New night market on the block: Jodd Fairs Ratchada
The popular Jodd Fairs night market has recently opened a new branch along the Ratchadapisek road. The night market opened on November 1 and is a 23-minute walk from the original location of Jodd Fairs Rama 9.
I took a personal visit and I have quite a bit to say about this night market and like the other Jodd Fairs, I can assure you that it features a plethora of shops for clothes, accessories, souvenirs and lots of food that open from 5pm to 1am every day.
Why is there another Jodd Fairs on the same street?
One might be wondering why is there another Jodd Fairs along the Ratchadapisek Road when there is already one at Rama 9. According to local information I sourced when I asked a local who lives in the area, they told me that the lease of the land that the original Jodd Fairs will expire soon and they have to relocate.
Although they never really told me the date, I can confirm with this article from Straits Times which confirms what my interviewee has claimed.
“The new night market also aligns with the operator’s plan to open a branch in a new location after Jodd Fairs Rama 9’s contract with property developer Gland, which is owned by Central Pattana Corp, expires in December.”
With that, at the very moment, there are two Jodd Fairs along the same street which currently divide the customer traffic which should give you a window to enjoy this night market with a lot fewer people if you do not like crowds.
What is there to do?
Onto the real question, What can you do at Jodd Fairs? As of the opening and the day after when I visited (November 2), there is surprisingly quite a lot there already. At the entrance area, there are vintage cars that are decorating the front lawn with whole arrays of miniature folding chairs beside them. You can sit here and relax, drink, and soak in the chaotic atmosphere of hundreds of people walking, talking, and shopping.
I could not relax long on these chairs so I went deeper into the market. 10 to 12 paths present themselves to me so I picked one and moved in deeper. In these paths, 2 more intersections cut through them perpendicularly so you can move between each path seamlessly. Was it easy to get lost? no, but you never felt like you wanted to leave too soon either.
Along the path of the night market
Wandering along the paths I saw stores that sold various things in a chaotic assortment of choices. One second, you find yourself looking at drinks, fruit stands, and even snack shops with live squids in water tanks and then cross the path to find yourself looking at clothes.
At the far end of the market
At the far end of the night market, there are a lot of seafood and barbeque restaurants in which a large majority will have the seafood bucket or the volcano ribs. However, if you head left (relative to the entrance of the market), you will find a very elaborate seafood restaurant with a steaming display of crab, fish, and lobsters. Moving from the Rama 9 Jodd Fairs, Maeklong Noodles & Leng Zabb are now at the Ratchada branch as well.
To the side of the market
If you find yourself tired of just looking at restaurants that serve a surprising amount of seafood and volcano ribs, you can head to the right of the night market relative to the entrance. There, you will find pizza inside a small brick building from 68% Pizzeria. But past that, you can find a whole area dedicated to food with tables to sit at. You can find ice cream, mango sticky rice, yakisoba, juice, smoothies, more squid, and so much more. The amount of choice is so vast it might as well force you to be hungry.
Let’s pull back a little bit though and mention the brick buildings. Between the main shopping area and the food area, there is a line of brick buildings one after the other which contain all types of shops as well. There is the 68% Pizzeria as I mentioned with another clothing shop right next to it. Inside these brick buildings, there is also a pharmacy and even a dispensary if that’s what you like.
The night market is still young and the empty stores towards the far side tell me that there is a lot of potential left for this market. With the closing of the Rama 9 branch, I can assure you that all of the stores and foot traffic will transfer over here instead.
How can you get there?
Due to its location, there are three ways that you can get to Jodd Fairs Ratchada.
| Ways to get there | Pros | Cons |
| Walking from MRT | Faster and less concerned about parking. | Less comfortable to walk with both the weather and the crowd (the sidewalk around that area is really tight). |
| By car | More comfortable and easier to bring in more people. | A lot of traffic and difficulty finding parking, |
| By motorcycle | Faster than walking and pretty comfortable. | Potentially risky and if you are using Grab/Bolt, may cost a lot more. |
Walking from MRT
To get to Jodd Fairs Ratchada by MRT, First, you must go to any MRT that is close to you and then you must head towards the Thailand Cultural Centre MRT Station.
