nightlife

  • Pattaya News

    Famed cabaret show sold out as tourists flock to Pattaya after 2 years of closure

    “Life is a cabaret old chum”, so sang Liza Minnelli’s character in the musical Cabaret, and it was no different in Pattaya at the weekend. Every seat was sold out at the famous Alcazar theatre after it reopened on Friday night for the first time in 2 years. Following the official easing of restrictions on entertainment venues on June 1,…

  • Covid-19 News

    Government urges bars, nightlife venues to remain safe on re-opening

    The Thai government is warning nightlife operators to remain safe and to continue to adhere to Covid-19 prevention measures once they re-open next month. The warning comes following a meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration last Friday, when it was agreed that nightlife in designated parts of the country could re-open. The businesses in question include bars, nightclubs,…

  • Travel Guides

    Where Thai locals go for a happy ending

    Thailand has a numerous amount of convenient and simple places to go to if you want a quick lovemaking session. There are literally hundreds of “erotic entertainment venues” in the Land of Smiles that locals like to frequent. It’s not because they dislike areas such as Soi Cowboy, Nana Plaza, or Patpong in Bangkok, or the walking streets of Phuket…

  • Thailand Travel

    As Thailand’s bars plan to reopen ‘officially’ in some areas, vendors want to extend hours

    After Thailand’s CCSA announced yesterday that nightlife venues in both “green” and “blue” zones will reopen ‘officially’ from June 1, nightlife operators are calling to move the current midnight closing time to at least 2 or 4am. The 31 provinces defined as green and blue zones include busy tourist hubs such as Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Chon Buri. The…

  • Pattaya News

    Pattaya bars push to reopen, officially, and extend closing times to 3am

    Pattaya officials and stakeholders have been meeting to discuss the dropping of curfews and an official reopening of bars and the city’s vibrant nightlife. Kunlachart Kunlachai, the superintendent of Chon Buri Police, chaired the meeting. Bars around Thailand, particularly in tourist magnet areas, have been forced to convert to ‘restaurants’ in order to reopen and serve alcohol. Conversions have been…

  • Thailand video news

    Thailand News Update | Thailand tourism to increase after May 1st

    Nearly a hundred Patong bar owners and staff gathered at Patong Bay Hill Resort in Phuket to protest the recent “extension” of official alcohol sales to midnight. The group says the operating hours of the entertainment zone in Phuket and Pattaya shouldn’t just officially be extended to midnight, but to 4 am. They also demanded the government stop calling them “restaurants”… under…

  • Pattaya News

    Pattaya braces for reopening of “Walking Street” ahead of the US troops visit

    Pattaya City’s officials met with more than 30 local business owners on Saturday to discuss preventive measures and regulations to reopen the famous “Walking Street” ahead of a planned US troops visit weeks ahead. Around 2,000 soldiers are expected to visit this month for the Cobra Gold military exercise. The discussions come just as Chon Buri prepares to welcome an…

  • World News

    Countdown to February 1, one day to go before Test & Go resumes

    “The recent 3 months of total international arrivals were around 3.4% of the arrivals at the same time 2 years ago.” The Test & Go program of the Thailand Pass is set to start again this Tuesday, a rebooted version with some additional costs and paperwork. Travellers will need to book an extra pre-paid SHA+ room and PCR test for Day…

  • Pattaya News

    12 Pattaya restaurant owners, managers arrested for breaching 9pm cutoff for booze

    A dozen of owners and managers of Pattaya’s bars-turned-restaurants were arrested for allegedly serving alcohol past the 9pm cutoff time. Some bars reportedly lowered their shutters to make it appear like the venue was closed, but continued to serve booze to customers inside. Some turned off the lights and music at 9pm, but stayed open, serving alcohol discretely with disposable…

  • Covid-19 News

    Entertainment sector performers may receive one-time payout

    Some workers in nightlife and entertainment venues may soon receive a taste of Covid-19 financial relief from a government payout. The Social Security Office of Thailand agreed to help people in the entertainment sector who have been without work and any financial assistance for over a year. If the Cabinet approves the new measures, workers in the sector can receive…

