Due to spend the week prior to February elections in BKK

[wellred]

So I'm all booked up to spend 25th to 31st Jan in Bangkok and I had a long list of things to see during the week. Do you think I will still be able to do the normal tourist thing and walk around Sukhumvit at night? Do you think NEP and Soi Cowboy will be open or closed for the protests?

[ukrules]

The protests won't affect the bars/nightlife but the elections will.

In Thailand they always close the bars when there's an election, often for 2 days and they don't even let us vote !

[SamSipEt]

Elections are always held on a Sunday and law is that bars have to close from 6pm Saturday through to midnight on Sunday.

So with the OP leaving on Jan 31st the election itself will not have any impact.

Protests, however, are a completely different story. Early days yet so no idea what, if any, effect they will have on your holiday. Might be worthwhile having an alternative plan to adopt if there are problems. Hua Hin if you like the beach, Chiang Mai if you don't. Pattaya for everything else (allegedly).

[Lakegeneve]

Elections are always held on a Sunday and law is that bars have to close from 6pm Saturday through to midnight on Sunday.

So with the OP leaving on Jan 31st the election itself will not have any impact.

Except that there is also advance voting the weekend before so include that wkend for closures as well.

[Torrens54]

The protests won't affect the bars/nightlife but the elections will.

In Thailand they always close the bars when there's an election, often for 2 days and they don't even let us vote !

Of course they close the Bars, just so you can't confuse ELECTIONS with ERECTIONS.

[Costas2008]

Don't worry.....there will be elections.....and everything will be calm.

You can also see the pigs flying even in snowing conditions.