Once you reach the station, you head towards Exit 4 where it will spit you out in front of RS Tower, next to Esplanade and the sign that you are in the right place is the sight of a 7/11 next to the escalators.
Once you head down the stairs, head down along the road towards the Big C Ratchada until you see Jodd Fairs just before the mall.
In a perfect world, it should you 3 minutes but expect there to be vendors along the sidewalk, which tightens up an already tight and shoddy stretch of space. with people crossing back and forth while stopping to buy things, realistically can expect to take 5 minutes instead.
By car
To reach there by car, it is pretty straightforward as you have to drive to the address, 129 Ratchadaphisek Rd, Din Daeng, Bangkok 10400.
Once you get there, past the infamous traffic on the road, you will have to head towards the tunnel at the other end of the market that will get you down below the market itself.
Once you find the parking, you can head up the stairs to head straight into Jodd Fairs Ratchada and must head back down the same set of stairs if you are going back to your car.
By motorcycle
If you are coming by motorcycle, there are really two ways to go about it. Whether you come by your own bike or use Grab/Bolt or motosai taxi, it should be simpler than with a car.
If you have brought your own bike, you can go down the same way with a car and park in the space there.
Considering that a lot of us use transportation services, you can use Grab/Bolt to travel directly there. However, there is some nuance. As of right now (November 4) I checked on Grab and there is no destination for this market yet so I suggest dropping off at Big C Ratchadapisek in the meantime since Jodd Fairs should literally be next door.
If you come all the way there to the Thailand Cultural Centre MRT stop, there is not much of a reason to use a motosai taxi since it would be faster to walk.
However, If you are coming from a little far ways off, be sure to mention Jodd Fairs Ratchada. If that does not work, use the nearest landmarks such as Big C Ratchada or The Street Ratchada then you can walk from there.
Why you should visit now!
As of right now, The Jodd Fairs Rama 9 is still open but will close by the end of this year when their lease runs out and the land is returned to Central Group. With that, the Jodd Fairs Ratchada is still young and will only continue to grow.
Once you visit there and feel like you have enough for the night, This night market also sits right in between three major malls in the area such as Esplanade, Big C Ratchada, and The Street Ratchada so there is a lot to do in that area.
Furthermore as of now, if you don’t like packed crowds of people, now is the best time.
Who knows what it will be like shortly when it becomes the main night market along the road where it could be one of the most crowded spaces in that area. It’s best to experience it now where you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to food and shopping.
For any more updates about this night market, be sure to follow their Facebook page where they will give you all of the updates.
Other articles about Jodd Fairs Ratchada:
FAQs about Jodd Fairs Ratchada
1. Where is the new Jodd Fairs night market located?
The new Jodd Fairs night market is situated along Ratchadapisek Road, just a 23-minute walk from the original Jodd Fairs Rama 9 location.
2. Why was a new Jodd Fairs branch opened on the same street?
A new Jodd Fairs branch was opened on Ratchadapisek Road because the lease for the original Rama 9 location is expiring, necessitating relocation.
3. How can I reach Jodd Fairs Ratchada using public transportation?
You can reach Jodd Fairs Ratchada by walking from the Thailand Cultural Centre MRT Station, exiting at Exit 4 near RS Tower, and then walking towards Big C Ratchada.
4. What are the hours of Jodd Fairs Ratchada?
Jodd Fairs Ratchada opens daily from 5pm to 1am.
5. What can visitors expect at the new Jodd Fairs night market?
Visitors can expect a very similar assortment of stores and experience that you can find in the Rama 9 Jodd Fairs. If anything, the stores are relocating to the new location as we speak and a full transition will happen in the near future.
