Suan Lum Night Bazaar Closing

[mmushr00m]

Still open

[Jacqqq]

***bump**

Is Suan Lum still operating ???!!!

[lolex]

***bump**

Is Suan Lum still operating ???!!!

[GaiYaang]

***bump**

Is Suan Lum still operating ???!!!

Yeah, I went there 2 weeks ago with my cousin, quite a few people.

[GungaDin]

I haven't been there since it opened quietly in 2002.

Expensive, but nicely laid out.

Does anyone have any pix?

cheers

gd

oops! http://www.bangkokpicture.com/pictures/sua...ghtbazaar05.php

Edited September 2, 2008 by GungaDin

[junki3korean]

i`ll miss the beer bar so much memories there..........

[junki3korean]

and the live music and ferris wheel.....

[HightillDry]

didn't go there for the past 10 trips or so.

always wanted to go but got no time haha

[tuky]

It has been closing down for several years now.

closing down

[Jacqqq]

Thanks, all, for the quick response. Haven't been there since we left BKK in December and thinking of dropping by when we are back in town for a quick visit next month. The ferris wheel was already dismantled while we were still in BKK. Cheers.

Edited September 3, 2008 by Jacqqq

[mmushr00m]

I was just there lastnight!!!

Everything still open, was fairly busy too but all tourist.

And surprise surprise, the taxi was willing to use the meter on the 1st try!!!!

[Jacqqq]

I was just there lastnight!!!

Everything still open, was fairly busy too but all tourist.

And surprise surprise, the taxi was willing to use the meter on the 1st try!!!!

We never had a problem getting the taxis to use the meter when we get home from there.

[MiG16]

Ive merged another recent thread asking the same question into this one

leaving the one that was from 2 years ago so people know it is current info and the place is still open (for now)

[samtam]

I believe closing 1Q 2009, having been delayed by 1 year, (was supposed to close 31 March 2008). Some adjacent buildings already demolished. Site to be developed by Central Group.

[scorecard]

Two points:

1. Goods there are extremely expenisve, on my one or two visits there I have been shocked at the prices, sometimes more expensive than Central Chidlom. It's supposed to be a bazaar!

2. Much more important point. I can assure you the local neighboring citizens will be very happy to return to some peace and quiet. They protested very strongly about the loud noise when the place started to change from a quiet Army cadet school in to a very loud night spot. But quess who was Bangkok Governor at that time, and totally ignored their pleas?

A different point, the then Bangkok Governor was put under great pressure to very easily turn the existing cadet school into a normal high school with good buildings etc, sorely needed. But he chose to push for it to become a shoppping mall. wonder why? You can guess the answer.

[mmushr00m]

Unfortunately instead of peace and quiet, the neighbours will have to endure years of constrcutions and end up with a new shopping mall, condos and hotel.

[HNLDennis]

Hi All,

I just got back from the Night Bazaar and they are packing up at the Beer Garden, Food Court and Entertainment Area. Tonight is the last night for this area, not sure about the rest of the place. Several food shops and some of the beer shops are already closed and everything removed. I will really miss this place, I walk over to get my exercise and relax for a meal, couple of beers and entertainment. Anyone with further updates please post, Also if any suggestions of a similar venue in the area?

[eTiMaGo]

yes! and get rid of that darn Jatujak market as well, you could build a theme park there instead! or a mall, certainly not enough of those around Bangkok...

[thai3]

yes! and get rid of that darn Jatujak market as well, you could build a theme park there instead! or a mall, certainly not enough of those around Bangkok...

Been going there every week and it's an overpriced dump. I would never buy anything there, strictly a tourist place. It has become very tatty if you look around in the daytime. The sunday concert is still on next Sunday as far as I know, that's the only thing worth saving, the rest is just tat you can get anywhere and stupidly expensive massage.

[daveh]

Hi All,

I just got back from the Night Bazaar and they are packing up at the Beer Garden, Food Court and Entertainment Area. Tonight is the last night for this area, not sure about the rest of the place. Several food shops and some of the beer shops are already closed and everything removed. I will really miss this place, I walk over to get my exercise and relax for a meal, couple of beers and entertainment. Anyone with further updates please post, Also if any suggestions of a similar venue in the area?

