Sukhumvit Nightlife: Who’s Keeping It Alive?

[BarBoy]

6 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

Whatever happened to the man without any arms and legs? I remember seeing him and being in shock. 

might have gone for a swim one night....

[Albo]

After having nothing to do with Sukhumvit, now retired I'm back to visiting once a week.

 

Cowboy for mongers is absolute dead until 8pm. Tourist throngs all night with the gawkers trebling punters 3:1 easily. It's very scammy with no real functioning gogos outside of Bacara. Beer prices shoot up after 7 in the three places that actually have customers. Country Road definitely taken a step or two down. Oasis now Stumble Inn. Service is mediocre there at best. Dollhouse is the only gogo I've been in and that was a long time ago. Never recovered from covid and upstairs closed. All the gogos have mercenary looking old ladies sitting outside. It all just looks like trouble. Now  three ladyboy bars. I never see anyone in or out , but I leave very early.

 

Soi 4. I don't bother past Day Night/ Stumble. It's just same BS with more potential for scams. Last week o did walk up to 6 over and back out past infamous Sarangjai mansion. Nothing. Lots of women beckoning me in on 4 happy hour beer 90b, but as soon as you decline the lady drink you're sitting absolutely alone in that pub. Never a fan of the beer bars left side just past Nana. Checkers good for a pint or bottle as the Irish pub across the street.

 

A few months back I was out and went into Nana. I'd not been in np for almost 20 years. This probably was September when the women should have been throwing themselves at me. Walking the floors looking for a decent gogo with reality based prices. Not happening. Unattractive, indifferent women. Everyone on their phones. Beer prices were scandalous. Basically, tourist traps. I recall one attractive dancer approach me as soon as I spoke to words of time to her she's spun around and bolted. Finally, I went into one well-known Go-Go ground floor there were two dancers. One was quite middle age with low-hanging utters which were not attractive but interesting. There were more staff including two mamasans than dancers. The reason I went in there as I caught the happy hour beer. I bought a beer, listen to the 50-year-old woman trying grub I drink off of me and then went inside. The two basically weren't dancers at all they were just a country women fkin around on the poles. They would have been good fun to have a chat with but I could just imagine what would going on with the lady drinks. I think we are at a point now where the whole Go-Go scene is collapsing or perhaps has collapsed in BKK. If you're buying it lady drink or even a drink yourself you're just getting yourself into a bit of trouble or at least a spot or bother.

 

Soi 7. The bar sitting directly on 27 have a number of drinks girls and appears mildly lively. There's no foot traffic so there's nothing to really watch going by. You could buy a lady drink and that would probably work out okay and those pubs. The small beer bars in the back side I have a few women each. Nothing is ever compelled me to go in any of the bars in this group. The one thing that is extremely off-putting and I swore I would never drink here is that they charge 10b to use the toilet. There's no way I would ever drink a 120 baht beer to pay another 10 baht to bleed it out.

 

There is an interesting and semi sleazy bar that open next to a sketchy massage joint below the escalator Nana BTS south side. Lots of girls. No idea drinks prices, lady drinks prices etc. they open Before high season they had no one. Now, I see a few tourists in there. It's nothing that locals would be interested in due to the layout of the bar or should I say hole in the wall.

 

7.1 ah  7/1.. always fun to have a look. I usually end up down there way too early to be a judge of it. Mostly very expensive little beer bars and lots of marginal freelancer/hookers

 

Soi 8. This soi continues to bore the hell out of me. Rumors has closed.

 

There are a few places to drink directly on Sukhumvit. Game is probably the best. The rest of them I really wouldn't bother with. This also attracts huge amounts of tourists and the people selling crap in the streets out front are very annoying.

 

Soi 11. No idea what's going on there these days. Someone can fill me in.

 

Finally, anyone knows any fun and friendly day drinking spots I'd be appreciative. Certainly doesn't need to be on Sukhumvit. Really like drinking in open air especially cool season

[steven100]

Thailand =     you made your bed now sleep in it

 

I love it .... I hope they all go broke. 

[SiSePuede419]

I stayed in Nana just so I could get a balcony to smoke weed.  Nice hotel reasonably priced.

But I never went to Nana entertainment plaza.  Don't drink like a fish.

But I did meet one bloke at the hotel as I went to pick up some things at 7.

He stayed there 4 times.

He's definitely enjoying the "night life".

For me, I'd rather stay at a hotel near Phaya Thai station.

Closer to the airport.  Better for business people who fly international for business, like me.

But my preferred hotel was full.  

Ciao, bambinos. 🐣

[RetiredNavy71]

On 11/28/2024 at 8:47 PM, 123Stodg said:

I don’t know about you lot, but since Covid ended, I’ve noticed a massive shift in the type of crowd now haunting Sukhumvit’s nightlife. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that without a few key groups propping it up, the whole scene might collapse faster than a plastic patio chair under a heavy bloke.

 

When I first landed here decades ago, Sukhumvit was the go-to spot for Western expats and tourists: Aussies, Yanks, Brits, Germans, and the odd Scandinavian sweating their way through the heat. They were the backbone of the nightlife, packing out Soi 4 and Soi 11 like clockwork. It was a good giggle. These days? I’d estimate they’re barely 20% of the crowd. The other 80%? A melting pot of Indians, Arabs, Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese punters.

 

And here’s the kicker: Indians alone probably make up two-thirds of the crowd on certain sois. Walk down Nana or Soi 11 now, and it’s a completely different vibe. What started as a playground tailored for Western tastes has shifted into something distinctly Asian-centric. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just fascinating to watch how the balance of power (and wallets) has changed. Are we watching Sukhumvit morph into something new and sustainable, or is it just clinging to whichever crowd happens to have the deepest pockets right now? Throw in the explosion of weed shops over the last few years, and it’s like stepping into a completely different universe.

 

So what happens if even one of these major financial pillars, say the Indians or Arabs, stops showing up? Does the whole thing come crashing down? Let’s be real: Sukhumvit’s nightlife already feels like it’s teetering on a fragile dynamic. With sky-high prices and waning appeal for many of the old crowd, it just doesn’t have the same draw anymore. Sure, the bars, clubs, and streets still buzz, but would it all go belly-up if those propping it up decided to take their wallets elsewhere?

 

What’s your take? Have you noticed the shift? And where do you think the nightlife would end up if some of these groups suddenly disappeared?

Well the last time I partied in Soi Cowboy and Pattaya for that matter was 1992, the year before I retired from the US Navy.  I can relate to how things were back in the day but I'm eager to see and find out how much things have really changed.  Great article by the way and thanks again