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Pattaya's four- kilometer Beach Road is one long entertainment zone. South
Pattaya is where you can still find Pattaya's legendary after dark reputation,
especially the area called Walking Street. Fairy lights and neon- lit signs
advertise go-go bars, beer bars and massage parlours, all of which provide party
animals with a non-stop playground.
Thankfully, Pattaya isn't just go-go bars and loud music, there are many
other alternatives to keep all kinds of night owls happy. Trendy restaurants,
cocktail bars, karaoke venues and the famed ladyboy cabaret shows continue to
pull in the crowds too. Discotheques, nightclubs, coffee shops , open- air bars
and restaurants with live music and entertainment also compete for attention in
the night time mayhem that is Pattaya once the sun sets.
Pattaya Go Go Bars
There are literally hundreds of go-go bars, especially in South Pattaya, Walking
Street, and on both sides of Second Road. A few with names like Classroom A
Go-Go (skirts, ponytails, white socks) Lipstick A Go-Go (tequila shots, Jacuzzi
room) and Tahitian Queen (thigh high boots, rock & roll) aim to draw you in, but
they end up looking exactly the same.
There are plenty of girls, shows and bar games. A 'bar fee' is required to
escort the young lady (usually between 300 – 600 baht), then for what, and how
much you pay, is between the two of you. Drinks are usually around 100 baht
(beer, shot, or mixer) and admission is free.
Pubs, Bars and Lounges
Pattaya is the hub of the best, the coolest, and the trendiest of pubs, bars and
lounges. Leading by example is the world- famous Hard Rock Café in North
Pattaya), where visitors can choose from six bars and restaurants. The beach
foam parties on its man-made beach by the pool on weekends are not to be missed.
Or step into the coolest bar at Ice Bar (Amari Nova Suites), where chilled
drinks and funky tunes are served at the lowest temperature in town.
Some would argue there's nothing better than enjoying a game of football while
drinking beer at the Irish pub Kilkenny (Walking Street), or at the Pig and
Whistle (Soi 7). Beer bars can be found all over Pattaya , but the ones in
Pattaya Beach, Second Road, along the way to Jomtien Beach and at Jomtien itself
are the most popular.
Cabaret Shows
The very first ladyboy cabaret show in Southeast Asia, Tiffany's is also the
most famous cabaret show in Pattaya, and the longest-running show of its kind in
the world. Meet the clones of Whitney Houston, Donna Summer, or Barbara
Streisand.
Let these professional performers entertain you with their impressive repertoire
that includes glitzy song-and-dance routines in fabulous costumes, and comedic
impersonations. With more than 30 years' experience in show business, these
'ladies' provide visitors with world-class and memorable performances. (Shows
daily at 18:30, 20:00 and 21:30).
Gay Pattaya
Pattaya caters well to its rainbow culture. Muscle boys, bikers, boy toys and
lady boys strut their stuff at gay bars and go-go joints centered around Boyz
Town (Soi Pattaya Land 1 and 3). Additionally, there is a more private and
quieter area just off the strip at Sunee Plaza where the bars put up exclusive
shows nightly.
There are also several gay bars for locals and smaller venues with ladyboy shows
that welcome all and provide a lot of entertainment. Star-Tref Travestie
(Jomtien Complex) is a long-time favourite.
Pattaya is especially famous for its beer bars (also called
bar-beer), staffed by "bar girls" who are "for hire"
to the tourists and ex-pats who drink there. Popular beer bar pastimes include
pool, connect-four and shut-the-box.
Open-air beer bars can be found all over Pattaya, with the
biggest and best known concentrations being along and around Pattaya Soi 7
/Pattaya Soi 8 and Pattaya Walking Street, at numerous points on Pattaya second
Road, Pattaya Beach Road, Soi Buakhao, and in smaller numbers just about
everywhere else, including along the southern end of Naklua Road and at Jomtien.
Although the staff of a typical beer bar will usually all be prostitutes,
customers who have no intention of paying a "bar fine" (money paid to the bar so
that the girl can leave with the customer) are generally very welcome and indeed
make up the majority of the clientele
Indoor beer bars can also be found all over Pattaya, the most
notorious areas of Pattaya being Soi Yodsak (Soi 6) and parts of Soi Post Office
(Soi 13/2). While some of these bars are much more "bar fine" oriented, in most
cases customers who simply want to buy drinks are still welcome.
The official closing time in "entertainment zones" is 01:00 (in practice usually
somewhere between 01:00 and 02:00, depending on the location) and 00:00
elsewhere - however "closing" is defined as switching off the music and
non-essential lighting, and numerous beer bars remain open 24/7.
