If you are planning a trip to Bocas del Toro then make sure to be there on a Friday! Now you are probably wondering why, am I right? Because then it’s Filthy Friday, Bocas del Toro Edition, which you should not miss out on. It’s a lot of fun, trust me. It sounds a lot more filthy than it actually is, because what it is, is a big Bar crawl that takes place every Friday.
A lot of people will actually plan their trip around this day of the week. Around Wednesday and Thursday hostels will fill up and it will get a lot busier on the islands and then on the weekends it will feel like everyone is gone and people will move on to their next travel locations.
I arrived on Bocas on a Monday and stayed until Saturday and it was really nice to know that pretty much all of my roommates would stay until then as well, I did had a pretty cool room to be honest.
What is Filthy Friday, Bocas del Toro?
So what is Filthy Friday? Have you heard of Sunday Funday? The biggest bar crawl in Central America located in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua! No? Well, the idea behind Filthy Friday is the same. A bit smaller, newer and a bit less known but not any less fun.
The bar crawl will start on the main island Isla Colon and will take you to three bars in total. Transportation by boats to bring you to the next bar is included. It’s a big group of backpackers getting mortal and having fun but it is also a great way to meet some people.
Where will the Filthy Friday Pub Crawl take you?
First Bar: Isla Colon
Like I said the first bar is located on the main island, in the same street as Selina’s and by the ocean. Officially the bar crawl starts around 11:30am, with the first bar being empty at the beginning, given the fact that everybody just woke up.
My Tip: Get a lot of drinks here! Rum and pineapple juice is $2 while at the next bar you will be paying double the price for the same drink! There is not much going on at this place at first really but around 2ish, you will leave for the next location.
Second Bar: Secret Location
Boats will take you to the next bar which is on some kind of island, surrounded by the ocean. Here you can go swimming. Arriving at the second bar, everybody suddenly seems to be drunk and time flies by until leaving for the third bar, which happens around 5pm. Staff will also provide free shots (at least that’s what I heard).
Third Bar: Aqua Lounge, Isla Carenero
Next up, the boats will take you to the Aqua Lounge, which you might have heard of as it is also a Hostel. This Hostel is located opposite the main island on Isla Carenero. They have a little aqua park where you can swing into the water or jump of a platform (which I didn’t do).
There will also be beer pong competitions. Most importantly: they also sell food! Like everyone else you probably didn’t eat since before the bar crawl started and have been drinking ever since.
There is also a supermarket near by (around a 4 minute walk). This party will go on until around 8pm and then Filthy Friday is officially over but don’t worry if you want to continue the party. You will have to take care of transportation to your next destination by yourself. (A water taxi back to the main island is $1).
If you haven’t found yourself a private after party by this point then everyone will go to Selina Hostel after to continue the party.
How much does it cost and what is included?
The total price is $25 and includes entry to all bars, a free Tank Top, transportation between the bars (excluding back to the main island from aqua lounge), free shots (so they said) and a fake tattoo on your ass (or wherever else you want it). Just a warning, it doesn’t come up for days, believe me.
Where can you buy Filthy Friday tickets?
On the days prior to the bar crawl there will be people selling tickets in the main street. You can not really miss it, they will probably also come up to you and try to convince you to buy a ticket! But that’s what you are here for, right?
What should you bring?
Just enough money to buy drinks the entire day and to get home at some point. I wouldn’t even bring my phone but if you do then make sure you have a waterproof case. And then probably your room key would be a good idea as well but other than that, I wouldn’t bring anything else.
Is it worth it?
Definitely yes! Even though I think it is a bit overpriced for what you actually get. I still spent almost $50 dollars on drinks that day, which I deeply regret. But I do like the Tank Top and overall it has been a lot of fun.
Throughout the day it also gets a lot easier to make new friends and if I could ever go back to Bocas del Toro then I would give Filthy Friday another try as well. I also planned to go Sunday Funday in Nicaragua at some point during this trip and I thought it would be a cool idea to compare the two, which I will might write another blog post about. Stay tuned!
Does Filthy Friday, Bocas del Toro seem like fun to you? Would you go? Let me know in the comments and have a lovely day! (I would have liked to take more pictures, but it was raining really badly and I was too scared to take out my phone sorry x)
You can also check out my post on 5 things you should do in Bocas del Toro 🙂
Becky x
3 comments
Thanks for the tips! We did one of these tours a few years ago with another guy in Bocas and he was a bit shady. I think Filthy Fridays actually took his idea but they’ve made it into a legit business that seems to be reputable. Anyway, we are planning our next trip to Bocas and this was super helpful. 🙂
I really like that you always mention the prices. Everyone planning a trip can go back to your site and get the estimates of how much they can spend up front. So helpful!
Thank you so much Zhanna! I’m sure I always spend way too much but that probably happens to a lot of other people as well 😀