Pattaya Bar Hours Extended; 24-Hour

Pattaya Bar Hours Extended; 24-Hour Bars May Be Possible Soon

Pattaya Times Editor Wanrapa Boonsu Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome 

Walking-Street-and-Bars-in-Pattaya's-Entertainment-Zone-Celebrate-Later-Hours

Pattaya bars, Go-Gos, nightclubs, karaoke parlors, beer bars, discos and late night restaurants are now allowed to remain open until wee hours of the morning for now - and maybe even for 24 hours soon. Popular Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome made the announcement today in response to the thriving tourism demands on the party city voiced by bar owners and workers. Even places like the new Hilton Pattaya will benefit because many arriving international guests still operate in Pattaya on the timezone they came from and are looking for something to do when they arrive late, said the Mayor's foreign business adviser.

Future plans call for extending alcohol sales to 24-hour a day at bars in Pattaya is under strong consideration and the new cut-off time for alcohol sales of 2 am may be extended  to 3 am in most areas of Pattaya and until 4:30 am in the center of Pattaya.
Currently, bars, Go-Gos, karaoke parlors and night clubs must stop selling alcohol at 2 am, but can remain open. However, the lack of alcohol sales has caused concern from bar workers and owners who say they are losing income needlessly. This can be corrected by extended hours of sales for alcohol, they say.
Pattaya City is Thailand's premiere, seaside, shopping and nightlife resort and is only one and a half hours from Thailand's major international airport and a 2-hour highway drive from the capital, Bangkok. 

Most of the income after 11 pm comes from nightlife. "They like to drink and have fun so we like for them to drink and have fun as late as they want, " said "Oiy" a dancer at Tahitian Queen.

Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome said the matter for allowing establishments to serve alcohol all night is being discussed with his deputy mayors, Pattaya City Council and his advisers. 

Pattaya now allows bars, discos and go-gos to be open later in Pattaya than anywhere else in Thailand. After the Mayor's decision on December 2 the Entertainment Zone established more than three years ago on the Official Map of Pattaya as the "EZ" or Entertainment Zone is being utilized to set the area allowing extended hours of operation. 

Following talks with protesters who went to City Hall for help to increase revenues, Popular Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome announced the Entertainment Zone will be the demarcation line for new, extended bar hours in Pattaya, and bars outside of the Entertainment Zone will also be allowed to stay open longer, but not as long as those within the EZ.  

The young Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol listens to the voters and has extended bar opening hours to as late as 4:30 a.m. in the Entertainment Zone. The request for extended hours came from more than 250 workers in Pattaya bars who gathered at Pattaya City Hall asking for help.  

The citizens told the concerned Mayor that they were losing a great deal of possible revenue because the foreign and Thai tourists like to party late at night and sleep during the day so if they close at 1 am or 2 am the tourists just make their own private parties. They requested the mayor to extend the hours of operation of bars so the businesses and workers could earn the added income they are now missing.

The Walking Street Association is made up of beer bar, go-go, disco and restaurant owners and with the workers of the Pattaya Beer Bar Association combine to a force comprised of more than 8,000 Thais. Add this total along with the transportation lobbying group of more than 2,000 drivers in the Baht Bus Association and they collectively comprise the largest voting bloc in Pattaya - a city "In the business of entertainment and in the entertainment business," said the Pattaya Mayor's foreign business Adviser Drew Noyes.

All of these three business groups operate primarily within the center of Pattaya City in the Entertainment Zone set up to allow Pattaya special privileges to cater to its strong foreign tourism market.  Many concessions and lax laws regulating alcohol and opportunities for adult nightlife fun are legally granted within this zone at the discretion of the Pattaya government.

American Drew Noyes, who also owns PAPPA Co., Ltd. said, "The Entertainment Zone is identified on "The Official Map of Pattaya" produced for the Pattaya City government by PAPPA Co., Ltd. Publication Division."  

Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol announced that bars within the Entertainment Zone will now be permitted to open late so tourists can party in Pattaya and Thai workers and owners can make more money..

"We welcome all tourists from Thailand and everywhere to visit us every day they can! Pattaya is the city to relax at fine resorts, play sports, shop, eat all kinds of foods and see amazing Thai cultural events.  The nightlife is just a small part of what our city has to offer all tourists," Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol added.

The boundaries of the Pattaya Entertainment Zone include the world-famous Walking Street nightlife area to the south down to the beginning of the Naklua area, just past the dolphin water fountain monument to the north.

The west boundary is the beach and the east boundary is the west side of Third Road, leaving popular Buffalo Bar and other bars on the east side of Third Road out of the zone for now.

 Bars, pubs, discos, karaoke bars and nightclubs outside the zone will be able to open until 3:00 a.m. followingPattaya Mayor Itthiphol's announcement.

There are conditions attached to the new, extended hours of operations and Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol stated that unless owners of businesses selling alcoholic beverages ran their businesses in accordance with Thai Law, the new opening times would be withdrawn immediately.