Go-go bars
Also called a-go-go bars, the main concentrations are
along Walking Street and the three Pattayaland streets, with more dotted around
the most popular beer bar areas; most come to life at around 20:00 and close
between 01:00 and 02:00.Sight-seeing tourists are welcome in go-go bars, however
cameras are not. Signs prohibiting photography are widespread, and a minority of
venues require patrons to deposit their cameras with security staff as they
enter.
Walking Street
Should have been named "Walking, Shopping, Eating, Drinking, Dancing and Ogling
Street" as there's plenty of almost everything here - including around 100 beer
bars and at least 30 go-go bars, plus many more in the side-sois that lead east
towards Pratamnak Road. Worth a look in the daytime, but best visited in the
evening, and has loads of restaurants if you're bridging the gap between the
two. Gets really packed in places when the discos empty, so watch your pockets.
If you're going to visit just one go-go, you could try "Super Baby" in Soi
Diamond, whose reputation for having the most attractive girls (not a stretch
mark as far as the eye could see) in its heyday a year or two back made it a
mandatory stop for countless busloads of Asian tourists. While that's no longer
quite the case, it's still a good bet as a hassle-free "middle of the road"
place to see.
Pattayaland
Soi Pattayaland 2 (Soi 13/4) features on many a Pattaya postcard - when lit up
at night, the go-go bar signs are a memorable and photogenic sight, although
there are in fact only eight go-go bars here (two of which feature guys, not
girls), plus a half-dozen bars and the Penthouse Hotel. Worth a look in the
evening (it's almost a ghost town the rest of the time), but get there before
01:00 as that's when the lights go out. Soi Pattayaland 3 ("Boyz Town" - no
direct access from Beach Road, runs from the middle of Soi 13/4 to Second Road)
features only male dancers and bars that cater for the gay crowd; Soi
Pattayaland 1 (Soi 13/3) has even more all-male go-gos (eight), but does have a
couple of girlie-go-gos too. There is also a small lesbian scene in Pattaya,
with local butch girls called "tom" girls and femme girls called "dee".
Soi 7 & Soi 8
There's always something going on here - in the evening and early hours, there
are about 120 well-staffed beer bars to choose from, plus a handful of go-go
bars; in the morning there are several places that serve breakfast; in the
afternoon it's a popular place for those who like to get started early; and at
Songkran (New Year) it's unmitigated mayhem. The "Night Out" complex
(10 large outdoor bars, on a side-soi that connects Soi 7 and Pattaya Central
Road) is about as family-orientated as these places ever get, and has live music
from 20:00-01:00. There are several large hotels (light sleepers beware), and
Soi 8 also has a few travel agencies, convenience stores, etc.
Soi Yodsak (Soi 6)
Imagine a kerb-crawlers paradise - and then pedestrianise it. Arguably Pattaya's
most colourful street (as well as most notorious), Soi 6 has about 50 bars
(mostly "short time" bars, with names such as "Butterfly", "Love Club", "Route
69" and "The Eager Beaver") which all get going at 13:00 and close pretty much
on the dot at 01:00. It's not really a pedestrian-only street (but it is
one-way), however walking - preferably in broad daylight - is undoubtedly the
best and most popular way to experience it. Go in the middle of the afternoon
and just wander from one end to the other (if coming from the south, walk from
the Second Road end down to the Beach Road end if you want to get there and back
by songthaew). It's much, much more "sex-tourist" than "tourism" oriented, but
anyone and everyone is welcome everywhere provided they're buying a drink or
three. The curiously named "Hi Boss! 2002 Pub" is where the ladyboys hang out,
there's one go-go - "Mandarin" (dancing from 17:00 till 01:00), plus a couple of
"pub" food possibilities; and neighbouring Soi 6/1 has a handful of "ordinary"
outdoor beer bars.
Second Road - around the Soi 2 & Soi 3 junctions
On the west side of Second Road opposite the Central Festival Centre is a
collection of about 35 very popular beer bars, which start to fill up from about
16:00, and several of which remain open long after the lights go out around
01:00-02:00. "Atlantic Bar", at the far end of the five-bar strip to the south
of Soi 2, always draws a substantial crowd. The only go-go ("Classroom 2",
19:30-02:00) is a lively one, and while there's not much in the way of food in
amongst the bars themselves, there are numerous eating options extremely nearby
(including outlets for most of the major fast-food chains directly opposite on
the other side of Second Road).
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