I wasnt there this year and wondered if any of you that have been for the past few years can compare, busy,atmosphere etc ?

Didnt go into town but the roads were very busy.we decided to stay local and avoid all the pissheads and dangerous drivers.Was in the company of some good guys and their wives so we had a brill time and a good celebration.

Had no trouble getting accommodation on the 28th many hotels with plenty of rooms. Pattaya is quite right now but packed NYE

Had no trouble getting accommodation on the 28th many hotels with plenty of rooms. Pattaya is quite right now but packed NYE

Same here.

When I went to get errr.... breakfast at 2pm on the eve, there were only a smattering of cars in the hotel car park and the same when I returned a few hours later. At 7pm when I going out for the main evening session, you couldn't see the ground in the car park, packed solid...... but Walking Street was nowhere near as busy as it was last year.

Walking St was busier than I have seen in recent years, took me nearly 30 mins to walk from Pattaya Beer Garden to Simon's Beer Bar complex (opposite Tony's Disco) at about 12-30, after the fireworks to meet a friend who had left by the time we got there. But after a couple of beers by 1-30 the street was back to normal.

Same again last night, I think by declaring today a holiday they encouraged alot more people to come and spend a long weekend here. I was out last night with 6 Thai/ American guys who came from BKK for the extended hols, and I reckon that most of the crowds were either expats living elsewhere in LOS or Thais on hols.

Good couple of days, and I expect the same over the next few. What's all this talk about a tourism downturn? My mates from BKK had to drive around about 20 hotels before they could find rooms.

expect those booked for new years, and now it will be rather quiet.

and I reckon that most of the crowds were either expats living elsewhere in LOS or Thais on hols.

What's all this talk about a tourism downturn?

Expats living elsewhere and Thais on holidays are not tourists.

Three days at New Years time does not make up for the last 3 months or the next 3 months to come.

agree walking street was pretty rammed on new years eve, but it seemed like there was a very high proportion of thais on walking street, which as said before are not tourists, bars to me seemed busy for sure but not to the extent of struggling to find seats, etc.

Was in insomnia bar on walking for the countdown, pretty empty..buisiest bar for the night..baby dolls.

I wasnt there this year and wondered if any of you that have been for the past few years can compare, busy,atmosphere etc ?

It has been really busy but mostly with the rich Thais. There was a queue outside Sizzler today, but all Thais. I expect the following weeks to be quiet, I'm not complaining though but it's tough on business. Korean tour groups still keep coming but they are nearer to the LOS.

When I was walking down Beach Road I noticed a lot of trash. The visiting Thai people just dump their trash where they sit, at least farang use the plentiful bins along the road. This reminds of the Indian mentality of 'my trash I don't care about, let a low paid slave pick it up'.

agree walking street was pretty rammed on new years eve, but it seemed like there was a very high proportion of thais on walking street, which as said before are not tourists, bars to me seemed busy for sure but not to the extent of struggling to find seats, etc.

A couple of years ago, the crowd seemed 90% Russian. This year seemed about 95% Thai.

Tonight the Russians were out in force, but the crowds were way smaller than NYE.

Had no trouble getting accommodation on the 28th many hotels with plenty of rooms. Pattaya is quite right now but packed NYE

Hey slacker - we missed you at Larry's Dive!!!

Larry's Dive? ...... would that be a secret place?