That's sad. I really liked going there for a beer while my wife shopped.

[bonobo]

That is rather sad.  It certainly served a purpose.  I have brought many business visitors there after a dinner out, and they could get their souvenirs for home.  Now, on a weekday evening, I am not sure where I can take them.  

But I guess Bangkok doesn't really have enough malls and hotels.

[BobMarleyWannabe]

Thats to bad, I liked the food court with the live entertainment, and will certainly miss that beer Chang girl struting her stuff in her hot pants.

To those who don't know, Suan Lum is a huge sprawling place, filled with rows and rows and rows of all different sorts of shops, and likewise many pleasant Thai and other restaurants, most of which have outdoor patio seating that makes for a very pleasant evening out. But my personal favorite, as has been mentioned above, is the huge outdoor food court and entertainment stage, that offers drinks at your table and then you can go around to dozens of individual food shops and pick your choice of everything Thai food you can imagine, all at pretty darn cheap prices. It makes for a great evening out with friends, family or others.

Indeed, this dispute has been going on for at least a couple of years. I remember seeing a newspaper report back when I was a tourist a few years ago indicating the place was to be shut down in favor of the looming hotel project. But it seems now, that reality, is coming closer to fruition. I was there last week a couple of times, and everything was open as usual, but who knows how long that will last.

The sad thing, I think, is there seems to be no public sign that Thai people in BKK or even the tourism-related parts of the city or the government are waging any kind of effort to save the place. I don't think there is anything else quite like it anywhere in Bangkok. I'll be very sad if indeed it does get demolished.

[Meridian007]

I've only been there a couple of times, and the market never impressed me. I'll be sad to see the outdoor bar go however, it was a really nice place that I would have visited often if I lived downtown. The whole environment around it was very relaxed and enjoyable.

They should keep the bar, or move it to an area near Lumpini. The market was the same as the area at the back of the 6th (5th?) floor of MBK, with the same products, and I think MBK was cheaper. I'm sure that if they're building a mall, that they will make an area that sells the same touristy stuff.

[salty]

I like the food court also but at the furthest point away from the live racket sorry entertainment.

[bonobo]

I've only been there a couple of times, and the market never impressed me. I'll be sad to see the outdoor bar go however, it was a really nice place that I would have visited often if I lived downtown. The whole environment around it was very relaxed and enjoyable.

They should keep the bar, or move it to an area near Lumpini. The market was the same as the area at the back of the 6th (5th?) floor of MBK, with the same products, and I think MBK was cheaper. I'm sure that if they're building a mall, that they will make an area that sells the same touristy stuff.

MBK has a few of the same things, but not nearly the amount of choices.  There were some very nice art stores at the bazaar, for example, and some outlets for small country factories.  I even bought some footwear there from a factory outlet that I used to supplement the OTOP silk I used to export to the US.

But even if MBK had all the same things, it is not open late.  And not every tourist is interested in Nana Plaza.  After dinner, how many other places are available for the families, couples, and individuals who are not comfortable with the bar scene?  And where can they shop for souvenirs?  Walking down Sukhumvhit?  Sure, they can find some things there, but the atmosphere is hardly family-friendly.

[on-on]

I used to live nearby and that place is a really mediocre tourist trap. The only sad thing here is that it sounds like it's just going to be replaced with a higher end tourist trap. Given the choice I guess I'd keep the night bazaar as it at least had the beer garden area, but man is it ever full of utter garbage and crap, overpriced restaurants. Those pathetic sit-down joints they have in the back were God awful. They look interestingly decorated, but the food and service was ridiculously bad. Just another scammy market re-selling the same wooden frogs, decorative christmas light, heavily syndicated photographic prints and stupid, knock-off t-shirts. the beer garden was barely tolerable half the time too with the absurdly bad pop acts cranked up to 11,000dB. It's pretty bad that as bad as this place was, the alternative is even worse in its own way. Not as if the crap-tastic mall in the LH Bank building across the road isn't enough worthless wannabe-hiso malls full of chain food outlets for one corner, I guess we need another!