  • Covid-19 News

    Lockdown not on the cards, but re-opening nightlife may be postponed: PM

    The Thai PM has ruled out introducing another national lockdown as a result of the Omicron Covid-19 variant. However, he says the re-opening of bars and other nightlife venues may have to be delayed. According to a Bangkok Post report, Prayut Chan-o-cha says existing screening measures for international arrivals are sufficient, without having to shut down the country. “Harsh measures…

  • Thailand News

    CCSA sticks with plan to reopen bars on January 16

    This article was revised on Monday, November 29. Despite hopes from millions of tourists around the world and millions of bar, club, and nightlife staff and owners throughout Thailand, the CCSA is sticking with plans to allow the bars to reopen on January 16. The CCSA had a meeting yesterday that revisited and revised several rules for entering Thailand and…

  • Pattaya News

    Pattaya mayor expresses frustration over no entertainment venues

    In Pattaya, the fight goes on to allow alcohol in restaurants and to reopen entertainment venues, at least in time for New Year’s festivities. After petitions and protests from various sectors, business groups, and tourism associations, Pattaya City Mayor Sonthaya Khunploem is again calling for nightlife businesses to be allowed to reopen in the city famous, or perhaps infamous, for…

  • Covid-19 News

    Next CCSA meeting will discuss opening nightlife businesses sooner

    Facing enormous pressure from entertainment and nightlife workers and businesses, the National Security Council Secretary-General hinted that lifting the ban on nightlife will be up for discussion at the next CCSA meeting. He said PM Prayut Chan-o-cha understands and sympathises with those in the industry but also worries about the Covid-19 situation as infections are still high and the country…

  • Tourism News

    Will Thailand’s nightlife survive another 2 months of closure?

    OPINION On Friday morning we were talking up the speculation that Thailand’s bars would be permitted to reopen on December 1. It had been a strong rumour, verified with countless politicians and police. Surely, with all the open flouting of the current alcohol ban, the government had just given up and were ready to reopen the bars, officially. The daily…

  • Bangkok News

    Khao San Road expects very slow recovery, even after reopening

    Though it’s technically a long, flat stretch, the recovery for Bangkok’s backpacker tourist hub of Khao San Road will be a steep uphill battle. While the government plans the November 1 reopening, entertainment venues, clubs and bars that are a mainstay on the previously vibrant, cacophony of a strip are unlikely to reopen then, and businesses along the infamous road…

  • Tourism News

    Thailand reopening roundup: What happens November 1

    Things are moving fast towards the November 1 reopening which in the last few days swelled from 10 countries being allowed entry to Thailand to 46 countries, 3 entry plans, replacing the Certificate of Entry, and even an attempt to reopen nightlife. Below is a round-up of the plans as they stand now. “TEST & GO”: COUNTRIES THAT CAN ENTER…

  • Tourism News

    Tourism Minister proposes reopening entertainment venues November 1

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha may be opening up Thailand to international travellers, but Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakan is aiming to open up entertainment venues to those international travellers. The Tourism Minister plans on officially proposing that entertainment venues, bars, nightclubs, karaoke lounges, pubs and other nightlife venues be reopening in the Blue Zones, the new term for the…

  • Phuket News

    Police suddenly began raiding Patong bars selling alcohol

    While it’s been illegal for bars to open in Thailand and the selling or consumption of alcohol in public is forbidden, police have been looking the other way as patrons sneak beers in bars in Patong, the famous entertainment and nightlife district in Phuket. But after over a month of this occurring under the radar, police have begun raiding and…

  • Covid-19 News

    Lacking gov’t aid, Phuket nightlife advises opening as restaurants

    The president of the Patong Entertainment Business Association took a harsh stance against the long-term closures of nightlife venues in Phuket and the lack of assistance from the government of Thailand. In a fiery interview, he called on bars and clubs to open as restaurants despite the action being legally dubious and chastised the government for the long-term closure without…

