Bocas del Toro, is a tropical archipelago in western Panama, right below Costa Rica. Bocas is made up of 9 main islands and 52 Cays. Besides the pristine beaches, Bocas is known for it’s wild parties at the bars overlooking the Caribbean sea. You can party at Toro Loco and Tequilla Republic or in many of the hostels with young and wild tourists ready to party. But the premier party in Bocas is Filthy Friday.
Like the name says, Filthy Friday happens every Friday and it is totted as the only island party crawl in Central America. If you follow them on their Instagram at @filthyfridaybocas, link posted below, you will see tons of dancing, women in skimpy bikinis with Filthy Friday stick on tattoos, drunken dives into the water and plenty of fire. When I booked my trip to Panama and Bocas, this was the number one attraction I was excited for. And after my week of Spanish classes with Habla Ya, it was the perfect cap on my week stay in Bocas.
After class, you could sense the excitement amongst the young students. Everyone was making plans, and some had already started to secretly drink. Class ends around 11, and that is when the first stop of Filthy Friday opens its doors. After class, it was straight to my guesthouse, a quick change, a quick beer and I then made my way down to the first bar, Barco Hundido. Barco Hundido is on the main island, where you’ll probably be staying, Isla Colon. It was already busy, but the people continued to roll In at it started to get packed after noon. People were taking shots, dancing, diving in the water and getting Filthy Friday stick on tattoos.
Once the party is fully heated up, it’s time to load onto the boats and you’re off to Blue Cocunut on Isla Solarte, an isolated tiny island where the entire island is devoted to the party. You can dive in, drink the free shots they offer or dance till the sunset.
After that you’re off to the last stop of the party at Aqua Lounge on Isla Carenero which is just across from Isla Colon. When you get bored there, you can take a short water taxi for $1-2 back to Isla Colon and can call it a night or continue the party at Selina Bocas.
It’s a wild time and a must do. But beware, it’s a long day and you’ll likely end the night with a pounding headache. You need to buy drinks along the way at your three stops and they only take cash, so plan accordingly. One criticism is that they charge or water, except one of the bartenders I met on the island hooked up a couple, but you’ll definitely need mucho agua, especially if you start early and drink for 10-12 hours in the blistering heat. Along the way you’ll get some free shots, but if you’re a chica bonita you’ll be prioritized like most places.
The cost is $40 USD and that’ll cover your transportation, except for the $2 water taxi back to Isla Colon when you’ve had enough, the Filthy Friday swag including a tattoo, a cool muscle shirt and the entrance into the bars. Overall, the price is okay and the experience is once and a lifetime. When I was 25 I’d have been in my glory, but as I get older it’s harder to keep up with many of the young tourists from around the globe. Thata another criticism, if you want to party with locals, you won't get much of that here, the 500 guests are mostly tourists from all around the globe. It was still a worthy experience and you can’t go to Bocas without getting filthy at Filthy Friday.
Note: I wouldn’t bring a phone, it’s too hard to keep track of and you don’t want to lose it diving in or soaking it on the wet dance floor of Blue Coconut. The two pictures above are ones I took from the Filthy Fridays facebook page, and trust me they’ll take plenty.
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