[bonobo]

I used to live nearby and that place is a really mediocre tourist trap... Just another scammy market re-selling the same wooden frogs, decorative christmas light, heavily syndicated photographic prints and stupid, knock-off t-shirts...  

Tourists want wooden frogs, photographic prints, t-shirts, etc.  So where, other than along the sidewalks of Silom and Sukhumvhit, can they get these in the evenings? Where can they get them without being exposed to the seedier side of Bangkok nightlife?

And tourists are an important part of the Thai economy. Bangkok needs the "clean" options for tourists.

I live here, and I certainly have never bought a wooden frog.  But I have had foreign guests who have.  I am surprised at the vitriol aimed at the bazaar by some posters here. It served its purpose to many, many tourists, and now there will be a gap in that ability to service the tourist market.

[mojaco]

This is not only sad, but stupid. Once all of Thailand becomes just another shopping mall like everywhere else in the world, there is nothing special to bring tourists here.

Last Thursday, Jan 14, my wife and I took my wife's brother and sister from Tokyo there and they went wild about the bazaar. And even enjoyed the food area. They said that bazaar was the high point of their trip (must have been since we were there for quite a few hours!)

As for the high prices? I watched my brother-in-law negotiate to about 1/3 of the asking prices. Example, a large 3D photo from 380 Baht asked down to 150 Baht. I learned a lot about negotiating from watching him. So the "high prices" depend on one's skill don't they.

One more thing, we had already taken them to MBK and Paragon and those places were NOT special to them, even if they sell the same T-shirts as the bazaar. Why? Atmosphere totally different between that bazaar and "just another mall" in their view.

Edited January 21, 2010 by mojaco

[damaja]

I heartily agree that it will be a shame to lose Suan Lum.

I live here now in Silom (for 7 months now) and have been coming to Bangkok on average 4-6 times a year for business and travel since '98, and I really don't relish the alternatives of Chatuchak (huge & bothersome to navigate and MILES away!), or MBK (tacky and brash and swamped with tat and also a tiring place to get around), or miscellaneous individual shops/stalls up Sukhumvit/Silom (spread around and barely much more competitive with unfriendly, seedy atmosphere around Nana/Patpong esp.).

The prices are higher at Suan Lum for the souvenir shops IF you're a mug and don't bargain well enough - not much better at Chatuchak or MBK for the same products. BUT for the many individual designer's shops it's par for the course and much the same as Chatuchak, only it's much easier to get to and MUCH, MUCH easier to get around. Plus, unlike Chatuchak or MBK, it was open EVERY day until late at night. Many of the stalls are tat, yes, but then that's proportional to shopping in all of Bangkok and there's still many of the stalls (at the Rama 4 end esp.) that are far from tat and have allowed good, creative, enterprising young Thais to start up with fashion/furniture/art/design businesses.

It's been great for our visitors to visit in stead of Chatuchak or because they came during the week when Chatuchak is closed. It's saved us the long trek (usually at least half a day all-in) up to Chatuchak several times and has been a life-saver when trying to think of something to do late evening that doesn't involve spending lots of money or getting drunk or seedy places that we don't like.

If all you ever went there for was the bars and entertainment then I think you were missing the point surely?! And to the detractors, again the question:

Where exactly should one go as a direct alternative to Suan Lum that is in the same area or as easily accessible, throughout the week (that isn't another boring indoor mall like MBK)?

[MrHammer]

The weekend market in Chatuchak is were I would take visitors wanting to shop and it's open quite late. Of course it's only in the weekend and far from the tourist areas, but it's a real market and more of an experience. I guess the night bazaar is ok for people on a quick visit, but I think it's remarkable bad value for money with the typical apathetic Thai vendors that you meet everywhere in the tourist areas.

Edited January 21, 2010 by MrHammer