  • Tourism News

    Samui and Phangan reopening: bars open, 5,000 baht Covid tests

    Koh Samui and the surrounding islands of Koh Phangan and Koh Tao are preparing for their Samui Plus reopening beginning July 15. The rules for the reopening are more stringent, with 3 full days of quarantine required and then 4 days of being allowed to travel only on sealed routes to specific tourist destinations before finally being allowed to travel…

  • Hua Hin News

    Hua Hin joins growing list of bar workers demanding aid

    The girls in Hua Hin bars are revolting! They’re revolting in the streets against the government’s handling of Covid-19. Like their counterparts in Bangkok and Pattaya, bar owners and employees along with local musicians staged a demonstration to protest against the continued closures of nightlife and entertainment venues in Hua Hin. The fed-up nightlife workers carried signs calling on the…

  • Entertainment

    Nightlife, restaurants suggest opening in defiance of restrictions

    After a year and a half of closures and lockdowns and restrictions and regulations that often start and even end with the nightlife and entertainment industry, some bar and restaurant owners are sick of it and growing defiant. Citing the lack of government assistance and the sporadic and last-minute closure decisions that through livelihoods into chaos, some owners are urging…

  • Pattaya News

    121 arrested in raid of “restaurant” clubs violating Covid-19 rules

    A raid around Pattaya at the earliest hours of this morning brought over a hundred arrests for violating Covid-19 measures, drinking, gathering, and smoking shisha. The raid of 2 venues that attempted to skirt the national bar and club closure laws by operating as an alleged restaurant took place between midnight and 2 am. The so-called restaurants had been operating…

  • Covid-19 News

    Thai police to focus on busting house parties and other social gatherings

    Police are now focusing on busting house parties and other social gatherings in an effort to combat the spread of Covid-19. With large parties and nightclub hopping setting off a new wave of the coronavirus, with the epicentre in nightlife district in Bangkok’s Thong Lor area, the Royal Thai Police are now ordered to delay its crackdown drunk driving to…

  • Thailand News

    Entertainment venues the source of 6,020 Covid-19 infections

    As the Covid-19 third wave reaches in Thailand’s provinces, the main culprit in the spread of the infectious new strain is entertainment venues such as bars, clubs and pubs. With around 1,000 – 1,500 new daily infections over the past week, 71 provinces throughout the country have traced Covid-19 infections back to clusters in bars and nightclubs. The CCSA announced…

  • Thailand News

    Nightlife venues ordered to close after midnight tonight, nationwide ban on serving alcohol

    Health officials have announced new Covid-19restrictions targetting Thailand’s hardest-hit, or red zone, provinces. The restrictions, which will start tonight after midnight, include ordering all nightlife venues to close. Restaurants cannot serve alcohol and those dining-in must leave no later than 9pm. If you want to get take-away, you must do so before 11pm, unless you are in a province listed…

  • Pattaya News

    UPDATE: Field hospitals being established in Covid hot zones around Thailand

    UPDATE: The field hospital in Bangkok’s Bang Bon district, west of the Chao Phraya river, had its first 10 Covid patients today. The director of the medical services office of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration says that the 10 patients into the makeshift hospital, located at the Chalerm Phra Kiat Stadium, will enable assessment of the performance by the medical team,…

  • Covid-19 News

    Nightlife continues to play a major role in Thailand’s Covid-19 third wave

    The current surge in Covid-19 infections now looks to be spread in large part by Thailand’s colourful nightlife, with more than 500 people contracting the more contagious UK variant (B117) of the Coronavirus. The government responded by closing all bars and entertainment venues in 41 provinces, but it may be too late to prevent a third wave of the pandemic.…

  • Thailand News

    UPDATE: Thai PM orders closure of bars and clubs in 41 provinces

    UPDATE: The order to close bars and nightlife venues in 41 provinces will go into effect at midnight, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced this afternoon. Under emergency measures, the local governments in the other 36 provinces have the power to set restrictions and close venues if needed to control the Covid-19 situation. Original story… The order to close…