). There’s a big dance floor, girls coming around pouring shots in peoples mouths, Filthy Friday temporary tattoo station (another example of excellent free advertising - since my tattoo is still on a week later).

At 1:45pm, boats take everyone to Blue Coconut - a floating bar with a thatch roof by Isla Solarte. The boat ride over will be very loud and debaucherous, goofy & fun. Expect singing, shouting, laughing, etc.

The Blue Coconut stop lasts from 2-5pm and features a large dance floor and outdoor bar area. As well as roped off swimming area. Don’t go under the dock unless you’re hoping to see a live porno, as that seemed to be where people coupled off to LOL.

I’ll also mention that there is food available at all 3 bars, so don’t worry about getting hungry at some point during the day.

The last stop was Aqua Lounge from 5-8pm. This was the largest venue of the three - with big dance party and swimming arena. At the end of the night there were also fire dancers (although that part remains a bit fuzzy after 8 hours of drinking lol).

After it ends, everyone is brought back to Selina Hostel on Isla Colon for an after party. A lot of people who didn’t do Filthy Friday still show up to the after party, including a lot of locals.

If you’re wondering about the average age of the party, I’d say it’s 20s - although I met people in their 30s and a guy in his 40s and a 60 year old (props to that guy). So it does have a range. It’s pretty easy to meet people and make new friends because it’s hard not to be drunk - between the $2 shots and all the free booze making its way around.

The music selection was a bit repetitive - with every major Spanish speaking hit in the last 15 years making multiple appearances throughout the 12 hours - but it’s fun because you know all the words!

Worewarning: A lot of people lost the shoes they came in (including myself when I tossed them aside to dance and forgot to come back). The ground is a bit slippery at certain parts so just a word of caution there too.

All the bars are cash only so make sure you bring what you need with you too.

So would I recommend this party to someone passing thru Bocas? Absolutely. It was a wild, wacky ride - I’m happy I got to experience it! And honestly, there’s no harm in going and trying it out. I was worried you’d get trapped on the islands without a way to get off, but it’s really easy to flag a boat, and just pay for your own ride home if you want to leave early.

If you have any questions feel free to reach out!

Lauren

Featured